The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-06-16
PRESENTS FIGURES
ON COST OF FOURTH
State Fire Marshal Urges
"Safe and Sane" Observ-
ance of Day.
BULLETIN is ISSUED
To Fire Chiefs in State, Who
Are Now Assistants
to Longley.
BULLETIN is ISSUED
(Natfonal News Association

(Natfonal News Association
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. June 10
With view to reducing Fourth of July
fire losses, w. E. Longley, state fire
marshal, is preparing a bulletin to be
issued to all township trustees, town
clerks and fire chiefs who, under the
new first marshal law, are assistants
to the state fire marshal.
Fire losses on the Fourth of July,
last year. aggregated $576,525 through
out the entire country. OF this vast
sum Indiana contributed it's part.
Much of the annual Fourth of July
fire loss is entirely needless" said
Fire Marshal Longley. "Carelessness
in it's many forms is entirely RESPONSE
BILE for the large annual loss of prop
erty and life due to our mistaken 'cele-
bration' of Independence Day. With
the cooperation of our people, in the
passage and observance of proper Or
dinances, and with proper care and
caution, fire losses, death and injury
would soon cease being our tribute to
the country's independence.
What 1t Costs in Dollars.
1t has been carefully figured that
$2,500,0O0 has been lost through the
careless handling of fireworks
throughout the country in the last
eight years. A fire caused by the
careless handling of firecrackers de-
stroyed two-thirds of the city of Port
land, Me-, few years ago. Property
to the value of $4,000, 900 was burned.
From the same cause, Pittsburg lost
$4,000 worth of property in one day.
Unless some steps are taken to pre-
vent it, Indiana will in a few weeks
contribute it's usual loss in life and
property.
Fire Marshal Longley will urge his
assistants to help prevent this annual
sacrifice by seeing, so far as they can,
that local ordinance dealing with the
sale and handling of fire works, are
rigidly enforced next Fourth of July.
Where no ordinances of this charac-
ter have been passed, extreme care
and caution should be exercised by
citizens. Before July 4, 1914, the state
fire marshal hopes to be instrumental
in aiding in the passage of local ordt-
nances which will protect the humid
reds Of communities where no regula-
lions now exist.
Time Vet, For This.
There are, however, measures which
can yet be taken to reduce fire losses
for the coming Fourth. Early on
the Fourth, rubbish in areas of yards
should be removed or wetted down.
RUBBISH in alleys should be cleaned up.
Stables, out-houses, packing rooms and
cellar windows should be tightly
closed
Suitable amusements or exercises
which can be provided by municipali-
ties or civic organizations, will serve
the double purpose of patriotic cele-
bration and preventative for the
annual reign of fire, injury and death.
The movement for Sane Fourth
has been steadily growing under the
effort of the National Fire Protective
Association.
In the ten years total of 39,SOS
people were killed or injured because
of their mistaken notions of what con-
stituted fitting celebration of the
Fourth of July. And the fire loss ran
in millions of dollars.
Of the death loss last year, five were
killed by fireworks. one by cannon,
six by firearms, six by gunpowder, one
by toy pistol and one in a runaway.
The small Chinese firecracker de-
stroys the most property and the
fewest lives. The paper of the cracker
often glows for minutes after it is
exploded. igniting the trash in which
it may fall.