irst news accounts of fires are frequently overdrawn. The
reporter should never take such stories at their face value, but should
investigate for himself until he knows his details are accurate. Or if
he cannot prove them either false or true, he should omit them entirely
or record them as mere rumors. Above all, he must keep his head. With
the hundreds--sometimes thousands--of spectators pushed beyond the fire
lines, the roar of fire engines, the scream of whistles, the wild
lights, and the general pandemonium, it is often difficult to remain
calm. Yet it is only by keeping absolutely cool that one can judge
accurately the value of the information obtained and can put that
information into the best news form. Only the reporter who at all times
retains entire possession of himself is able to write the most forceful,
interesting, and readable fire stories.

=222. Accident Stories in General.=--Accident stories in general follow
the same constructive plans as those given for fires. The lead should
play up the number of lives lost or endangered, the cause of the
accident, the extent of the damage or injury, the time, and the place,
answering the questions _who_, _what_, _when_, _where_, _why,_ and
_how_. Any one of these may be featured according to its importance. If
a number of persons have been killed or hurt, and their names are
obtainable, a list of the dead and the injured should be made as
indicated on page 150. Then the body of the story may continue in simple
chronological order, reserving unimportant details until the last. The
following is a good illustration of an accident story:

| =DU PONT BLAST KILLS 31= |
| |
|Wilmington, Del., Nov. 29.--Thirty-one men were |
|killed and six fatally injured to-day in an |
|explosion of approximately four tons of black powder|
|in a packing house at the Upper Hagley yard of the |
|E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., on Brandywine Creek,|
|three miles north of this city. |
| |
|The cause of the explosion is not known. One |
|official says, "There is not a thread on which to |
|hang any hope that the origin will be definitely |
|ascertained." |
| |
|After the bl