Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-10-08
SCHOOLSSTART
OBSERVANCE OF
FIRE PREVENTION
Exercises Held Throughout City
at Assembling of Glasses
This Morning.
CAPT. GASSER TALKS IN
BERGEN STREET SCHOOL
Board of Trade Urges Manufac-
turers to Join in Work
Tomorrow.

Pupils in the public and paroohial
schools of the city started the OBJ
servanee of Fire Prevention Day
this morning by gathering in the as
sembly halls and listening to instruc-
tive talks on the best methods of
preventing the start of fires and of
getting incipient blazes under @on-
troll
While tomorrow, the forty third an
niversary of the great Chicago fire
started by Mrs. O'Leary's COW kick
ing over an oil lamp. is the official
Fire Prevention Day." the exercises
in the schools, which is one of the
most important features of the cele-
bration, was held today SO that the
children would not lose any of their
Saturday holiday
Captain c. Albert Gasser, chief of
the bureau of combustibles. addressed
the pupils of the Bergen Street School,
and In all the other schools the prin-
cipals gave the Instructions. Because
OF repairs the assembly hall in the
Barringer High School could not be
used and the instructions were given
by the teachers in the different
rooms.
Captain Gasser's Speech
captain Gasser, in addressing the
pupils of the Bergen Street School
this morning, was introduced by
Principal Morris Bamberger, who in
formed the pupils that Captain Gasser
was a resident Of the school district
and that they should be delighted at
his presence to speak ON the sub
Ject of Fire Prevention" Captain
Gasser said in part:
There are about one thousand and
one different items or classifications
IN f1re prevention work, about each
OF which | could talk to you," began
Captain Gasser, but Ii would take
several days to deliver a speech COW
ering these points. SO | have con-
cluded- to touch upon only three Of
these one thousand and one items.
First: Will all the girls in the front
row of seats please stand MP? How
many are thereY. Some one said tens
Then the speaker called upon two
others to rise and when twelve girls
were standing he called attention to
the fact that this was the number
of children formerly burned to death
at bonfires In Newark every year.
Then the ordinance forbidding bon
fires was put into force and not a
single child was burned to death in
bonfires last year. The speaker urged
the children to help in this work and
to spread the news that bonllres
should not be built.
Secondly: Matches" he went on.
in
matches in their pockets?" No one
had matches. mot one boy with
match in his pockets?" asked the
captain Are you sure? Better look
again and give me truthful answers.
1t doesn't, make any difference to me
right now whether you have matches
or not, but 1t does make a difference
to you personally whether you tell
me about it," This brought up one
hand, then another and finally about
a dozen boys admitted they had
matches In their pockets. The dan
ger of carrying matches was then
impressed upon the children and the
idea pressed home by examples of
fires due to matches.
"rhirdly: Carelessness. And Cap
tain Gasser declared that a large ma
jority of the fires in this city are due
10 careleSSnesS, Wncn mas an out
let in many unexpected ways and
places. He told of factory careless
ness and of home carelessness and
pointed out a number of hazards in
dwelling houses due entirely to lack
of thought He urged the children to
carry with them these three thoughts.
The principal fact dwelt upon. par
ticularly in the schools for the
younger children, was that eleven
children were burned to death in
Newark last year while playing with
matches, and 1928 fires were started
by other children playing with
matches.
Other topics touched on We're the
necessity of keeping rubbish and
Continued on Page 10. Column 81