Made by the California State Fire Marshall, “More Dangerous Than Dynamite” shows the dangers faced by Americans in their homes — household accidents and dangers that kill nearly 40,000 people per year. The film shows how a hot iron can cause a fire (1:00), a space heater (1:12), a gas heater left on (1:20), short circuited electrical systems (1:30) and bad lamp cords, cigarettes left burning (1:51), burning rubbish in a poor incinerator, open paint buckets and oil soaked rags (2:19), etc. At 2:24, the use of gasoline as a cleaning solvent is shown, with fatal result headlines shown. (Before the era of modern cleaning products, gasoline was often used as a common household cleaner and dry cleaning solvent.) At 3:12, a woman is seen washing her clothes in gasoline, an extremely dangerous thing to do! Why — it’s more dangerous than dynamite. At 3:54, a 1940s dry cleaning establishment is shown with gasoline being used in special machines to wash clothes. The commercial establishments are run by those who know the dangers of the materials with which they are working, but not the home user. The commercial establishment has special safeguards as well, including steam outlets, asbestos blankets, roof hatches, fire extinguishers, fusible link couplings, and more. But the home user / housewife has no such protections!
At 6:46, a dramatic enactment of a fire at commercial facility is shown, with the fire fought by employees in a highly efficient manner — smothered in steam and with fire doors sealing off the danger area. But at 7:33, the housewife is doomed, as (in a poorly animated sequence) a spark from static electricity sets off a spark and she is burned badly. At 8:16, the fire department is shown on its way, and an ambulance rushes to the scene. The mother is seen at 8:30 in the hospital with second and third degree burns. She wears a full body cast like a mummy, but there is almost no hope — she lives, but terribly scarred.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
