White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-11-02
FIRES; THEIR PREVENTION
DISCUSSED OVER RADIO

"As winter approaches, with its
short days and cold, blustery nights,
the danger of fires in the country
and small towns increases, said
Prof. L. j. Smith OF the agricultural
engineering department at the State
College OF Washington recently over
Radio X F A E.
The farmer breads fire more than
any other householder, and with
good reason His buildings are
grouped in such way that fire
in one may mean the loss of sew
eral. The farmer is isolated, and
cannot, like the city dweller, get
quick and efficient help.
I'VE all know the usclessness and
tremendous waste OF fires, yet in
the United States the loss from
fires is steadily increasing. 1t now
amounts to $5O0,000,O00 Give hun
dred million dollarsD annually,
enough to pay the taxes Of the
state OF Washington for or 8
years.
Fifteen thousand people lose
their lives each year because of fires.
These are mostly women and
children. What an enormous toll
the fire hend exacts. And three
fourths of the fires are preventable,
more than half are caused by care
lesSness, and more are caused by
smokers than by any other cause.
Defective chimncys cause many
fires in the country. The chimneys
settle, and cracks develop. Often the
mortar is of poor quality and crum
bles away The safe chimney is
one that begins i'll the basement and
has an inner lining of terracotta or
ire-clay chimney tile set in Port
land cement mortar. No chimney
should be permitted to be erected
upon wooden supports. Overheated
stoves and furnaces, and chimneys
burning out, are frequent causes of
fires.
Fires sometimes start in curious
ways. Often the wood-box is where
spark from the damper might drop
into it, and il the housewife is out
Of the room disastrous fire might
start, with possibly the loss of a
child's life.
people in the country should use
safety matches The city dweler
is rapidly being educated to using
them entirely. They eliminate
common source OF fires, and thus
save the lives OF hundreds OF chill
dren annually.
Greasy rags such as are used
with floor oil should never be left
about building. Burn them directly
after using. Live Goals in ashes are
another source of fires. Never keep
ashes in anything but metal con-
tainers. They are too often hurredly
dumped into wooden box on the
back porch to be carried away later
when the box is full. Never dump
ashes alongside of building.
"a stove or heater should never
be SO close to the wall as to blister
paint or varnish. If it must be close
to wall, put sheet of tin or gal
vanized iron behind the stove The
same protection should be put I'M
der the stove II a pipe must pass
through a partition, be sure it goes
through good thimble where air
can circulate around the pipe. Never
join two pieces OF pipe in parti
ton. Long stovc-pipes are danger
Gus. They should be we'll supported
SO that they will not come down
or pull apart.
Don't litter up the basement with
a lot of junk. That just makes one
more fire trap.
Cotton clothing and light dresses
catch fire very easily. If a child
catches fire in the home, what is
best TO do? If you have a loose
rug or heavy wooden coat handy,
smother the blaze and save the little
life. Unnecessary loss of life is a
terrible thing: but to realize after
ward that quick thinking and acting
would have prevented the loss is
more terrible"