Evening star., 1938-05-17
The American WAY.

41O &AA1A~A ANSS1A w
Despite all the advances in building
construction in this country, fires occur
in structures designed and used for the
multiple housing Of people and take
heavy toll of life. The latest of these
disasters has just occurred in Atlanta,
where a hotel burned and destroyed at
least twenty-seven lives, with many more
persons gravely injured. The fire oc-
Cured during the night, when the occu-
pants Of the hotel were mostly asleep.
Even if it had come In the daytime the
toll of deaths would probably have been
heavy. for the structure was Of such a
character as to make it an easy prey to
the flames and many would have been
trapped.
This was a five-story, brick -and-frame
building, in use for hotel purposes for
many years. The Mayor of the city is
quoted as saying that it was Of con-
struction type mo longer permitted
under the city building code. though
it had been somewhat remodeled from
its original status" That this remodel
ing was not of such a character as to
make it fireproof, or even sufficiently
fire resistant to safeguard the lives Of
the occupants, is tragically evident from
the results.
These lessons in fire danger in the
case Of buildings used for the housing Of
large numbers of persons have been
taught repeatedly and tragically during
many years. Yet they have not been
learned by public officials and by the
conductors OF the institutions, whether
they are of public or private character.
So long as they are permitted to be used
they continue to shelter large numbers.
with reliance upon so-called safety meas
ures, such as fire escapes and sprinklers,
but with the elements of disaster present
daily.
Whenever one of these holocausts
occurs there is always a public clamor
for the adoption Of more stringent rules
of safety in construction and mainte-
nance. But after the first shock of the
catastrophe has abated the old order Of
lax inspection and management is re-
stored and the community trusts to good
fortune to spare it from a repetition.
That political influence is exerted to
permit the continued use of these fre
traps Is often charged. Perhaps that is
not so likely to be the case as that pro-
longed immunity from disaster causes q
tolerance that may at any time prove to
be tragically fallacious.
There is probably not large city in
this country that has not one or more Of
these fire traps in use for hotel purposes,
despite the terrible warnings that have
been given by repeated tragedies else
where. That the fire toll, which in the
aggregate is so heavy in this country as
to constitute national disgrace, is not
greater is due to good luck and not to
good municipal administration is plainly
evident. If penalties commensurate with
the OHenSe OF the maintenance and tol.
Grafton Of these potential death traps
were applied in every case such as that
Of the Atlanta horror a change might
occur for the better. But rarely are such
penalties invoked. The tragedy is de-
plored. the victims are mourned, there is
period of closer scrutiny of premises
and of more rigid supervision over
methods of management and then comes
the apparently inevitable relapse into
negligence and official indifference, until
the next horror occurs, to shock the
country. 1t is not spectacle calculated
to stimulate pride in the American way
Of management in matters affecting the
lives of the people.