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Show WESTERN CONFLAGRATIONS. The telegraph brings us the sad news of another conflagration in Helena, Hel-ena, Montana. It is never in good taste to seize occasions of calamity for the purpose of moralizing on them; and yet it is so extensively done, that almost every accident or public misfortune misfor-tune is seized upon by the smal 1 fry moralists mor-alists to aid their platitudes. But this latest of Western fires claims some attention. at-tention. Tho original design of Salt Lake city, by which it was divided into in-to ten acre blocks, of eight lots each, with the streets a hundred and thirty-two thirty-two feet in width, precluded tho possibility pos-sibility of serious fires, unless the lots should be so sub-divided that, continuous contin-uous streets of inflammable materials would be the result. But in most other towns in this region, outside the original origi-nal settlements of Utah, tho buildings have been constructed as close together as possible, and in most cases of the tightest frame work. The result has been that where a fire has originated, uo available strength of a book and ladder company has been sufficient to overcome its eourse, and it has spread until the ruin has been disastrous. : Fire departments are usoful auxil-! iaries in combatting the "devouring element,"but even these have proved powerless at times where tho flames have stretched out their fiery tongues and "licked up" miles of Btreets, as in Chicago and Boston. ' In the West here, as indeed all over the country but especially here where the "new empire" and the new world may be said to be growing up, this matter should command at onco the most serious attention. In-temationles In-temationles threatening to burn New Orleans are bad enough, because they might carry out their threat ip. tltat and in other large cities; but towns so constructed that they can be destroyed des-troyed in a day are infinitely worse heir destruction is not a question of reckless desperation, but of hourly carelessness. Who can calmly consider this fact without being impressed with the ne cessity for an improvement in the style of building our towns and cities? Lumber is used so ex tensively and so little care is taken in prescribing fire limits, that our only wonder is why fires are not more numerous. Here in Utah they have been comparatively comparative-ly rare; but the growth of towns, built almost exclusively of lumber.demanda that the most efficient means should be adopted, municipally, to guard against such conflagration as western towns are too often exposed to. This is our point,: . |
