Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1925-09-30
NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION
WEEK, OCTOBER 40.


Seldom does the editorial page
"scoop" the news columns. This IS
an exception. A tremendous dis
aster occurred today Property val
ued at 66,744.44 was wiped out
and Al persons lost their lives by fire.
The destruction proceeded eontin-
uously through the "a hours: every
hour s61 .115.60-every minute ST.
018.59-every second s16.97 was
wiped out.
This Is another way of stating
what the National Board Of Fire In
derwriters. the highest authority on
the subject, tells us-.namely that
our national annual fire-loss is
$535,372,782.
What this means may be compre-
hended from a. few comparisons.
Our annual production of gold and
silver is SOB, 19,741-less than
one-fifth of our annual fire loss. As
people, we produced wealth Of
81 800, $4,000 in our 1922 corn
crop; but we wasted more than 28
per cent. of that amount by fire. Our
1922 cotton crop amounted to ST.
192,461, 900; our fire loss was "a
per cent. of that sum. In 1923 we
paid our Government internal reve-
nues, excluding income and Inherit
ance taxes. totaling S309,015,050.
We wasted by fire the same year
more than half again as much as
Uncle Sam collected in these reve-
nues.
What is the cause of this loss2 Fire
department chiefs, insurance actuar-
les and other experts tell US that rs
per cent. of our fires are partly or
wholly preventable, the results of one
form or another of carelessness.
Carelessness is certainly to be de-
nounced. But it is delusion to
think that the time ever will come
when it will not be necessary to fore
stall the results of carelessness.
In this and five other states. "stove
boilers, furnaces and their pipes" are
the most frequent causes of fires and
fire-losess. If the rooms and base
ments in which stoves. furnaces and
boilers are located were entirely en-
cased. as they should be- with ineom.
bustible material, fires originating
from this cause would be minimized
and if pipes and flues were properly
insulated from the wooden and other
construction which makes them dan.
gerous, the total fire loss would be
materially reduced.
For the fundamental cause of COM
bustion is combustibility. And the
way TO forestall the results of care
lessness is 70 build fire-safe. We
must either admit that we Guild to
burn" or accept the challenge of the
new slogan Build Fire-safe."
It is possible for the average home
builder to accept this challenge.
The DEVELOPMENT of modern building
materials makes it possible for even
the most modest home to be built
fire-safe. For instance, fire-proof
gypsum wallboard may be used in
place of highly inflammable pulp
paper or fibre wallboards. A fire
proof sheathing of non-metallic min
eral may be used as a sheathing OF
stucco backing to protect the wood
studding of the frame A fireproot
gypsum lath NAV be substituted for
tinder-like wood lath.
These are only examples Of the
protection offered the home-builder
by the modern materials manufactur.
err. Gypsum is only one of several
non-metallic minerals that may be
to encase and protect the wooden
parts of building. Portland ce-
ment concrete, asbestos, slate, terra
Gotta, lime and other mineral com
positions also make it possible to
build fire-safe-economically.
This is the lesson of National Fire
Prevention Week. The National
Conference on Home Building, which
met recently in Chicago, went on re.
cord as according preference to fire.
resistant methods and materials in
the construction of American home.
and dwellings," What the experts
advise the public can adopt. "Build
Fire-Safe" not only means reduction
of our S535,372,7S2 annual fire loss
it means fundamental and economical
insurance to the life and property OF
every home builder.
A new Ever-ready Flashlight fol
81 Ok 70 M:II