Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-10-08
NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION
WEEK. OCTOBER 4-IO.

] Seldom does the editorial page
scoop" the news columns. This is
an exception. A tremendous disaster
occurred today Properly valued at
81 ,446, 74444 was wiped out and Al
/ persons lost their lives by fire. The
destruction proceeded continu ously
through the "a hours; every hour $751;
115.60-every minute S.59-every
second 1887 was wiped out.
This is another way of stating the
National Board Of Fire Underwriters,
the highest authority on the subject,
tells us-namely that our national an
nual fire-loss is $3.50, 372, 1872.
What this means may be compre-
hended from a few comparisons. Our
annual production of gold and silver
is SOB, 119 741-less than one-ffth Of
our annual fire loss. AS a people, we
produced wealth of $l,009,287 900 in
our 1922 corn crop; but we wasted
more than % per cent. of that amount
by fire. Our 1922 cotton crop a.
mounted to S1,192, 461 900; our fire
loss was "A per cent of that sum. In
1923 We paid our Government int
nal revenues, excluding income and
inheritance taxes, totaling S309,015,-
$50. We wasted by fire the same
year more than half again as much as
Uuncle Sam collected in these revei4-
ues.
What is the cause Of this loss? Fire
department chiefs, insurance actuai
les and other experts tell US that Is
per cent. of our fires are partly OF
wholly preventable, the results OF one
form or another Of carelessness. Care
lessness is certainly to be denounced
But it is a delusion 20 think that the
time viii come when it will not be
necessary to foresta!l the results If
carelessness.
In this @d five other states,
"stoves, boilers, furnaces and ,fcir
pipes" and the most frequent causes
Of fires and fre-losses. III tie rooms
and easements in which stoves, fun
naces and boilers are loca ed We're en-
timely encased, IS thev should be, with
ineonibustible material, l.res originate
ir2 from this cause would be mnim-
lzrd, and if pipes and aues ,Vsle prop
elly insulated from the wooden aud
other construction which ma:rs them
insulated, the total ire loss would be
materially reduced.
for the fundamental cause OF COM
bnstion is Comhus Utility. Ard the
way to forestall the results Of care
lessness is to build fire-safe. We must
either admit we build to burn, Of
accept the challenge Of the new sio-
gaa Build Fire-safe."
1t is possible To- inc acreage home
builder to accept this challenge. The
development of modern building ma
terials makes it possible for even the
1aos5 modest home to be built fire.
safe For instance, fire proof gypsum
wallboards. A freproof sheathing
of non-metallic mineral may be used
as a sheathing or stucco backing to
protect the wood studding of the
frame. A fireprcof gypsum lath may
be substituted for tinderlike Wcou
lath
These are only examples of the pro-
lection offered the home-builder by
the modern materials manufacturer
Gypsum is only one of several nom
metallic minerals that may be used
to encase and protect the wooden
carts of building. Portland cement
concrete, asbestos, slate, terra Gotta,
lime and other mineral compositions
economically.
This is the lesson of the National
Fire Prevention Week. The National
Conference ON Home Building, which
met recently in Chicago, went on re-
cord as according preferences to fire
resistant methods and materials in
the construction of American homes
and dwelling" What the experts ad-
wise the public can adopt. Build Fire
Safe" not only means a reduction OF
our $535,372, 1872 annual fire loss; 1t
means fundamental and economical
insurance to the life and property OF
every home builder.