Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-05
Franklin H. Wentworth on "The Waste of a
NatiOn''

careless manner inf front Of the fire
During the night the wind sprang
| up, famed the embers into blaze
and the sparks fell upon the carpet
and Mrs. Pershing, her two daughters
and one son were burned to death 1t
Is but one instance.
With matches We are the most
careless people on the face of the
earth. We keep them everywhere, in
7 our coat pockets. In our waistcoats,
in table drawers, on the mantle
piece, in fact anywhere that is handy.
II an American were to wake UP in
the night. reach for a match and not
find it he would feel insulted Watch
the men in the club. in the office, ev-
| erywhere, and YOU will see him light
his pipe or cigar and carelessly
fling the match away, sometimes with
far reaching consequences
A match holds a fascination for 4
child and in view of this fact MANY
children are burned to death each
! year and sometimes the whole house
hold. We should begin by educating
TIC child to this fact and also to sec
to the overheating Of stoves, and q
safe receptacle for gasoline,
1t isn't the individual fire that costs
the country such a staggering sum
, each year. it is the sweeping fire, it
| IS the fire that gets outside the place
, in which it started and sweeps the
whole city. One would think that a
city that has been Quilted by fire
would rebuild on a fire proof plan.
yet San Francisco after it's catastro-
phe rebuilt 80 per cent of wood.
In every city are buildings of
brick. stone and concrete. These ara
nre barriers if the fire does not get
INSIDE, Tor they are made with wood
en- doors. frames and sashes. They
merely become horizontal fiues if =
nre gets inside, and the window on
enlngs. unless protected, become big
draughts. The way to abolish fro
Is to put in metal sashes, frames and
"lred glass or metal shutters. IF We
90 not make use of the fire combat.
ants made for the combating Of fros
we are liable to have another Salon,
or cneisea, a sweeping fire leaving a
olacKened waste together with it's
suffering.
IN recent years there has snrung
up a new movement for fire nre,
vention with the inspection of prem
ises by uniformed men of the fire
department. Formerly the fire de-
partnent merely sat around nlavin.
checkers or some other equally in.
terestlng game and waited for fro
10 break out. Now it is just as much
the WORK OF the fire. department tn
prevent confagration as to extin.
guish one.
Gradually in all the cities the chief
OF fire prevention is getting the citv
In such condition that much lahor
on the part OF the chief of fire ex-
tineulshing is saved. This inspection
does much towards cleaning up the
CITY, its pest places and its traps. and
not only that but it also gives the
flremen a chance to learn the typoe-
raphy of the buildings so that when
hre does occur they have a know,.
edge of the building which they arc
fighting.
For the citizen who objects to this
inspection many of the cities have
found way of persuasion. If a per-
son has a fire in his premises after
disobeying an order from the fire in
spector then he receives a bill from,
the city for the use of the fire anna
ratus. But it is generally the store
Keepers and not the owners of nri
vate residences that are hostile tn tho
hre prevention inspector. generally
on account Of the rubbish, old paper.
boxes and excelsior that is in their
store Easements.
Eventually we all must have this
legislation and uphold it. for the laws
that are made by oar representatives
should be our laws. This personal
liability for the prevention of fire
has an ethical asset.
We have duty towards the coIlec-
tive life about us. The collective liz.