The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-07-30
SQUARE BALE NO MORE.
Latest Horror of Cotton Fire at
New York Sounds Its Doom.
LEGISLATION AGAINST IT NOW DEMANDED
Metropolitan Press De. lnres hound-
Imp Bale the only safe Method
for storing or shipping.

New York, July 2a.--The New York Com
mercial, in leading editorial on the no
boken fire disaster. in which nearly 200 lives
were lost and hvo million or six million dol
lars worth of property destroyed, says;
1t is the firm belief of the cotton trade, OF
Insurance men, of fro officials and of every
intelligent person VINO has given the matter
any investigation or thought, that the de-
struction OF the North German Lloyd prop
erty at Hoboken last Saturday would have
boon impossible had the cotton on the piers
been packed in the modern roundap bales
instead of by the old-fashioned, wastefu and
dangerous method that has prevailed for
hundred years or more The promoters OF
the round bale could have asked for no better
argument in its favor, the cotton growers Of
the country and every property owner affected
/ by the handling OF cotton are blind TO their
own Interests II they fail now to learn the
! lesson of this disaster
The Hohoken fire was caused, it is now
reasonably established by the careless throw
ing away of lighted match that landed on
an old fashioned bale OF cotton. II was seen
! by dozen or more persons when II was no
bigger than a mans hat, but the whole pier
was sheet of flame almost before the earliest
spectator OF the little blaze could speak oil II
or raIse an alarm. The old-fdshioned square
cotton bale. with its ragged jute covering aud
loosely protruding. flame inviting lint is
lowed Human ingenuity could hardly have
devised a better medium for spreading of a
nre. It's record OF destruction disclosed mil
lions upon millions in loss long before the
Hoboken fire, but narrow self-interest and
prejuuice continue TO obstruct the universal
use ii the round bale
Tests by insurance men have proved, FIRST
that lighted matches thrown on the round,
burlap covered bales n high wind. will burn
themselves completely out without ignitng
the bundle; second, that lighted pine knots
or torches placed on the round bales are
harmless beyond slightly blackening the bur.
lap third, that a shoyeltul of live Goals
thrown on these bales viii die out tuto mere
cindcrs and blow away without raising tbs
slightest blaze. The nature of the covering
the manner OF its use and the firm packing
Iincipient forms. The old square bale is
verltable finder pox
There is no earthly reason why It should
, longer menace life and property. 1t carrie.
, Ghout 22h pounds OF cotton to the cubic foot
the round bale carres 30 pounds Its ust
eniorces upon the grower an unnecessary ex
pense IN packing, handling and freight 0
from SO Is to 81 80 on every 500 pounds o
cotton-nearly cent per pound. i must pa,
, nearly 50 per cent more In Insurance thar
the round bale Why. then should the cottor
trade and the public put up with the nuisanc,
I any longer? Why should they suffer the con
tinuunce of a system that is antiquated, cost!
and destructive? The round bale is maxim.
rapid progress on its OWN intrinsic merits bu
It has the greedy compress combine and tn
prejudice of hundred year old system L
fight
In the light OF this Hoboken IRE. it woul
appear that the time is ripe for legislation il
the various States TO suppress the death deal
Ing, property destroying square cotton bale