I I | Thursday, May 18, 1939. FIREBUGS IN NEW YORK KEPT UNDER CONSTANT WATCH MOST AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS OCCUR ON STAIGHTAWAYS Harrisburg.—More than 69 per cent Fire Marshal Tells How His of all automobiles involved in accidents Men Work to Cut Losses From Incendiaries. were going in a straight direction at the time of crack-up, according to a survey compiled by the Division of Safety's Research Bureau in the De- + Partment of Revenue. NEW YORK.—They bear no out. In a report made to Otto F. Messner, ward warning that they're sinister, dangerous persons. A remote light might glitter in their eye. If you strike a match before them, they might show a sudden nervous eager- mess. But ordinarily they appear to be the most harmless people in the world. That's the firebug—the man, wom- an or child whose otherwise normal brain is ‘screwy’ on the subject of fire. You'd never be able to detect one, just to see him or talk with him. ‘They are uncannily cunning in hid- ing their weakness. Yet, 400 of them are listed in the files of the bureau of fire investigation, and they are subjects of a constant surveillance of which New York’s good, law- abiding citizens scarcely dream. Deliberately Set. Of the twenty to thirty thousand fires which occur here annually, an astounding number are deliberately set. Hence, it is vitally important to keep an all-time watch on persons capable of such outrages. Every three months those on the list are checked up. If they are at large, bureau investigators check their residence and activities. Also prisoners, insane asylums and re- formatories are queried to ascer- tain if any ‘‘firebugs” have been released. Chief Fire Marshal Thomas Bro- phy, head of the bureau, has two classifications for people who set fires; Arsonists, or incendiaries; and pyromaniacs. In the fireman’s vernacular, the former is a “torch,” one who sets fire for some specific end, usually money. - His motive also may be to destroy incriminating evidence or conceal erime. He is a practiced criminal, the fire marshal contends. On the other hand the pyromani- ac, or “pyro,” is a psychopathic person who sets a fire for a ‘“‘thrill.” He is known among firemen as a “buff,” a ‘“‘spark,” and a “nut.” Of the two classes the latter is the most dangerous, according to Brophy, who said: ‘“The arsonist rarely sets fire to a building housing people. His is a strictly business proposition. The city used to be overrun with arson rings who would burn anything for money. But usually the places they touched off were stores. ‘“The pyros, however, are after the thrill, and they find the greatest thrill in firing a flimsy tenement filled with sleeping people. Particu- larly dangerous is the drunken type, who wanders out of a saloon in the early morning and sets fire to such a building. I have known a ‘pyro’ to set as many fires in one week. “They are always alone and do the most unpredictable things. Quite often, they turn in an alarm, then help the firemen. .Later they'll go around the corner and start an- other fire.” Firemen are always on the look- out for civilians eager to help them particularly when the origin of the blaze appears suspicious. They have caught many “pyros” in this manner, Former Policeman Given Works by Card Sharpers CLEVELAND.—Robert J. Russell, who walked a beat for six years in nearby Lorain and thought he knew all the tricks, admitted at police headquarters, that he had been tak- en in. “A girl friend and I went down to the lake front to watch the boats,” the former policeman said. “A couple of men near us began to play cards. We watched, and then got in the game. “Between us we lost $40. When I got far enough away to think, I realized the simple game was ‘three-card monte’—one of the most crooked games in existence.” Entombed Miner Asserts Fly Saved His Sanity LONDON.—A fly saved the sanity of a miner who was entombed for 186 hours in Pit House colliery, Bran- don, Durham. A cave-in shut John Lumley off from the shaft and imprisoned him in a small hole. A rock pinned him in an agonizing position. During all the hours of torment he could hear no sound from out- side. Only the buzzing of the fly, his only contact with life, gave him hope. It prevented his brain from cracking under the strain. When rescue came and Lumley saw his fly soar away into freedom, there were tears in his eyes. Two Dogs Killed With Same Gun in Same Way CHARLES TOWN, W. VA.—Da- vid Shoemaker of Rippon acciden- tally killed two valuable hunting dogs—both setters—within the last week—in the same manner and with the same gun, but on separate oc- casions. One dog belonged to him, the oth- er to his brother. In each instance he was attempting to restrain the restive dog by holding it back with the barrel of the gun when the gun was discharged accidentally, After the second accident, Mr. Shoemaker gave away his gun. deputy secretary of revenue, this re- | search showed that the same direction | of travel was reported for 82.7 per cent of all cars involved in fatal accidents and 73 per cent of those in non fatal accidents, Skidding was reported of 8.1 per cent of all vehicles involved in acci- | dents in 1938 as well as for 6.5 per cent of those in fatal accidents. This same THE UNION PRESS-COURIER condition applied to 6.4 per cent of the cars in non fatal accidents. Vehicles turning to the right or to | the left made up the next group. An | analysis showed that 7.6 per cent of | all vehicles in collisions were turning to the left when they crashed but only 2.5 per cent of the cars were making r.ght hand turns. “In view of these figures,” thc report reads, “it was apparant that left hand turns, which involve continuing across another line of traffic, are more dan- gerous than turns to the right. Many of these accidents, however, could be eliminated if the onerators signalled their intentions to make a turn.” In addition to the foregoing, 7.5 per cent of all vehicles in accidents last year were not in motion; they were either parked or standing. Only 2.8 per cent of the vehicles in fatal accidents, gy HI SPRING Ie When spring gets in your blood, it’s time to put the famous three in your car. Why not pull in at the big red Atlantic sign and ask the quick, courteous attendant for Atlantic White Flash, Motor Oil and Lubrication Service? Then, breeze away and see if you don’t feel the difference. See if spring motoring doesn’t mean a lot more to you. Drop in today. “ Wore Wiles fos Yours Wlomey ATLANTIC LISTEN TO ATLANTIC FOR THE BEST IN SPORTS BROADCASTING WHITE FLASH MOTOR OIL LUBRICATION SERVICE peak fresh flavor you the Same GEORGE BROS. HOGUE HARDWARE . SHETTIG HARDWARE N. W. MOORE HARDWARE in every way—in beauty, usabili tion. Yet costs no more Simplest Refrigerating Mechanism, seme Meter-Miset, same onc- i onstruction an net pes asl ro Protection Plan as Frigid- aire’s models costing up to $100 more. Quality at a Super-Value price: however ,were in that category. The balance of the motor vehicles which figured in crashes were reported ‘as backing, slowing down or stopping or some miscellaneuos action. Backing accounted for 1.1 per cent of the ve- hicles involved while slowing down or stopping comprised 1,7 per cent of the total, PEDESTRIAN PROBLEM AND OVERCONFIDENCE OF DRIV- ERS PROMOTE ACCIDENTS Harrisburg.—Greater concentration on the pedestrian problem and a gen- eral avoidance of overconfidence on the part of motorists were described this week as the essential objectives of 1939 highway safety compaigns in this state. This ‘conclusion is contained in a re- port issued by the PTF Safety Bureau and emphasizing that “the two big ha- zards to highway safety today are the lack of effective pedestrian control and a growing tendency of drivers to ev- er-estimate accident reduction prog- ress.” “By far the greatest obstacle to re- ducing highway deaths and injuries in Pennsylvania is the continued fre- quency of accidents involving pedes- trians,” J. G. Feinour, director of the PTF safety bureau said. “In 1937, for example, the last year for which com- plete official records are available for Pennsylvania, pedestrian fatalities con- stituted half of the total deaths in all street and highway accidents—1,269, as compared with 2,564 killed in all types of accidents. “Similar surveys conducted in all parts of the country show that this situation is not peculiar to Pennsylva- nla and that the pedestrian problem is particularly acute in the cities. In 13 large cities, nearly 8 of every 10 per- sons killed by automobiles in 1937 were pedestrians. Despite the advance- ment made in reducing other types of motor vehicle accidents, death and in- juries, the man, woman and child on foot continues to be the most difficult accident factor to control. “The second goal of highway safety activity in Pennsylvania tihs year must be to avoid over-confidence on the part of motorists who, because of recent decreases in accidents, may be lulled into a feeling of false security. During the past year or two accident totals have been decreased in all parts of the United States, accompanied by more pronounced reductions in Penn- sylvania .Although more rigid enforce- ment of speed limits has been an im- portant factor in Pennsylvania's rec- ord, the nation wide nature of the re- ductions indicate that economic condi- tions undoubtedly have played a part. Various experts contend that thous- {-ands of motorists have been driving mores carefully because “they could not afford to have an accident.” SOME FACTS ABOUT YOUR BABY’S ECZEMA “What is the matter with your baby's face?” . “Oh, he has a touch of erythroder- mia desquamative.” “A touch of what?" Eczema—to you!” Erthr—er—eczema, is a skin trou- ble which appears as a roughness and redness. It is sometimes accompanied ac- companied by tiny blisters which dis- charge and break a watery substance. Eczema is difficult to treat and is seen frequently in young infants. It may spread over the body but it is generally seen on the face, in the bends of the elbows and knees or in the armpit. The cause of eczema is often hard to trace. At least half of all babies suffering of this condition have a family history of allergy. PAGE SEVEN - = r— | Someone in the family, even in g previous generation, has had an allergie condition, hay iever or asthma, More female babies are subject to eczema than male babies. Fair haired, blue eyed children are more susceptible to eczema than othe er types. Extremes of temperature may ine jure a delicate skin. Heat and perspiration often bring on an outbreak of eczema. In a great many instances, a baby subject to eczema is hypersensative to some food. The eating of such tood will quicke ly bring on a rash. q The offending food can be determine ed by a process of elimination— and this substance omitted from the diet, Eczema is a very distressing ail« ment. The first jump from a balloon by means of & parachute was made in 1797. McCONNON "Double guaranteed : Order Your Requirements. Use Fly Spray, one pint of Fly Nocker. LOWER PRICES .. Free Premium Offer Both sbselutely everything any other sprays on the market will do! and McCONNON to do STARIP FY i up to one quart of D. A. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers