Matthew Carey uses this broadside or small handbill to propose an unusual firefighting technique. By finding coarse cloth of suitable length that could cover ten roof roof tops, houses in the immediate vicinity could be cover in this manner and the cloth kept wet by fire engines below.Carey describes the benefits and anecdotally writes of past successes with this method. No evidence if Carey was ever called a “wet blanket” for this interesting attempt to save property and lives. [Offered with:] A SIMPLE, EFFICACIOUS, PRACTICABLE, AND CHEAP PLAN FOR LIMITING THE RAVAGES OF FIRE. [Philadelphia, May 4, 1838.] A single sheet, untrimmed, 14 by 10 inches, that is, in fact, two conjoined and identical broadsheets, never separated. Large pale dampstain to sheet; else very good. Not in OCLC. It is now twelve years later from Carey’s 1826 “wet blanket” idea and he’s still pushing for its adoption. The text of this broadsheet is dense and is useful as Carey provides a summary of his publishing campaign to push this idea through various media outlets of the day. Carey regrets the lack of statistical data kept on fire loss, and provides his own brief statistical synopsis by documenting location, date and estimated financial loss for fires in New York, Charleston, Vicksburg, Philadelphia, and so forth. Price stated is for two (well, three) items. Conjoined broadsides, i.e. never separated, are infrequently found.