Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-10-17
rIRn wash AND rREvENTIoN.

~ 6. 6. Wyandt

fF~F~@~ N~N~"~
burned buildings, would reach from
Echicago 70 Denver or from Chicago
Ito New York city. a person travel
Ing along this desolated avenu,
would pass at each thousand feet th'
ruins OF building from which !
severely injured 6ersOn had been res
cued. and every three-quarters o.
q mile there would be the blackenet
ruins OF house In which some one
had been burned to death. p Il
Townsend. in an address before .ht
Missouri Fire Protection Association
at Excelsior Springs, Mo-, in Juns
1910, drew picture OF this imsgin.
airy street as follows;
"imagine the street before the
fire touched it--lined with stores
factories. schools, churches. houses,
barns. etc. Suppose the fire starts
| ut one end OF the street on the first
day OF the year and Is steadily driven
forward by a high wind. just as
actually happens in ia conflagration.
Building after building takes fire.
and while the fire fighters save
some from total destruction. the fire
steadily eats its way forward at the
rate Of nearly three miles day. for
a whole week, for a whole month,
for all the twelve months Of the
year. And at the end of the year
has the conflagration ceasedg No,
It began on a new street. thousand
miles long. which was likewise de-
stroyed at the end Of the year, and
this same destruction is going on
today $4,000 a minute
Students or the economic loss in
volved in this enormous preventable
fire waste should understand that
the property destroyed by the fire
is not the only economic waste. In
cluded In the fire charge should be
the cost OF fire departments to tai lie
care Of these large and small con-
flagratioRs due to shoddy constrnc-
ton. poor protection and the care-
lessness which Is the curse OF the
American people. When the cost Of
public and private water supplies,
fire departments and other protec-
ton devices Is included. the total
cost Of protecting the public against
the ravages OF fire amounts to over
$3.50 100000 a year. This is a tex
on the people exceeding the total
amount Of gold, silver, copper aud |
petroleum produced in the United
States in an ordinary year. Experts
declare that the annual cost OF fires
ii the United States, If the briid-
ngs were as nearly firepr5of as they
ire in Europe, and If the public felt /
he same responsibility for the. pro-
lection Of life and property that
foreigners do, would be only ss0,-
zoe. 900. This means that the Init
I'd States is paying annually pre-
tax Of more than 1855, 600
100 or almost enough 70 0utld the
Panama canal in a single year or
o pay off the national debt 10 lire
ears.
The only way in which the f.Te1
ost may be reduced is by reducing
he fire waste. Adverse legislation
viii drive capital out of the fire in
urance business. Rates must be
dequate to pay losses and expenses
lesides surplus to meet the conf
lagrations Of the future that ara nc
ertain to take place as they have J
rs the past so long as present meth ;
DIS and conditions continue K
While large percentage Of fire
osses are avoidabIe. and doubtless
ill be reduced to more reasonable
Imits when the property owners |
ealize they are the parties that foot
he bills. There are a variety Of !
,sses, however. that no human i'm
enufty can prevent nor its location
oresee such as lightning, wind
torn. cyclone and tornadoes no g
ortion of this country is immune
-om the enormous loss Of life and '
roperty for the reason that the 9
tmospheric conditions producing Z
lem cannot be foreseen or provided
gainst. Nor are they confined to
ny specific locality. Unlike fire. .
iere is no precaution that can be
dopted to prevent the lightning
.rilking where It pleases, or the i
wind blowing when and where it
steth."
Chief Pelletier.s Of the Salvage1
atrol, recently stated that forty Of !,