The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-04-21
URGES CARE IN PAINTING
Finds Greatest Danger for Fourth of
July in Piles of Refuse Left in the
Grounds About Homes and Other
Buildings.

Clean up! cries the esthetic because
he believes that at this season of the
year, when nature puts on her most
beautiful garb, man should aid her in
making our surroundings as fresh,
clean and beautiful as possible. Clean
up, warns the health officer, because
in dirt. dust, filth, debris and rubbish
Turk the germs of contagion and
disease. Clean up, we urge, because
these untidy conditions are great fire
danger. These conditions are annual
ly responsible for much loss of proper
ty by fire.
This cleaning should extend from
cellar to garnet, from house to out
buildings, alleys and yards. A fly
ing spark lodging, lighted match or
live cigar stub thrown carelessly into
rubbish in or outside Of buildings has
caused many disastrous fires. The
chore boy may carelessly throw a
cigar stub into the rubbish surround
ing barns or in barns, the clerk may
throw either into the rubbish of the
basement of business blocks where
paper, excelsior and other packing ma
terials are often allowed to accumu-
late; the thoughtless passer-by may
throw a cigar stub through the iron
grating in the sidewalk into the dust
and filth below. Perhaps we cannot
prevent people from carelessly throw
ing matches and cigars, much less
sparks from flying, but we can prevent
the accumulation of combustible and
infammable materials, if we will.
1t is in filth and rubbish that most
of the. Fourth-of-July fires start, it is
in these that careless children play
ing with matches start a blaze and
half the spontaneous combustion fires
come from dust and rubbish.
In this cleaning up process the at
tics should not be forgotten. In them
dust and spider webs accumulate and
all sorts of inhammable stuff is often
stored away.
Attios are too often without ven
tilation. Thus, when the fierce sum
mer sun beats down upon the roof the
attic becomes a veritable furnace and
spontaneous combustion occurs in the
rubbish, dust, oily rags, highly var
nished pieces Of furniture, oil, etc.
Closets should get thorough over
hauling and all dust, oily rags, greasy
overalls and sweepings should be re-
moved. Closets under stairways are
especially dangerous. Dust and de-
bris may hide there and fire under
a stairway often cuts off the only
avenue of escape from upper stories.
Spring is the painting season and
a caution as to the handling and stor-
ing of rags used in wiping vanished
or oily surfaces or wiping paint from
the painters hands, is timely. The
only safe place for such greasy rags
is the stove. Where kept for any
length Of time, to be used again, they
should be stored in substantial, COW
cred, iron receptacle.
Paint and varnish rags and waste
or rags used to wipe oily parts of ma
chirery are liable to give rise to spon-
taneous combustion. The likelihood
of spontaneous combustion is four
times as great in the heat of summer
as in the cold of winter.
The writer was called to investigate
the cause and origin of barn fire.
All doors of the barn were locked.
The barn was not in use except to
store things. The fire started on the
inside. How it started was problem
until the investigator learned that two
of the family worked on railroad en-
gines and that they kept their greasy
overalls, waste and rags used in wiping
engines in this barn. Heat and spon-
taneous combustion did the rest.
Again we say, Clean up!
IT NJ p,,r+olI