The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-12-03

or raise q window, grab their earthly
wealth and take leap out into the
atmosphere, depending on the buoy
ancy of their purses to neutralize the
specific gravity Of their anatomies.
Now these lives are precious and
their souls are precious. doubtless
some of the tenants of the top floor
have not been adequately touched by
the teachings of the gospel department
below, and are not prepared for the
journey into the unknown hereafter,
and II would seem christian duty to
so equip their apartments as to re-
duce to a minimum the chances that
they will be choked or charred into
eternity before the leaven from the
lower floor has had chance to work
up fermentation.
1t is not unlikely that the attention
Of the district inspector will be call
ed to the dangerous condition Of the
Y. M. G. A. building in Canton, to the
end that fire escapes may be provided.
There are other establishments In
Canton that are amenable to the law
for other causes. Aside from the
owners of buildings who allow people
to live on top floors without supplying
them means of egress there are factor
les maintained that have pieces Of
machinery so uncovered as to be a
menace to employees. The inspection
OF factories, however, is more caro-
fully attended to than is the inspection
of other places where large numbers
of persons congregate. These are
stores, though that are dangerously
NJ cod ~ nf onpnnd
and third floor employees would have
the greatest difficulty escaping In case
of sudden fire, as would their GUS
toners, II any we're with them at the
time. Again, 1t is the duty Of own
ers of stores, under the law, to pro-
vide seats for the women employed
in sales and other departments. The
law makes It an offense to fail to pro-
vide female clerks with seats. when
they are not waiting on customers.
But the fire escape question Is the
one that needs the most attention in
Canton, and that speedily. There are
any number of buildings not so pro.
vided. The deputy inspector coul'l
spend several days in Canton to good
advantage. and earn a reappointment
under the new chief inspector when
his term expires in May. Despite the
fact that district inspector, A. M.
True, once resided in Canton, not all
of the older buildings have been prop
erly provided, He was diligent, It Is
true, and sometimes rather annoying,
ly so. Under a former management
Mr.. True was strictured somewhat as
of the News-Democrat. 1t was not
long afterwards that the publishers
of the paper were notified that they
would have to provide fire escapes for
the building, though there was not a
floor that was more than ten feet
from a roof that made a natural
escape in case of fire. A little of such
diligence on the part of the present
incumbent. employed, in the right di
rection, might work wonders.
And IL the order were given to
abate an abuse, it would have to be
complied with. Chief Inspector Knaub
was asked with reference to that phase
of the matter. Fines are provided
by the law and, at the discretion OF
Tue Couit, UuL uulcSS
somebody having the power of mag
istrate acts nothing can be done. So
If the Y. M. c. A. building should be
reported and an order issued for the
trustees or others in authority to put
on fire escapes, it would not avail to
claim that none were needed and thus
fail to comply with the law. 1t is
then the duty of the department to
report to the mayor of the city the
failure of the party to whom the order
was issued, to comply with the law.
IL for some reason or another the
mayor should not act, he could be
'lisug uoloe uB 6q eoWo moIJ ps}su
tuted by the attorney general.
So osif"any citizen knows of law be-
ing violated in Canton in regard to the
maintenance of death traps, his report
Of the matter will have some weight
1t is pusillanimous. citizen indeed
who will sit quietly by while his
neighbors are in peril of their lives.