The broad ax., 1913-12-06
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOB
SAFETY,


As is well known, gasoline, unles:
used with great care, is a very dan
gerous product and often is the cause
of serious and distressing accidents
Every one should know that a pint OF
gasoline left open in basin in a room
will entirely evaporate inside of "a
hours. The vapor thus formed is equal
to 200 cubic feet of a highly explo-
sive mixture, being about seven times
more powerful than gun powder. The
vapor from gasoline being heavier
than air, sinks to the floor, where, un-
less disturbed by air currents, it Will
remain for several hours. Every gas
oline explosion that occurs in the
home is due to either ignorance or
earelessness on the part of the user,
usually, no doubt, the former.
People who use gasoline for cleaning
gloves and fabrics in their homes
should have all the information pos
sible concerning its dangerous charac-
ter and how It may be used with
safety. Gasoline should be used in the
open air whenever possible; but if it
must be used in the house, the win
dows should be opened and a sufi-
eient draft created to drive all the va
por from the room. 1t is almost Grim
inal idioey. to use gasoline in a room
where gas is burning either for light
ing or cooking purposes. The vapor
from gasoline has been known to jump
thirty feet from a tank in the open
air and to explode with such violence
as to wreck the tank car and to set
fire to several buildings in the iRme-
diate vicinity. A spark will explode
gasoline vapor as readily as viii an
open fame; because this is true, the
automobile is a success.
Articles dipped, washed or soaked
in gasoline give of an explosive va
por for several hours after being
treated. They should be thoroughly
aired before being used and always
kept away from exposed flames. Here
is an illustration: A woman cleaned
her gloves with gasoline. An hour
later she put them on to 60 out, be-
fore leaving the house she stopped to
light a gas jet. The gloves caught
fire and instantly the gas blazed up,
burning her hands and arms so seri-
ously that her afternoon call was post
poned and she was under a doetor's
care for several days. So, you see,
there is a health side to the use Of
gasoline in the home.
For the past six months the 1900
regulars of the United States army
have been in camp in Texas, and dur
ing that period of camp life there has
not been a single case of typhoid fe-
yer. Nor has there been a single case
of smallpox Uncle Sam has all his
soldiers vaecinated against these two
dread diseases and therefore is losing
no lives due to ailments that are clear
ly preventable. 1t should be added,
too, that the camps are kept so free
from mosquitoes that only a few cases
of malaria have been reported. Of
course, they have no flies.
As is well known, both rats and
squirrels spread Bubonic plague. In
1912, from March to October, 1884
squirrels were shot on infected terri
tories in California; of these, 902 or
3.O5 per cent were found to be in
feeted with plague. From March to
October Of 1913, according to q re-
cent issue Of the Public Health Re-
ports, 1922 squirrels were shot on in
fected territories, of which AT or 2.17
per cent were plague infected, reduc-
ton Of 537 per cent in the number Of
plague infected squirrels found. The
report also states that while fewer
squirrels were killed in 1913 than
there were in 1912, yet the hunting
was carried on in q more extensive
way, more men being employed and
much larger territory covered.