Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-10-29
SAFE HOMES

SAFE HOMES.-Do you know that
over one hundred dwelling houses
are burned down or damaged by fire
each month in Wisconsin? Do you
know that during the last fiscal year
the fire damage to Wisconsin homes
amounted to $1,O32, 175.G0? Do you
realize that majority of these fires
occur at night, and endanger the
lives of all occupants, and that an
nually many lives are sacrificed IN
such fires? Do you know that about
one-fOurth of the number of dwelling
house fires and an annual fire dam
age of $423, 505.00 were due to de-
fective chimneys alone? DO you
realize that you alone are rightly to
blame, if your chimnays are defec-
tive, or not cleaned out regularly?
Do you know, that, if you lose any
member of your family in such fires,
the self-found verdict of murdered
by my carelessness" might justly
haunt you the rest Of your life?
If you really believe in a safe
home for your loved ones, make
sure that your dwelling house chin
neys are sound and safe and are
inspected and cleaned out at least
once a. year. 1t is better to spend
less time and money on expensive
finishings and furnishings and more
on matters of safety, that comes
from properly constructed chimneys
and a heating plant safely and prop
erly installed.
Chimneys should be built from the
foundation of the house up,-be
straight, rest on substantial foun-
dation twelve inches larger than the
base of the chimney, never on floors,
beams or other woodwork The set
Ting of the woodwork causes dan
gerous cracks in the chimney. Chin
ney walls should never be used to
support joists or other woodwork, nor
should any woodwork come in con-
chimney use a good quality of brick,
and lay in Portland cement mortar
up through the first floor and above
the roof. Soft bricks crumble and
poor mortar disintegrates through
the action Of the weather and es-
pecially soft-coaI gases. We do not
recommend cement block chimneys.
Every chimney flue should be not
less than SKIS inches, and should be
lined throughout with fire brick,
hard burned terra Gotta or fire clay
flue lining, laid in cement mortar.
This lining adds greatly to the safe
ty of the flue and it's smooth surface
gives no place for SCOT to lodge;
and burning out of lined chimneys,
with it's attendant liability to set
fire to the roof, is almost unknown.
1t is p>)r economy to let your home
burn for want of four dollars worth
Of flue lining, Provide a clean-out
door at the base for each flue. Build
all chimneys three feet or more
above flat roofs, and two feet above
the ridge of peak roofs, and cap them
with stone, cement or terra Gotta.
Never stuff up flue holes with
rags or papers, nor cover them with
cheese-cloth, wall paper, boards or
anything but a metal stop, securely
fastened.
Property owners and chiefs of fire
departments, in their inspections,
should see that defective chimneys,
stoves, furnaces, boilers and smoke
pipes are promptly repaired or re-
placed, and that all woodwork near
stoves, furnaces, boilers, smokepipes,
and hot-air pipes and registers is
protected with metal over asbestos.
The present is always the best time
to give these matters attention.
It would seem to be each fathers
duty to give a safe home to those
dependent upon him, however mod
est that home may be. Then there
need be no occasion for vain re-
grets.
NJ J. CLEARY,
Insurance Commissioner and Ex-
Officio State Fire Marshal.