Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1892 — Vain Precautions. [ARTICLE]

Vain Precautions.

Meringen, the Swiss village which has just been destroyed by fire, met a similar misfortune in 1879. Since that date, a native of the village tells a correspondent, the precautions against fire have been extraordinary. Whenever the wind blew from a dangerous quarter smoking was forbidden, and at dusk, with few exceptions, all fires were ordered out, the village smithy was stilled, the bakery ovens had to be damped down, and the shops would then be besieged with customers anxious to buy what bread they could. The reason for this was the extraordinary destitution to which the inhabitants were reduced after the last fire, and fears are entertained that the consequences may be equally disastrous now.