El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-02
CHILDREN
and Valuable

every building Is free from radical de-
1 fects and that tlre traps are prompt
I " demolished
The most effective way of prevent
/ ing fires is to live up to the letter and
spirit of the ordinary ordinances Of the
( ordinary CITY relative to the handling
and housing of petroleum, gasoline
/ and trash IN business houses keep
matches in utensils, and at home keep
them away from children Both places
should keep their trash at the city
In apiay-time" keep matches away
from the children; in hard times
fire insurance away from the unde-
sirable business man
Some Fire DOn'ts.
Don't keep benzine or oils in the
house. Have a storage box outside
for them, and place it where the en-
tire box could burn up without dam
age to the premises
Don't use benZlne. gasoline or other
/ inflammable cleaners at night; and
don't hasten the drying Of articles so
cleaned by placing them near the stove
or gas Jet. Above all don't clean
gloves on the hands and then hold
{ them near the gas or lamy TO dry
When the toll OF deaths is counted,
every year, when we hear of the hun
dreds of eyes, feet, arms forever lost,
the homes destroyed and devastated
by our method of celebrating our
glorious Fourth" should we not in
sist upon having a sane Fourth,
happy Fourth without accidents2 Is
it TOO much to insist upon every VIZ
lage, town and city's putting the ban
on fire works in the hands of thought
less boys and girls? Why not have
public celebrations under direct con-
troll of responsible persOns2 Let the
children revel in 4 plentitude Of fire
works but do not let the children ap-
ply the torch.
Beware of the Match.
Let the children be taught from
Ii
match and fire. a burnt child breads
the fire." is an old platitude but fire.
Quently the schild learns too late for
the knowledge to be of use to him.
What the mothers neglect the schools
must do, aud it naturally devolves
upon the public school teachers to i'm
press these facts upon the children
Teach the boys the danger Of smoking
the evil-smelling cigaret in our back
alleys and casting the burning
matches in old trash tins.
Eternal vigilance is the price OF
success" in this, as in every thing.
The Second Prize.
Second prize, won by G. \. Ashley,
go Mesa avenue, a pupil in sunset
school follows:
In order to property understand
preventiveS Of fire, We must be thor
oughIy acquainted with the various
causes of fire
Fire is frequently due TO careless
habits, chief amOn- which. is the
simple act of emptylng ashes Hot
ashes. emptied in a wooden box or
iably the cause OF fire, and can be
effectually avoided by the use Of
galvanized can
In large cities where big apart
ment houses are growing in favor
the galvanized ash-shOOt is in COM
mon use, the shoot extends along the
ends Of the back porch. from the top
floor TO the basement. with an open
7rao~ ar = l.
vaniZed lid, and empties into large
galvanized can placed on a cement
block, where they are left until
thoroughly cold after which, they are
certain places and used 10 fill up de-
pressiOns in building lots
Danger From Wires
Another principal source of fire is
the poor inspection Of electric wires
and some times the Inadequate wiring
of a building. electric wires should
always be insulated and thus avoid
contact with the surrounding inflam-
mable material.
The open Fireplace, while coy
looking, Is pregnant with danger of
fire, by swapping coal or wood and
plying sparks, TO prevent which,
screen should be in constant use.
Chimneys and flues, If defective,
ought never to be neglected. and a tall
chimney is not only preferable for
good fire in the Fireplace, but is
safe
VnIue of Safe Roofs.
Another item to be taken into con-
sideration. is the roof of a building,
which ought always to be of tin,
gravel or slate. The old style single
roof is ever in danger, especially, in
a dry climate, and is fast becoming
obsolete in up-to-date places.
Carelessness in the care of matches,
for instance. as a playthinS for child
rem or mice The safety match is
IL hoe
The manlyC?) habit Of smoking has
frequently been the cause of more
smoke than the smoker intended.
which is purely due to the extreme
carelessness of those who indulge in
the use Of the weed"
Burning stubs" are tossed aside,
after falling into paper or dry leaves,
and thus starting a blaze.
Even ones bedding has often been
known to have been set on fire by a
smoker falling to sleep with his pipe
or cigar in his mouth.
The kerosene lamp is also a fire
starter, having been the cause Of the
biggest fire in the history of the
United States, (viz) the burning OF
Chicago.
Care of Explosives.
Explosives. as gasoline, when obliged
to have about the place, for instance
in dry cleaning business or to use for
automobiles, should have a receptacle
OF cement beneath the ground.
A long stride toward the prevention
Of fire was made when the old manner
of frame buildings was superseded by
steel, tile, and cement building ma
terial, and with the inventive genius
of the present century, we may look
forward with confidence to a fire
proof world.
The Third Prize.
The article by Paquita Clemens. of
the high Eighth in Mesa school, fol-
lows:
In the history Of most nations there
Is recognized a time when man was
without a knowledge of fire. and the
various legends of the discovery of
fire are interesting and varied The
uses and dangers of fire, and to some
extent the means of controlling It.
have been generally understood from a
very early period. Destructive fires
are mostly caused by carelessness.
Some people when using matches
throw them away before they are en-
tirely extinguished, and this very |
frequently causes fire by lighting |
loose papers and rubbish lying near
where the match is thrown People
should be careful when using matches, |
to be sure they are out before they
are HhrOwn away. Children should I
not be permitted to play with matches. |
Matches should be kept in a tin box /