The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-04
THE COMBUs TIVE SIROCCO.
70 the Editor of the Eael

To the Editor of the Eagle.
THE sirocco wind" as il has been called
| favors the origin and spread of fires in the
forests and cities by desiccating the wood
and other vegetable fiber, so that a single
spark from passing train or a laborer's
pipe easily may start a big confiagra ton
These were the conditions under which
large part of Chicago was destroyed
by fire nearly twenty-four years ago."
and so forth and so on, etc, says the
Chicago Tribune.
Just exactly SO, and We ourselves wildly
remember one of those hot siroccos, as
we are glad to learn they are called. and
how it came seething in off the lake last
Tuesday a week. Scorching and deSiccat-
ing every piece Of wood fiber it could lay
hands upon and rendering the danger of
terrible confiagration imminent right
then, so that everybody was thoughtful
that had time TO think moment.
But it is Chicago's contguity to large
area Of fresh water wherein the menace
lays. Wherever, in the past, large cities
have been similarly placed II has been
observed that humiliation by fire seemed
TO be their grewsome fate, and strikingly
so in the case of those prehistoric cities
and towns which, strangely enough, were
built by means of piles directly and alto
gether over the surface of water, such as
those ancient Genevan towns and others
in Switzerland. and of which not q trace
or vistage save charred relics are ever
recovered rom the bottom Of the lakes.
The conclusion is not far from obvious
that the nearer together without actual
contact combustible material can be
brought to common water (salt water has
the opposite tendency, and the longer
these conditions are maintained the great
er the certainty of a general confiagra-
ton consequent upon any small blaze with
the sudden and inevitable thrush of a
peculiar super-oXygenated and fame-feed-
ing atmosphere.
Further than this rela tive to fires the
deponent sayeth not. but would revert
and frankly ask the titled author of 1.-The
arid southwest wind" why he has remorse-
lessly impressed and ragged in for the
forty-eighth hundred and twentieth time
the time-honored spark from a passing
train or a laborers piper
Would not 1.-The passing train" answer,
and could he not let il go at that. without
coupling on and yanking in the unoffend-
ing laborer, who, God knows, is pienti-
fully enough dealt with and sorely moved
in the tariff, silver, Stun. and sociaistic
questions. without him, and his pipe, and
sirocco being calmly damned together
by a proud fool, and inconsiderately made
TO figure as possible cause OF some
future incirderation Of Chicago? Were
We forty working people and in his neigh
borhood, we should be impelled 70 lay
aside our tools and pipes for the nonce.
and TO make concerted rush to drive
the idiomatic idiot. with his prigishly
proper puzzle-word dessicated. and his
meteorological data on the arid southwest
wind. through the second story window.
His article otherwise is exceedingly well
MT tor rnr oil s.rf
credit, and we should like il understood
that he must continue in so fine and per-
feet strain in everything he henceforth !
undertakes. Or else he must not write at
all, for it would be the height OF unpar- !
donable mistake if one who can neither |
clear the way for the useful or touch the |
remotest chord of business, pleasure or |
should fail in one Jot or title |
OF grammatical construction.
We sincerely trust that this will be taken |
by no one as compromising fnnueado or |
a personal reflection. as IL avowedly is in |
tended to convey simply the reasonable |
request that when one, in these hottest |
times Of pros and cons ar ent vital topics. |
immerges from the ranks ana advances |
with such a fine flag OF truce as the 1
arid southwest wind" over his shoulder,
and virtually advises us TO put salt on its |
tail and to catch il. he should a least be
made 20 conduct himself properly with /
respect 10 all parties TO the silver and |
other controversies, or failing in which /
he should promptly be made TO demon
strate 10 the people what valuable sprint
ing abilities he is possessed OF.
e. 4. GILBERT.