Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-05-06
TALK No. @
SMOKING

The United States raises avor,,
year more than one million pounds
ol TOBACCO, and large quantities also
are imported from other countries
10 light that amount of tobacco i
mas been estimated that five thou
SAND matches are struck every soa-
ohd' Is it any wonder that the cara.
less smoker is considered DANCE
Gus person?
The careless smoker thoughtIess-
~ throws away either the burned
match or the stub OF cigar or cigar
cite. If they accidentally start fire
the evidence is DESTROYED. So il is
Mighty probable that the loss due 10
thls cause exceeds the actual amount
attributed to it. This known
amount averages 16 dollars every
minute throughout the year.
During the past five years the
United States, exclusive of Alaska
had forest fires destroying almost
sc million dollars worth of property.
Or this loss II per cent was due to
careless campers. Propably many
OF these fires were caused by care
less smokers. Possibly this numeri-
cal amount causes no CONSERVATION.
but it does not take into account the
loss Of lives. During the Minnesota
catastrophe in 1918, nearly thou
sand persons were eithed burned to
death or suffocated.
Many of the students and citizens
of Pullman feel that unnecessary
hardships are being imposed by the
prohibition Of smoking on the col
lege campus. Yet during the dry
season of the year several serious
grass fires have occurred on the
campus. So far, the destruction has
been confined to the loss of shrub
berry. Should a grass fire spread to
any of the buildings a loss would
be sustained that would seriously
hamper the work of the college.
Many cities are enacting ordin-
ances compelling proper disposal of
trash and rubbish and prohibiting
its accumulation around any ones
premises. Other cities have en-
deavored to correct the same wrongs
by appealing to the civic pride of
their citizens by improving the ap-
pearance of the city. These cities
can show a saving of thousands of
dollars annually in fire losses. If
we did not have the careless smoker
perhaps this cleaning would not
trash and rubbish furnish the tin
der and await the match or cigar
stub to set it off. Needless to say
Pullman has many such possibili-
ties. Comments have been previous
ly made by others regarding the un-
slightly condition of the premises
back of the Cliff House. Yet the
possibility of fire from this source
is much more serious, especially
since the adjacent buildings are OF
highly combustible construction.
Several years ago I witnessed
100000 fire caused by mechanic
smoking in a garage. He FORUM
ately escaped with a few burns, but
frequently the flashback is too quick
TO escape. Smoking in an atmos-
phere of gasoline or petroleum prod
ucts should be absolutely prohibited.
Yet | have frequently seen smoking
in the public garages of Pullman
Don't shake ashes into waste pa
per basket. Like a match they are
often hot enough to cause fire In
the presence of highly combustiDle
material. such as shavings, excel
sior, hay, etc, smoking is decidedly
dangerous. A man who cannot re-
frain from smoking when WORKING
under such conditions should change
jobs.
Smoking by mature men in places
of safety is possibly alright-but be
CAREFUL.