Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-01-31
MANY FIRE HAZARDS
BIG FIRES COME WHEN SOME
THING GOES WRONG
TO AVERT A CONFEDERATION
How to Prevent Ladysmith From
Burning

Last week the writer complained
about the dangerous condition we
were in regarding fire, but did not
state how this could be prevented.
AS a complaint about city affairs
should not be made unless you can
back it up with a remedy. | otfer
the following ggestions-limited
space makes it necessary TO give
only the most important and briefly
stated They may appear radical, but
| feel as though they are only mod
crate.
Conflagrations come when some
thing goes wrong. Ladysmith is not
immune from this condition 1t is
not necessary to give the course of
fires. but for example; the fire de-
partment may be off to another fire.
This occurred two weeks ago. The
result IN delay in giving an alarm
and the delay in reaching the fire
under such a condition is self-evl-
dent and does not require eXplana-
ton
The telephone, which receives 80
per cent of all alarms, may be out OF
order. Central could ring the pump
ing plant not knowing the phone was
out of order and you would not
know it until it was too late.
hoe fbc; nj n n19nf
temporarily out of order at intervals,
but we have been fortunate in not
having a fire at such time.
Frozen hydrants (the one on the
Manley Hotel corner was frozen last
week. and misunderstanding as to
location of the fire also occur and are
serious.
Now, suppose any one of the above
conditions should occur when
strong wind is blowing from frame
building to another or the fire occurs
in one of our many fire traps.
Just a word as to how helpless we
are and don't realize it. If you were
in one of our department stores and
fire started in something highly in
flammable from one of the thousand
and one causes that start fires, what
would happen? No fire extinguishers
are handy, no pail of water and no
hose. Someone would run to an adj
Joining room or building for pail
would be having fire jump from one
piece to another like falling row
of dominoes or prairie fire.
Or. if some intoxicated boarder in
hotel was smoking and their care
lessness allowed the bed clothing to
take fire, or an old chimney in tle
same building started a fire or there
was a fire in the laundry and this
occurred at midnight when no one
was near, where would the building
be in another hour?
So you can see what We are up
against To be fairly safe the fire
department should not be depended
upon. alone. This is no reflection on
the department, for this is fact in
every city
To overcome all these dangers,
| would suggest an organization COM
posed of all the merchants, the own
ers of the buildings in the fire limits,
the mayor, officers of the fire depart
ment and the local insurance agents.
An inspection committee should be
appointed whose duty would be to
determine what equipment was nee
esary in each building and to see it
was installed and kept in order.
This committee if they were eff
cient and practical would order every
room, such as offices, Railways, bed
places have a fire extinguisher. The
chemical hand extinguisheEs require
more attention than those with the
powder and the latter cost but fifty
cents each. On account of basement
fires hard to fight. and as they most
always get a good start before dis
covered, automatic sprinklers should
be installed. Not the complicated
equipment, but those that cost less
than a dollar each and which can be
attached to the city water pipes
All buildings have a small water-pipt
running in the basement. In connec
ton with these basement hazards
ali windows in the front Of the base
ment or those that are known a
sidewalk windows should be free t.
open and should not be cemented
bolted or locked in any manner tha
will delay the firemen from runnin