The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-10-24


- chief Of the New York fire
| - department and who has Il
/ record of more than quarter
of century as a fire fighter. was one
Of the chief speakers at the recent in
| ternational municipal congress and ex-
position at Chicago Mr.. Cookers sub
ject was THE Reduction Of Fire
/ Waste" and his address was devoted
principally to the question of fire pre-
vention instead of fire fighting. In
part Mr.. Croker said:
Il have fought the fire demon in
| New York city for twenty-seven years,
twelve Of which were spent as the
ranking officer of the uniformed force
Throughout these years / was steadily
and irresistibly led to the conclusion
that. while fire fighting and fire ex-
tinguishing organizations of our great
modern cities had reached high state
of efficiency and were keeping well
abreast of the demands made upon
them, our citizens, as rule, paid too
little attention to the vital matter of
fire prevention.
'The enormous fire waste of the
United States varies from S2O0,000,000
to $500, 100000 annually, and the vast
" greater indirect losses that result
seriously affect our economic and civic
progress. The loss of lives by fire Is
one that cannot be realized save by
those unfortunates whose relatives
and friends have been lost in many
deplOrable calamities.
Great Loss Unnecessary.
"This utter destruction of more than
| a quarter of a billion of dollars in
property in addition to the lives meal
culable in money value is not an act
of God nor one of the inevitable
chances Of industry and commerce.
"All that is necessary is to apply the
test of comparison with other coun-
tries Of like civilization In round
numbers the per capita fire loss in the
| United States has been from 50 to $4
| against 33 cents in the principal Eu-
ropean countries. One of the condi-
tons in these countries that operates
to effect lesser loss than here is the
larger use of noncombustible mate
rails due to the high cost of wood
Another reason is the Intangible infu
ence Of their older civilization, which
makes these people more careful OF
i small savings in all their affairs and
generally more cautious than we have
yet become
but, allowing for these fundamental
differences between the countries com
pared, it Is yet apparent that the fire
loss In the United States, which is be
tween seven and eight times that Of
| the greatest European country, is out
rageously and criminally greater than
| it should be. It has been my observa-
| ton that the large majority Of fires
arise from preventable causes. In fact,
every fire of consequence is prevent
4 able.
1.-THE subject Of fire prevention is
vastly more important than that of fire
| fighting. When one confiagration has
been checked or prevented you have
accomplished little. The chances for
repetition tomorrow are equally as
! great.
What Is Fireproof.
eff we are to better conditions you
must realize that 'f1reproof is not fire
i proof as 1t is understood today. The
literal definition remains, but many
crimes have been committed In its
name. know of no more abused word.
/ am sincere tn the conviction that the
government should make 1t a heavily
punishable oEense to apply the term to
anything but an absolutely fireproof
| building.
There Is but one principle to fire
proof construction. be 1t either homes,
hotels, Office buildings, theaters, apart
ments, battleshfps, railway cars or
| what. To have ffreproof buildings
architects and owners must throw
aside precedent and eliminate the use
Of combustible and semicombustibIe
materials in their construction.
IF had my way about it would
not permit piece of wood. even the
size OF lead pencil TO be used in the
| construction or finish of any building
! in the United States exceeding a
ground area of Is by 30 feet or three
stories in height If there was still an
absolute necessity for its use, If ii
could not be replaced with steel, as it
has been In many modern construc-
lions, it would then be well to attempt
to conceive Of something better am
1 opposed to the use Of wood In any form
In freproof buildings, and the law
ought not to permit It's use. Wooden
floors. wooden window frames, doors
and castings burn and help other things
to burn: wooden trim and bases burn
everything that is made OF wood burns
and helps the fire to spread Eliminate
wood remove the cause, and you have
precluded the possibility Of fires.
I'VE have no department of our gov
eminent devoted to the matter of fire
| prevention. Our laws on the subject
4 70 not cx,o..fo f;1o5 ~ oorV,rlofoIrv <.<x,o~