Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1910-04-15
SEASONS WARNING
State Fire Marshal, T. NJ PurtelI, gives
Timely Warning to the Lax

CLEAN UPi 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
Gust, filth, debris and rubbish Turk the
germs of contagion and disease. Clean
up, we urge, because these untidy con-
dtions are great fire danger. THESE
conditions are annually responsible Tor
much loss of property by fire.
This cleaning should extend from Gel
lar to garnet, rom house to outbulld-
ings, alleys and yards. A flying spark
lodging, lighted match OF live cigar
stub thrown carelessly into rubbish IN
or outside of buildings has caused many
disastrous fires The chore boy may
carelessly throw match or cigar stub
into the rubbish surrounding barns or
in barns, the clerk may throw either
into the rubbish of the basement of
business blocks where paper, excelsior
and other packing materials are often
allowed to accumulate; the thoughtless
passer-by may throw a cigar stub
through the iron grating in the dust and
filth below. Perhaps we cannot pre-
vent people from carelessly throwing
matches and cigars, much less sparks
from flying, but we can prevent the
accumulation of combustible and in
fiammable materials, if we VII.
1t is in filth and rubbish that most of
the Fourth-of-July fires start, it is in
these that careless children playing
with matches start blaze, and half
the spontaneous combustion fires come
from dust and rubbish.
In this cleaning up process the attic
should not be forgotten In them dust
and spider webs accumulate and all
sorts of infammable stuff is often
stored away
Attics are too often without ventila-
ton. Thus, when the fierce summer
sun beats down upon the roof the attic
becomes a veritable furnace and spon-
taneous combustion occurs in the rub
bish, dust, oily rags, highly vanished
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 debris
may hide there and fire under stair
way often cuts off the only avenue of
escape from upper stories.
Spring is the painting season and a
caution as to the handling and storing
of rags used in wiping .varnished 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 a substantial, covered recep-
tacle
Paint and varnish rags and waste or
rags used to wipe oily parts of machin-
cry are liable to give rise to sponta
neous 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 engines and
that they kept their greasy overalls,
waste and rags used in wiping engines
in this barn. Heat and spontaneous
combustion did the rest.
Again we say, CLEAN UPl
T. M. PURTELL,