Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-27
FEDERAL CONSERVATION OF LIFE
WASHINGTON, D. c., February 20
Days Best Cartoons.
ny FREDERIC j. HAst<tN


The Federal government has just
shown what 1t is doing In the national
safety first campaign. IL YOU allow
yourself to get sick or Killed or in
jurcd. ii is not the fault of your Uncle
samuel
The first national SafetY Exposi-
ton, including exhibits and demon.
STATIONS from Twenty-Five government,
bureaus, was held In Washington from
February II TO 20. There has pccn "a
general impression abroad TO the ef-
rect that Uncle Sam is II safety crank
but the scope ana variety of the OK.
position Was surprise to all but the
closest followers Of tho movement.
There was the Bureau Of Navira
ton, for instance. One Of tho duties
or this bureau is the enforcement of
law providing that every vessel car
FNihG more than nifty passengers. either
on the ocean or the Great Lakes mus,
bo equipped with n wireless apr,ra,,e
effective up to zoe miles at least, 'rhe
i"ui' inspectors reported twcn;y-six
Nesscis which left our ports In 1915 20
meet with disaster. They caught on,
IRE, they ran ashore. they got TANNED
IN the :cc, they collidcd With each
other, their cargOes shifted, bu; Ih.y
summoned assistance by wireless In
twenty-five cases the wtclcss call
hrourht such prompt hcir that only
TWO lives were lost altogether INC
t"chty-siNth case was The Lusi,anta
ON the Lakes. the wireless comes I'm
very hnndily for receiving storm warn
irgs from the Weather Bureau Stations
on shore. In the storms of Novcml,.r
i?l3--a had mcnth-nin"tccn vcssoIs
were destroyed on tho Lakes None RI
them had radio equipment The boats
WIN wireless got warning ana tool
shelter in time.
what tonst Guard D0cs
Ihc Coast Guard exhibited two life
n"hts-Rr old-timcr with long rec
oiu oi waves breasted and lives saved.
ana ono OF INC newest power boo.s that
muitiplics efficiency. The Coast Guard
renders perhaps the most widely as
Hor'c" saictN adviccs OF any arm OF :hc
government BESIDES such common
P'acc incidents as saving wrecked YES
sells, 1t has on lis records the urcyrr
tioh OF suicide. return OF lost CHI
ufen TO their parents. emergency pilot,
!hS, hre-hghting. and tho arrcs, Of
thieves and Law breakers
In the way Of recent history. the
coast Guard records showed that on
""o "h!S III inc last year one or more
or It's branches was seeing active SCR
wee Fifteen hundred people were res
cued from immediate danger, and Tho
vessels 10 which some form of assis
lance was given carried over ten thous-
ana souls. In many cases this assist
ancc prevented serious accidents. Th,
service restored to life six people drar
e'u from the ocean after having bccn
under water ten to fifteen minutes
The Coast Guard service Includes
h"'h the iif"-saving and the revenue
cutter branches. 1t is under the Treas
ury department
The forest service is another ono of
Samucfs children that is out for safety
hrsi, last and all tho time. Few people
living off the national forest areas
have any idea OF the menace and Ter
ror that forcs, fire can bc. There
were over $500 forest fires in tho las,
fiscal year. The work of the service
reduced the loss Of life to a minimum
and the timber damage to pcr cent
OF what it WAS in 1910. The govern
mcnt fights fires by mcans OF look
out stations, special guards in tho dry
senson ana highly efficient CORDS OF
trained fighters.
Education Against Fire.
The most important work vet to he
done in this line is education of the
public in the causes and prevention
OF fires. Almost three -nfths of all the
hrcs in 1914 were directly attributable
~ H''Hi'ii as'itIcS--Hn increase OF III
Per cent over the year before This
means that the public is beginning to
reniIZc that Il owns some Of the finest
pleasure grounds III tho world and Ia
flocking TO them in greater numbers
every year. The more campers. tho
more fires. The service finds it com
parativcly c{sy to instruct permanent
residents OF The reserves i'm safety m"a.
sures. but the irresponsible transient
visitor is n formidable menace" II
sounds bard on the casual camper, but
no dorb-, IL is true. Be- re you go
camping, sec what the service has 10
advise iC the line OF saT c:v H:st
Fire prevention work along another
line was indicated by tho exhibit OF the
Bureau Of Standards. The bureau rati-
mates that the use Of frcproof mn
tcrials in tho construction of induHtrinI
plants would decrease The annual prop-
erty loss by 40 per cent. and the lnpn
Of life by an annual 20. The work nf
the bureau in this connection conHista
primarily in testing matcrinln ns 10
their flrc-rcsisiinS runlticn.
The Interstate Commerce Commits.
sion finds timc between rntc hearings
10 put in lick or two for amfoiy. ns
its exhibit demonstrated. 4 fcw yonts
ago. 80 per cent Of tho accidents 10
railway trhinmcn cnmc from tho OLD.
style link and pin coupling. Liant ycnr.
MS reBult OF tho work OF tho com.