The Irish standard., 1918-10-19

Minnesota on saturday anu ouIludy
last. 1t is by all odds the worst dis
aster that ever occurred in the state.
Without blaming anyone in particular
for this, in general way the question
as to how best to prevent a further
repetition of the kind must appeal to
every thinking person.
The following article, written only
few weeks ago by T. Alfred Flem-
ing. State Fire Marshal of Ohio, and
president of the Association of Fire
Marshals of America, relative to fires
and their prevention, will be found in
teresting reading at this time. He
says:
Fire and Accident Prevention Day
this year has been transferred to
November End.
Eighty per cent of the fires of all
kinds in the United States are due
to our own carelessness.
The fire loss this war year will be
$450,O0O,O00, with an added $700,00O,-
900 burned in our kitchens Or
wasted.
Annually, thousands of workmen
are killed or NAMED, through care
lessness, and their energy and efforts
in our economic system are thereby
lost.
1t takes doctors to treat these
MANNED men and women; it takes
nurses to care for them; it takes
medicine and surgical dressings that
should be sent elsewhere!
Eighty per cent of all this misery,
woe and property loss, could be elm
mated with ordinary care-hence
Fire and Accident Prevention Day has
been inaugurated simply as re-
hinder.
The day should be 365 days long,
and every year, not only in war, but
in peace times.
The needless fires in America
would blacken in ruin both sides of a
street reaching from Boston to St
Louis. At each 1000 feet there would
be an agonized call for an ambulance;
and every 1000, the work of an un
dertaker would be in demand!
The value of the property we heed
1essly consign to smoke and ruin each
year, would buy 10000 aeroplanes, OF
would pay the interest on Three Lib
erty Loans!
The wastage of our kitchens would
feed the starving in Europe, and the
loss in food stuffs outside the homes
would ration an army OF 100000 mer
for year.
1t takes barrel of flour and the
war ingredients to make $50 loave!
of bread, and yet one careless fire
in grain elevator consumed 5000,
600 bushels of wheat! One Thousand
bushels of wheat will maintain 10000
fighting men until next harvest.
America lights and carelessly flip
away $4,000 matches a second, ant
these glowing bits of wood cost thu
country fire loss of $7,000,000 an
nually.
The success of the worlds war de
ponds upon gasoline, and yet Americ;
carelessly burned over $5,OOO,OOO o
the fluid last year!
The Chicago Fire.
The Chicago fire was due to care
lessness. From July 3rd to Octobe
9th, 1871, there had been grea
drought. But 21a inches of rain hat
fallen, where the average in forme
years had been 81. Physical condi
tions, coupled with frame construc
ton, made the situation ripe for +;
holocaust. At $3.50 on October 9th
1871, an alarm came in from the rea
of 1871 DeKoven street. This place
was occupied as a frame stable ant
barn combined, and high woodel
fences ran from the barn to adjacen
property that was also dry, and o
wooden construction.
The origin of the fire will always
remain a mystery. For a long tim'
it was said that Mrs. OLeary, who's,
husband owned the barn, had gon'
out to milk the COW, and that the ami
NAL kicked over a lighted kerosene
lamp.
This theory was exploded becaus,
i Mrs. O'Leary MIXED the cows at
p. m. daily and on the evening of tn,
! fire had no lighted lamp in the house
or in the barn. Another story was
t that boys had stolen into the struc
ture to smoke. Still another origin
was that "stag-party" in search O
milk for punch had visited tn,
cow and the lantern had been kicked
Il over. A fourth tale laid the fire a
the door of incendiaries.
In the spread of the blaze from
. this beginning, $4,000 houses wer,
burned and 200 lives sacrificed. TIL,
X fnfal area devastated was 212l acro