Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-10-02

Fire. Fire. Fire"
There is no more thrilling. curdlipg
cry than Fire
Next week will be Fire prevention
week in Washington. Just as some
good folks would ''outlaw war" and
80 dispense with the Army and Navy,
1t Is proposed to outlaw fires" and
give the Fire Department rest,
How well that effort will succeed will
depend upon the efficiency of the indi-
vidual householder and business man
ager in cleaning up the fire-produc-
ing rubbish around homes and bust
ness blocks. Last year the depart
ment made 1SS.16S inspections and
served 6.OS8 written notices upon peo-
pie tolerating fire menaces.
There is that garnet with its hea ps
of papers and old clothes. There is
the furnace chimney which has
smoked ever since the oil-burner,
which did not work well, was put in
and then put out! The chimney is
choked with SCOT. and SCOT is almost
like finder. A spark will set it all
flame and sparks will flare to the
treetops. They may not ignite your
own tin or slate roof, but how about
their falling upon the rubbish pile in
your neighbours yard?
1T is up to the neighbor to clear
up his own inflammable rubbish. OF
course" but his three-year- baby
is not responsible for the carelessness
Of YOU and her daddy. Will you at
tend her funeral? 1t takes so slight
burn Of baby clothes to make a
funeral. A spark-and lifelong
grief! Clean up. Burn out your chin
ney now. Build fire in your fur
mace, and If you can get it to draw
enough to make hot Goals. throw or
a pound or two Of common salt. That
will form an acid gas which will
clean out the chimney SCOT. Scraps
Of zinc will do the same. Or try to
find that almost extinct human-a
chimneySWeep.
In England. France and Germany
any householder who has chimney
fire is subject to arrest and fine, for
1t indicates that he has been criminal
ly neglectful Of his chimney. wilfully
ieopardizing the property and lives OF
his neighbors. There were 1877 fires
last year. in Washington, due to
sparks falling on combustible ma
terial
Last fiscal year saw .09S dwelling
fires in Washington Of which All
were uScu uII CITY Wy uClS(IiNC q Nv
unclean chimneys. There were 401
fires caused by brush heaps. grass
leaves, trash. neglected in back yards
or set afire for bonfires.
The most numerous single cause
of fires was automobiles. consuming
either the machines or adjacent
property-442 cases. Next to them
came careless smokers. those reck
less ones who toss matches or stubs
no matter where-into paper baskets
or upon awnings or around garages
They walk mile TO ra cigarette, bu'
not a yard TO dispose OF q blazing
match.
l. Stoves and electric apparatus pro-
duced only about 100 fires each. And
that bette noir-spontaneous combus-
tion---was charged with only % sins
one less than hot ashes put into
wooden containers.
Washington has an excellent rec
ord as to fires. Ii stands second
lowest in a group of II cities of its
class. Its fire loss per capita, in the
fiscal year 1925. was only $1.S3;
Chicagoans lost 1928 per capita; New
York City, 1915; Boston, S6.19; Bal
timore. $2.45: Philadelphia, $2.3S, ant
Pittsburgh. .S3.5S.
Our record IL not growing worse
In 1920 we lost $2.O5 per capita. Ii
1928, there were some unusually
large losses, bringing the per capita
up to $40. but other cities also had
unusually bad f1res the same year
Some cities have made annual losses
exceeding S46 per capita. while al
average Of $40 to SIS is common. Ir
1925. Pine Bluff, Ark. had a loss Of
s47e2 per capita. Washington retains
many old buildings which are heri