Norwich bulletin., 1917-03-30
CHIEF STANTON SAYS
MOVEMENT GATHERING FORCE

MOVEMENT GATHERING FORCE
Favors Abolition of the Old Board
Fence and Pays Tribute to Worces-
ter's Chief Engineer.
Norwich Fire Department in an artf-
Gle which appeared in Tie Fire Engi-
neer, favors the movement inaugu-
rated to abolish the old board fence
fence The article is entitled One Act
of Simple Justice. It follows:
By way Of introduction to, at least,
one attempt to one act of justice to a
chief engineer of a fire department,
who months ago started a movement
which is only now gathering force in
some of the largest cities of the coun-
try. notably. New York, Philadelphia
lation, call your attention to the ar
ticle in the July issue, 1915, of The
Fire Engineer, by one of the finest of
men and ablest of fire engineers. Wes-
which was headed. Fire Prevention, as
Seen Through a Wire Fence. and that
article covered the subject in a very
maSterful manner.
Chief Avery are only now beginning
to bear fruit and civic bodies are walk
ing up to the truth of the conclusion
as shown so ably by Chief Avery.
The Evening Stfn of New York:
Anything with SO many bad points
and so few uses as the high board
fences in the rear of New York tene-
ment houses ought to go. The idea is
not new but the present determined
efforts, to get action deserves hearty
support. Paul d. Cravath, chairman
of tho tenement house committee of
the Charity Organization Society, has
given out this statement of the rea-
sons for--seeIing to abolish the fences.
A constant fire danger. an excellent
hiding place for thieves, an encour-
agement to the accumulation of rub
bish. quickly weather worn and trans
formed into an eyesore, the board
fence makes tenement yards worse
than useless. Children find them I'M
attractive to play in; they are no in
centive for planting grass and flowers;
thew detract from the tenants supply
of light and air. and are in every way
undesirable. With the change to metal
fences tenement yards will become at
tractive Fairgrounds for children, will
encourage competition among tenants
in keeping the premises clean, and in
addition will allow the light and air
to circulate freely. The use of metal
fences in tenement yards should do
more to solve the problem of provid-
ing play space for children than any
movement that has been undertaken
in years.
1.-THE campaign will begin with a
peaceful pilgrimage of persuasion to
the owners of all apartments and ten
ements and to architects and builders.
good deal ought to be accomplished
in this way. The advantages Of the
open wire fence where barriers are
needed will be strongly urged. Tene-
ment House Commissioner John J.
Murphy has expressed himself strong
ly in favor of the movement.
I'VE are prepared, however for vio-
lent opposition to this attempt at re-
form No doubt a petition will be cir
culated demanding that the whole
question be decided by a referendum
most affected by a debac1e of their
throne or stage or highway"
Is it not clearly evident that the mi
tiation of this movement lies with
Chief Avery, and that to the dfstfn-
guished chief engineer of the fire de-
partment of Worcester, Mass, belongs
the credit, and it is not a little one
either, of having started a movement
which should have been taken UP, dis
cussed, passed upon. and promulgated
to all cities of the United States and
Canada by the International Associa-
ton of Fire Engineers?
We are a patient lot- we firemen,
and "sufferance is the badge of all our
tribe" 1 can look back and see that
the great majority, if not nearly all,
of the improvements which have been
made in fire prevention methods, in
fire protection and extinguishing
methods have originated with fire en-
gineers, but seldom indeed is it that /
can see where any fire engineer or his
association have ever received or ask
ed credit.
We have been convent and still are
far too much contented to be satisfied
with our own knowledge of duty well
done, of service eagerly given, but
this attitude of ours is wholly wrong
one. If we claim the things that are
due us, we will be in much better
position to do other and even better
things for which due will be given u.s.
It is our failure as an organized body
of fire engineers to inform the pub
lie of the result of our actions, our
ideas, our deliberations, which in
very large measure puts a clamp on
us and reduces our efficiency by con-
filming our ambition and by preventing
that which is every mans due, a prop
er recognition of the value of his
work.
Here is one case. and one of thous-
ands Of cases. where a chief engineer
has had a thought. has further had
the good sense and good judgment to
lay this thought before his procession
and where that thought, plainly, has
been adopted by citizen bodies and is
being used, not as Chief Avery intend
ed it should be. but still being used
by other than fire chiefs without one
particle of recognition on the part of
the public that f1remen are serving
their people in a hundred different
ways of which the people never know.
To Wesley N. Avery is due the cred
it of the starting Of this movement
and I want my brother chiefs to know
that fact and to pa IS the word so that
local newspaper note it prominently
I promise for Norwich.
EVENING CLASS