Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-09
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

Buffalo New York, Oct. THAT the
United States is literally on fire. and
that something must be done about it,,
is the message which government au-
thorities of every degree, from the
president down, are trying to impress
upon the country by instituting a fire
prevention day.
The United States loses several times
as much of its wealth by fire as any
other civilized country, and a large
part of this los is due to carelessness
and is therefore preventable.
Complete figures for European ma
ton are not available for the years since
the beginning of the World War, but
in the year preceding its outbreak, the
compa rison of figures puts the United
States in a bad light. The average
fire loss for each man, woman and
child in France was 40 cents; in Eng
| land, So cents; in Germany, IS cents;
in Austria Hungary, % cents; in Switz-
erland, 10 cents, and in Holland only
Ii cents. In the same year the aver
age fire loss for each American OF
| every age was $40.
Another comparison based on 1919
| figures show, well how carclessness oil
all sorts in regard to fire cost Chicago
$5,513,237 while in Vienna, then a city
of about the Same size. the fire loss
for the year was only $500, 200. In the
same year New Yorks fire losses
amounted to four and half times the
fire loss OF London. Fifty years ago
tho terrible Chicago fire occurred. but
the awful lesson of that catastrophe
seems almost forgotten.
Organizations interested in reducing
this useless loss have compiled figures
showing that the American fire tax, II
! it could have been avoided, would have
t, ktt{1 NOV
would have built enough miles of ma :
cadam road to girdle the globe at the
| equator moro than five and a half
| times. The loss for the past five years
would have built the Panama canal
four times over.
of electricity Is said by insurance men
to be the chief cause of American fires.
All of this is preventablc, of course.
and does not argue for reduced use
OF electrical appliances. CarelcssncsS
| with matches and with pipes. cigars,
and cigarettes stands close second TO
electricity. Defective chimneys and
fues hold third place. Following these
In the order named. the main causes OF
American fires were stoves, furnaces
and boilers: spontaneous combustion,
lightning, sparks on roofs. petroleum
and its products. Firecrackcrs and
fireworks. formerly a cause of very
many fires and thousands of injuries
and deaths. during the past five years
have been held responsible Tor IRE
damage amounting to only 81 .4ea. .S5i,
which is not a high figure compared
with the total fire loss
| The state of New York led all other
Estates .ip--thc amount of loss s,is aimed
thru conflagrat tions. Pennsylvania
came second. Illinois third. New Jcr-
sey fourth, and Massachusetts fifth.
Well up among the leaders wcrc the
states of Ohio. Texas. California. Michi-
gan. Minnesota. Missouri and Georgia.
FireA occur in tho United States at
the rate OF f.5o0 every day-an average
of moro than one every minute day
and night. This tremendous unnncccs-
sary loss OF national wealth is so
serious that the president Or the Unit
cd States and several state governors
have issued proclamations calling at.
tcntion to the necessity of care.
Ordinary care is a far more cfficacious
means OF battling the fire demon than
all the fire companies In the world,
once a blaze has gained ficadway.
For some curious reason the Amcri-