The times., 1897-08-27
NOT NOW AFRAID OF FIRE
Mail Bag Shop Employees Taught to
Avoid Danger.
& Beneflcent and Practical Sugges'
tion OF Supt. Severe-Lighter
Loads on the Floors.

The new superintendent of the United
States mail bag repair shop, Mr. W. B..
Severe, has done a very popular thing by
instituting a fire drill at that esta ablish-
ment. lie has also in some other par
tlcuIars provided for the comfort and
convenience of the employees of the shop.
There are from 200 to ESQ people
working at this repair shop. 1t requires
tia: number 10 be constantly at work
repairing torn mail bags, there being
departu. cnts for the leather pouches and
for the ordinary cotton or jute bag and
sack.
me esta ilishment is in the big build
ing on street near Sixth. 1t is five
stories high, and the women work at all
elevations of the building, the great
majority of the operatives being women
and girls.
The danger Of PANIC in such a building
at any kind OF serious alarm MA Y possibly
have occur ed to former superintendents,
but Mr.. Severe first provided against it in
large measure. lie began some time ago
TO drill the operatives to leave their rooms
quietly and in order. The experiment has
been .otcd, certainly at the building, an
immense success.
A fire in this shop would be Catas
trophe, and such a condition has existed
ever since the concern was established
MI Severe took in the situation at a
glance, and Some time ago he instituted
the fire drill. The lessons, like all others.
and the acquisition OF the most effective
movement. have been of course progressive,
but while there has been no public eX-
hibition of it, three of the employees
riskGd the statement that the drill was
now nearly perfect. The fire signal is of
course not sounded every day, but atirregu-
lar intervals, so that there is always the
element of surprise.
Ample arrangements have been made
against fainting. In such a crowd of wo-
men there is a large percentage of chance
that ma ny of them viii meet the announce
ment of fire by flop to use plain
Saxon term. Two or three cases Of hys-
terics or syncope in q room out OF which
everybody else is trying to get after d
genuine alarm of fire are mbarrassing.
These faintees Inust be taken up tenderly.
handled with rapidity and precision, a nd
carried off the field, as they do the
wounded.
mere le no blocking OF paSSageW avs per
mitted, no heaps of stuff on the floors to
impede The progress OF the drill squads, and
after the gong strikes now they get up just
as deliberately as If they were going to
lunch, and not flying incontinently with
uplifted skirt from mouse, or with dis
heveled hair aud shrieks from fire and
smoke All the girls are very happy over
the fire drill 1t Is a distraction and a
diversion in some sense, and they feel safe,
because they see the precision with which
the scheme works. 1t produces O much
higher degree of satisfaction than the fire
escape, as they can all be dow on the first
floor now before any kind of flame OF
spark becomes dangerous
Mr.. Severe said yesterday that it was a
mistake to suppose that the cotton bag
stuff On the floors would produce a blaze
like that of hay or flax. On the contrary,
itwould be slow, making what is described
as q smoldeTing fire.
The other reform has been partly ex-
planned by the reference TO the keeping of
the rooms clear of unnecessary obstruc-
tions. All unnecessary weight has been
removed. and especially from the top
floors.