Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-02
Real Inspections Demanded
For Night Clubs of Country

plainly marked and easily accessible
under any and all circumstances"
THE main point is" as suggested by
the Pittsburgh Post-GaZette. that
however the blaze originated, the deco
rations of the place were Of a character
so inf1ammable that the endangered
persons were left comparatively little
chance. Although this fits in with the
common impression Of the garishness
and recklessness of night-club life, not
alone in Detroit. but in every city, the
public authorities cannot escape
thereby from their responsibility for
seeing that every place of entertain
ment is made safe as possible from fire.
It appears that the activity of the law
has been devoted almost exclusively to
the inspection of such places from the
standpoint of prohibition enforcement.
Such dangers as those of fire evidently
have been overlooked in number OF
instances. It is common sense. how
ever, that protection of life should be
the first consideration"
1T is the old story!" exclaims the
Fort Worth Record Telegram. I'VE
have never believed it important to
include discipline among our efforts
at education. We do not consider it
worth while to teach children self
control. School fire drills are the
for emergency use We have ever at
tempted to introduce into our COM
munity life. They are mere fractions
of that discipline that becomes in
stinctive in the face of danger some
what different from the ritual of the
drill When the tragedy ar
rived there was nothing among the
aggregate of characteristics to meet the
crisis. Such losses of life should teach
US lessons. Unfortunately they sell
dom do
THE club in Detroit was like many
night clubs everywhere" says the Salt
Lake Tribune, as it pictures the scene
at the time of the fire: Men and
women fell back screaming, historical,
maddened like believing cattle in a
burning barn. The windows. A drop
from the second story to the street
would be nothing. Anything to escape
the fire that was now roaring through
the club. The walters and musicians
were cool-headed. Sober Most of
them got out first. The guests. men
Only one window was opened. The
rest were barred, nailed, made sound
proof against the orgies of the night"
"It was a night club, you see," COM
merts the Ann Arbor Daily News, land
sunshine could be dispensed WITH like
wise 1t was not necessary for the out
side public to see what was going on.
A minor detail. however. While the
building was being remodeled, some
body took down a fire escape and for
got to erect it again. Pictures show the
fire escape lying on the ground. An
other insignificant detail. The
public will support efforts to get at the
bottom of the cause of tragedy and
distribute the responsibility wherever 1t
may be deserved" The Manchester
Leader, however, draws the conclusion,
IF the usual results follow the inves-
legations, supposedly stringent regula-
tory laws or ordinances will be adopted
In Detroit and there will be apparent
observance of them until another dis
aster of comparable magnitude comes
along"
1.-The lack Of exits" in the Judgment
Of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, turns
such places into traps as ingenious as
purpoSeful malevolence could have con-
trived for the destruction Of human
life in case Of fire. Unless
those charged with inspection of struc-
lures have more success in enforcing
the law than have other officials, little
can be hoped in this direction. The
persons who lost their lives In the De-
troit fire may or may not have been
breaking the law themselves. Certainly
they suffered q fate that the law did
not in any case contemplate for them.
The public may well consider the fire
risk az well as other possibilities In
weighing the chances that attend the
SSeQueuting e9 thsse D3AceAc =.