The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-10-14
BUILD A SAFE AND PERMANENT
H0ISE.


Probably the most famous cow in
all history was that of Mrs. oLeary.
Of Chicago. on the 9Th of october.
1871, Mrs. OLeary's COW kicked over
lantern and this date is celebrated
from coast to coast each year. The
week of October 9th is known as Fire
prevention Week throughout the land,
because the Chicago fire. caused by
Mrs. OLeary's COW and lantern, was
me of the most disastrous ever oc-
curing in America.
The world is Mortified by the sink
ng of the Lusitania. by the East
and disaster, by the burning of the
Iroquois theatre or the Collinwood
school. or by an earthquake in San
Francisco or in Martinique But every
year in the United States from $1,000
10000 human beings lose their lives
by fire, audit attracts little attention.
Because these 5000 lives are not all
iost in one day, but are scattered
through the year and through all the
IS states, we accept the loss and only
hose who are close to the victims feel
he shock.
At the same time we burn up $780,
100000 worth of property every year
in this country, and we spend another
5000 900, 900 for fire protection and fire
lighting. This S600.000,000 debt reach
IS to everyone of us. The insurance
companies pay the losses, but they
pay sthem from money received by
them as premiums. AS usual, the pub
lie pays the bill.
There is only one way that America
will effectually cut down its fire loss,
and that is by eliminating from the
hazardous places all inflammable ma
terial from its buildings. The loss in
European countries is only a fraction
of that in America. This is not be-
cause the Europeans are more careful
or have more efficient fire protection,
it is simply because they learned years
ago to build their homes, as well as
their stores, shops and banks, of per-
manent materials. No inflammabfe
materials are used in exterior or ex-
posed places. In spite of all the fire
protection methods the fire loss grows
annually.
| 1t costs no more in the long run to
fhave a house built safe and permanent
than it does to have the other kind.
While the first cost may in some In
stances be a little higher, the ultimate
cost actually is less, because the same
Qualities that make house fire safe
i and permanent make it easy to main
tain. Bricks do not have to be painted
or repaired, and the saving to the home
owner is many times greater than the
small difference in first cost between
the brick house and the one that has to
be painted.
When cities write building laws re-
quiring the exterior of all buildings to
be built of fire -resistive material then
the fire losses will be lessened; fewer
people will be burned up in Them
homes; all insurance premiums will be
! lowered. and the cost of maintaining
fire departments reduced. At the same
time, home owning will be encouraged
because the permanent home is not
burden upon the owner. 1t does not
depreciate rapidly, It is more easily,
heated in cold weather and more coll-
Portable the year around.
True fire prevention consists Of
| building against fire. Fire prevention
as practiced in this country las In
sisted too much upon the theory OF
Build as you please, but be careful
and don't have a fire. As long as
buildings are built to burn, great
number of them will burn. Every per-
manent structure erected is a nail in
the coffin of the fire god who extracts
such tremendous ton of human lie
and property every year.