Evening star., 1924-10-08
THIS AND THAT
BY G. Z. TRACEWELL.

They move fast, but they are not Z
bit excited or nustered. as yen or
would be II we suddenly were called
upon to lend q hand.
Up goes tho ladder. up goes q man
down shoots a padded bag. with 4
rope hitched onto. it. What's tina.
for? A fireman shows you hs
bitches a slender bright red chemical
hose to the rope.
Up goes the hose, to be grabbed on
tho roof.
BY this time the street corners are
lined with people Engines are every.
where, police are everywhere The
officers demand press cards from
newspaper men. and honor them
when shown. Only the newspaper
men know what a vast improvement,
this Is over conditions once prevail
ing.
What, is the matter now? THE
fires in there" cries somebody. Sure
| enough. it is not on that roof at all
| although all the firemen could do a,
first was to follow the smoke.
There is crash as an AK beats
through the glass Of the door OF the
shop in the building next door A
great cloud OF dark smoke pours out
wreathins up like pillar against
the stone OF the building.
Gee, what u picture" says a spec
tator.
In plunge the flremen. They know
! the fire is in there some place. They
Will find it, too, have no doubt OF
that.
1t is wonderful the way the red
engines ease into the block. take w
their positions, get to work. II il
"A three alarm contiagra ton: the de-
partment is taking no chances with
an early morning blaze. All around
the block, back on r street, engines
are in their places
Up in fourth floor window a
young girl stands weeping. It is the
smoke that makes her weep. She does
not appear to be excited at all, and
the fremen, hustling up on their lad
ders, pay no attention to her.
Down on the sidewalk another girl
! stands weeping. Maybe she is the
owner OF that shop there, the one
that seems to be bearing the brunt OF
the fire. No, she Is not; she Is en-
ployed next door, and the excitement
of the moment, combined with the
punEent smoke. makes her weep. too
The cutters begin to fill with wa
ter. A fireman trips over a traffic
sign. which another fireman imme.
diately takes apart and places out OF
the way.
More clouds OF black smoke, then a
thinning into an ugly brown. Now
only a haze is left-the fire being
conquered.
a trash pile was responsible
PROBABLY cigarette carelessly
thrown did the damage. Whatever
the cause, an adequate conception OF
real fire prevention on the part OF
certain parties might have prevented
the FIRE.
The nib of the whole fire e-preven-
tion problem is the individual Tom
Dick and Harry-every one Of us
men, women and children.
Fire prevention Will be only a res-
ture--although very laudable one
of course-until every one OF the
800 900 inhabitants of the city is made
to think more about fire
The responsibility /of the indiyid-
ual is the crux of the whole matter
Every one must come to regard him.
self as member Of the Fire Depart.
, ment. In some foreign countries n
man is heavily fined when a fire
| breaks out in his office or home.
1t is not a bad idea, because prob
ably nine-tenths of the fires are
."oS'u " Soiic ihOlNluudl, ana II tnlS
individual, in each case, had thought
about fire prevention, the fire never
would have occurred.
What greater absurdity, for in
stance. than allowing a carelessIy
thrown match to set fire to a great
! building, and then calling out half
the fre-fghting equipment of a city
when the active thought of the man
who threw the match might have
prevented the whole thing,