The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-12-12
EXAMINE CHIMNEYS
BEFORE SEVERE WEATHER COMES
IT WOULD SAVE $4,000 IN THIS STATE.

ItCoTtS OI all IRE iOsrsCs are kept. Uit
loss from neglected fiues is, In the NV
erage year. SlO6, 900 per million pop
ulation. So the waste In South Da-
kota from this cause Is at least $50
600 per annum.
II each householder should inspect
his chimneys before severe weather
arrives. and remedy defects in them.
th6t amount would he reduced at
least $40,0 0,09O. Why not protect your
property and it's occupants by devot
ing 10 minutes time to this common
est OF all fire dangers?
Fires from defective chimneys, Us.
ually being in the attic get good
start in the dryest Of wood before
the alarm Is raised. Attics being dif'
ficult Of access to one with a water
bucket the fire is likely to get beyond
, CONTROL
DEFECTS POSSIBLE,
The settling Of its foundation may
open a crevice between the bricks
or stones, so that sparks can ESCAPE.
Sometimes u new chimney in settling
forms "a crack because one side OF 1t
IL held by floor timbers.
A chimney built up from joists or
a brackets IL always a source of dan
ger because OF the liability OF cracks
from springing OF the timbers.
Chimneys so huilt often have as
their base plank whose only pro-
lection from sparks and heat IL a
layer Of mortar on 1t Many fires re
suit from this practice.
Salmon-tinted bricks disintegrate
Poor mortar crumbles out leaving
openings. Nails driven into brick
chimneys are likely to come out
leaving holes. Tile chimneys Of all
sorts are unsafe because they are
very likely to crack off at the level
0f the roof where cold air strikes
them. A hood should make no off
set to hold SCOT. The chimney top
should be inspected aud SCOT swept
, down and removed from below.
THE STOvEPIPE.
A stOveplpe must be cleaned. Jar.
ring 1t out Is not enough; a scrap
per slloul he used inside it to remove
scnl,s. I hen it should lie inspected
sectio:i 10y section for rust holes which
mi sht permit sparks to fly outward
instead of upward. There il wild .
spread Impression that the ] b "l
stOrepipe cleaning should ne ap-
preached with cnlmn,sS. forti,ud'
and resolution. Butfnr the fact that
job. the great eXemplnr of patience
was n tent--dweller one might think
he referred to stovepipe cleaning
when he said: "Yet man is horn uu.
to trouble as the sparks fly upward "
See that the pipe when up is spark
ti:ht throughout and is not pushed
into the fiue 40 as to choke it.
The ELBOW.
An elbow in the stovepipe lessons
the liability of par ticles of kindling
or fuel being drawn from the chin
ney top and alight n still red hot ON
the shingles. II such sparks are Civ.
eli elbow room they are likely u
bump in making the turn and fall
harmless. While a fire is burning the
air in chimney travels up at the
rate Of three to six feet a second
Unplugged and rag filled stovepipe
holes cause some fires.
4 stovepipe should not pass where
1t caunOt he seen as through u latl
and plaster partition, or through IN
: attic or unused room. because open.
ings In it may occur from rust or the
parting OF a seam OrjOint. And, too
In such situation the pipe becomes
covered with fluff which is liable
to ignite; neither should Il pipe pass
through roof, window or siding
even Of Il summer Kitchen, for it il
liahle to becOme redhot.
No fiue should be snuailer than s
lIy 8 inches, which is the length Of a
brick. Ii any green wood is used II
should be 10y II inches. A Fireplace
chimney must have at least one
tenth the area of the Fireplace II
serves.
The effective way to deal with this
enormous loss from defective fiues ID
through Il state building law similar
to that of North Carolina which con
+. trolls the building Of chimneys and
many other details OF architecture
This would cure the evil In so years.
~ FRANK A. CRAFT,
State Fire Marshall.