Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-03-25
FIRE PREVENTION, AND 1HE HIGn
 COSI IF lIVlNG
Vast Quantities of Grain and Other Staples Go Up il1 the Smoke of Un-
 necessary Fires.

Few people realize how directly the
 much discussed High Cost of Living"
 IS influenced by Americas excessive
 lire waste. A recent nationwide an-
 alysls of fires and fire causes has
 shown enormous destruction of con-
 mon staples. Single fires in elevators
 and mills frequently consume the
 equivalent of living for small army
 of people. For example, a recent
 blaze in an Illinois elevator rendered
 100000 bushels of corn unfit for hu- man food, and also destroyed 100000
 bushels of oats.
 Grain elevators, flour, cereal, grist and feed mills present we'll known elements of fire hazard in that they are subject to explosions of the highly explosive dust that results from ham, ding or milling grain. These disast- CTS also cost many lives; a dust ex- ploson in a Buffalo mill, in 1913, re- suited in over thirty fatalities. Al short time ago the United States de- partment of agriculture made study of the frequent explosions in grain separators in the Big Bend country of the Northwest, and found that in the height of the season these reached from six to ten day, the flame from such explosions in large num- Der of cases spreading into the sur- rounding grain with destructive re- suits.
 Individual barn fires add enormous ly to this total. Throughout most of the country the season of thunder storms follows closely upon that of harvest, and thousands of barns, stor- ed with potential food, go up in flames each year because of lightning. These fires must be classed as largely pre- ventable, since statistics compiled by the actual bureau of the National Board of Fire Underwriters show that of the total fire loss from lightning, more than 92 per cent is found where lightning rods are not used.
 The spontaneous combustion of hay and grain in poorly ventilated barns is another big factor which might largely be prevented by proper precau- tions.
 When to such items are added the fires in grain fields from locomotive sparks, and from the matches of care- less smokers, it may be realized that | a vast amount of foodstuff is turned into clouds of smoke, instead of hu- man bone and muscle. This inevitably l has it's effect upon the price of the l remainder.
 Most people depend upon groceries for their food, and the average groc- cry, containing, as it does, stocks of kerosene and other inflammable mer- chandise, is a special instance of fire hazard. This is shown by the great number that are consumed during each year, and each gorcery fire sub- tracts a definite quantity of staples from the national supply.
 Meat supplies are directly affected by the large number five stock burned in fires in barns and stables, and also by the many fires in packing houses, slaughter houses. etc.
 The same condition holds true with other staples than those of food. In two years there were reported 822 fires in wool and cotton mills. Cotton is a commodity which is particularly subject to disastrous fires. This also applies in a marked degree to the refining. storing and handling of oil -one of our commonest daily require ments.
 The supply of wood enters into many phases of our living necessities. In New York State alone 100000 peo- pie are employed in turning out an annual product of nearly $400,000,000 in wood manufactures. Striking at the basis of this great industry, hundreds of human lives, and millions of dol lars' worth of property are destroyed each year by forest fires, which might be prevented with proper care. The National Forest Serivce, in one year, discovered 1,126 forest fires to have been caused by campers; LILO by To- comotive sparks, and 470 by incen- diaries. The burning of saw mills, lumber yards, furniture and wooden ware factories and stores is too fre- ouent to call for special comment. Similar surveys might be made in oth- CT fields of staples included in the cost of living.
 aspects of the situation. With an average of more. than one reported fire for every minute of the year, and a daily destruction approximating $500, ,OO0, the United States is sub iected to an economic drain that af-