Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-06-01
DARING ENEMIES
MIGHT BURN OUT
MANY u. S. CITIES
FIRE PROTECTION MAN POINTS
OUT IN ADDRESS GRAVE DANGER
FROM AMERICAN CONSTRUCTIONS.
DECLARES EVERY AMERICAN CITY is
VULNERABLE so FAR AS cONFLA-
GRAFTON IS CONCERNED.
fBy Associated Press

CHICAGO. ILL.,, June IA few daring
enemies within the borders Of the United
States might easily burn down some of the
principal cities of this country merely by
setting three Of four fires off III prepared
properties OIL the right kind Of night and
by planning the confagration with ~tra-
tegy, said Franklin H. Wentworth. exe,u-
tive secretary of the National F:c Pro-
lection Association this afternoon. in an
address before the annual meeting of the
National Lumber Manufacturers A--ocia-
tion. lie declared few mercantile build
ings IN the United States are equipped IA
resist contlagration> started in the wooden
residence districts.
''Every American city Is vulnerable a-
Tar "a contiagration j. concerned" said
Mr.. Wentworth. 'and only good fortune
and the exceptional skill Of our fire de-
partment> save ~ from large number of
disastrous fires.
ITO burn most European cities. fires
would have To be set IN almost every hose
might do IN time Of war, our people 7, own
carelessness accompli-heS IN some of orr
cities annually. The month vi March
with lts high winds exact- its annual Toll.
This year Nashville. Tennessee: Augusta.
Georgia and Paris. Texas. -addlrd the I'M
mcnsc cost of their rehabilitation upou
their sister cities. any of which may rc-
quire the same kind of help ~ any moru-
cnt
"The lumber industry J. today in a .Hf-
ficult situation. You are purvcvor~ VI
combu>tlhle material IN n country 1T rn
tural and unconscious mcendiarie~. auekne
present consideration of your prnblcr-
and responsibilities can bc had apart from
the psychology of the American people.
We have been born and bred IN the notion
That our lumber supply u neNhautihle. and
~ has seemed to u more logical ID build
and burn and build again than to correct
our vicious and irresponsible individual
habits IN the handling and care of tire.
What are We To do The problem Y
both physical and psychological. We cam
not tear down and rebuild our cltie, ~.
they stand. We must. therefore. safe
guard them physically a. far n we may.
ana legally restrain the individual careless
ness that i our principal fare cause.
Experience shows that the two principal
physical agencies by which sweeping fire.
are spread are the unprotected wall open
ing and the wooden shinglc. The wooden
shinsle spreads fire in the residence dis
'r'ct>. and the unprotected wall opening
spreads fire IN the mercantile district.
from which the shingles j. usually exclud
cd.
AS values in the mercantile districts
are greater The unprotected wall openings
today entail the major loss. With win
dows unprotected fire goes through 4
brick. stone or concrete building ~ easily
rs through a wooden one The outside
wall merely offers less fuel. A >o-c called
fircprocf buadsnc full of combustible con
tents i merely a stove. with i'll window
openings serving "a. the draft holes. Pro
per protection of the window openings
only can safeguard such buildings from
outside fire attsekr