Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-13
hat Fires Cost EveryoneInB Bread and Butter

they work, and this carelessness exhibits
Itself especially in their attitude toward fire.
Tnstil into the minds Of our people, and esDsS
cfally the youth OF the land, wholesome TesS
Of the fire iend, and the sentiment that the
man or woman or child who is careless with
fire is public enemy, and must In some way,
be made to fee. the protest Of right-minded
citizens.
Unfortunately, no sense Of the immortality
OF needless waste has yet moved US. Super
induced by the mental habit of considering
our national supply of raw materials mex
haustfble, is the thought that fires do not mat
ter so long as there is insurance capital to pay
for them. AS are beginning, however, to
conserve our forest lands, we may come to
consider that the things ones hands have
created may also be worth saving. We may
come to look with disfavor upon buildings Of
excessive height and floor area without ade.
quate fire cut-offs, with huge floor openings
and unprotected windows. We may come to
demand that the so-called freproof building
shall be really 1reproof, knowing that steel
work improperly insulated, will buckle in a
hot fire, even II the whole structure does not
collapse entirely.
In the rush into concrete building now evt.
dent we may come to demand honest mixtures
Of cement, and the use of sand sharp enough
to bind the concrete properly, instead of the
smooth water-worn pebbles that win aid the
crumbling and disintegrating process under
the action Of heat and water. We may cease
our folly in making floors ten inches thick
and enclosing stairs and elevators IN a wall Of
equal thickness to prevent the spread of FIRE
from floor to floor, and then leave our window
protection to one-eigrth finch window glass
when strong and fire-reststfng glass held IN
metal frames Is available
A fire in the congested district Of New York
City, covering one-tenth of the area burned IN
the San Francisco confagratSon Of 1906, would
put every fire insurance company IN the coun-
try out Of business. II is well recognized
among expert fire protection engineers that the
Ca 4.E- -
Chelsea fires may be duplicated any day IN
New York City. provided fire starts in the
right place on a windy night The recent hre
in the Equitable Building came within an ace
Of causing a confagration, the results OF which
would have been terrible to contemplate
There n scarcely city in the United States
which does not offer conditions ripe for DO
vastat1ng fires
II we compare the official figures showing
the ectual property loss by fire IN the largest
cfties OF the United States in 1910, with that
Of a like number Of European cities possess.
ing about equal populations, we arrive at
startling contrasts. For instance, London,
England with population OF 1882, 963 had a
property loss by FIRE amounting to s1,2s67 700;
a per capita loss Of SO cents. New York City,
with a population Of 4,766SsS, lost property
valued at $105S2, $50; per capita loss Of $2.22.
Paris. France, with population Of 2,S46s46.
had property loss by fire aggregating S116Sr
1923; a per capita loss Of Al cents. Chicago,
H., with a population Of 2,185,2S8, suffered
property loss Of s6,04S, 900; a per capita loss
of $2,76 Berlin, Germany, with a population
Of 2064,15S, lost property valued at 1903 $40;
a per capita loss Of Ia cents. Philadelphia,
Pa, with population Of 1,549,00s, lost 80 $780,.
$50 Of property values by fire; q per capita
loss Of S1.73 Dresden, Germany with a popu-
lation Of 560,S82, suffered a property loss Of
$6S,9Ba; a per capita loss of IL cents. Boston,
Mass, with population OF 670585 lost prop
srty valued at s3461 ,31s; a per capita loss of
$5.1&
Leeds, England, with population of 43OS60,
lost property valued at $1S2,S30; a per capita
loss Of AZ cents Pittsburgh Pr, with a NOM,
lation OF 3d., 905 had a property loss of 1870.
253; per capita loss of 1888 These instances
are by no means exceptional; they represent
good general averages.
What a tremendous drain this annual fire
waste is upon our resources, national, munci,
pal and individual! It Is sapping the strength
Of the nation. The question is, does It pay in
the long run? II not, can the community be
awakened to a realization of the situation, so
that It may set to work In earnest to put its
house in order by preventing what is preventa-
Bile and eliminating dangerous fire hazards
which should never be allowed to exist?
Ignorance Of the law does not save a man
in court. How long will ignorance and reck.
less disregard of the laws Of fire prevention
and protection continue to exoneFate confa-
grafton breeders before the bar of public
opinionR