Show fiRE WASTE CONGRESS IS IN SESSION I Is Feature of Convention of Fire Protective Asso Asso- TO ESTABLISH MEANS OF PREVENTING LOSS Experts Who Have Studied the Subject Will MaKe MaRe Suggestions By FREDERIC FREDERIO J. J HASKIN The first national fira re congress ever er held In this country Je Is now in session session in Philadelphia elphia as ns a R. feature of tho the annual convention of the Ameri Macri- American can Fire Protective association This congress was especially invited by tho city officials of Philadelphia and its members include of tho the na us- national government state and md municipal representatives fire ro engineers insurance of nearly anco ance men and representatives es all th the tho great rat trades business anti and civic organizations Every condition in an any anyway anyway way bearing upon tho the causes of the enormous fire losses suffered in this country countr is being consi considered ered Tho The annual fire waste in the United States approximates which is equivalent to an annual tax of over for every cry man woman and child in the thc country This is fully ten times n as 86 much as the average o lo loss throughout the different countries of Europe This includes only tho the annual waste from the tho loss of buildings l I and their contents According to a recent bulletin issued b by the geological ical survey sur stir VCr vey tho the total cost of fires firc excluding forest fires and marino marine losses but hut in including in in- eluding the tho excess cost for protection duo due to faulty construction and excess premiums for insurance amounts in ono year vear to considerably over This amounts to a a. greater reater tax upon the tho people than tho the total estimated value luo of nf tho the gold silver copper and Ilet petroleum petro petro- roo bum leum products for a a. year ear It would moro more than pa pay for the Panama ananta canal Yet it is absolutely lost giving no benefit hen ben en eft pat t to Rn i Costs Many Lives Yearly Not only docs does the fire firo waste include this creat loss losi of prop property and money moncy but aut in a addition it causes the sacrifice each year car pf at least J 1500 OO lives Ji Ac cording to an estimate made mado ma e by hy Powell Evans Bvans chairman of the Philadelphia tire ire re pro prevention committee the tho buildings last year yar in in the United States if f placed to together on both side side- of ot the street would make mako an avenue a QC deso- deso lation long lon enough nough to extend from Now New York fork to If Jf ono one seriously In Injured inured in person per on was reduce reuell at each eadi h tholand thousand thou thou- sand and foot cot there thoro would still bo be a a H man titan woman or child chillI hurn burned a to death for or each three quarters ot of a n mile of or the entire en t irn distance Tho The t tire firo r insurance of the united States costs upon an au average about lt 1 tier per cent of tho the policy value aue or 1 i per hundred with n nearly 3 3 per capita annual nn nn- nual fire tiro waste In Europe insurance CO costs tK on t the be a average tera o IJ 10 1 0 of or 1 percent per pM peront cent ont of ot tho the policy value luo or 10 cents per hundred with a per er capita annual fire waste It is te an invariable rule ulo that as all fire firo waste tO diminishes the cost ost of insurance in urance falls faUs proportionately proportionately- Insurance is ft a sort eort of a n tax which distributes dis diV distribute tributes tribute the fire firo of the tho countr country over vcr it its population About half of the he insurance premiums collected are returned to the thel insured for fire tire losses The remaining half hale goes noes oc to meet tho the expenses and yield j thin profits of ot the tho in in- companies Every cry great con con- aeration increases cl tho the total waste bill an nd thu tini automatically raises insurance rat rate throughout the national bonn boun- dades lu Iu the continuous quest t for means of or tho the increases cos co cost t o of living it it i ise seems se ms surprising that so 60 little 1 has been given n to theof tho the 1 of tho the t fire waste of ot the sati Every cr inhabitant of the C country 1 0 COD os wa 1 tributes toward paving thi this I In j insurance rates bring about b rents hi higher her prices for food an and eio eloth ing and through h them hi higher ber HIR upon credits its and interests upon lisa No o Noone one is ia c exempt The poorest workman work work- man with tho the lar largest et family throng these channels contributes y rA not only 3 each for himself as and aea but 11 wife but hut also for each of his l and for this contribution he r eiT no return i The effect of tho fire firo waste watts U I the tte living Ii ing cost of the country can cau b e tbt moro more readily realized when it u Li tt as- as I that it amounts to twit th tie J I annual value of the cotton crop It u ei- ei the thc annual value of wheat kij j br e 1 VO and oats Within the tho last ten tea te tho the fire firo waste of tho the i ihas has exceeded the amount of gold tho United Kingdom Austria 3 Hab and Spain An et estimate mate of tk geological survey states that one halL of the tho value of th the new Wild t ings erected each ach year ear in the tho this cou country tr is 18 destroyed b by f fir Experts Will Bo Eo Heard t 4 With such facts as these bet or orthe t the members of the congress congre now fH 1 firo fire waste have a a full r ret itt of the importance of ing log definite moans of preventing tb ft lo loss and suggestions from froni cx extent rh bi i have ba C studied sh the tha will fUr bet be rc The Tho national board rd of ot f fire fa rl s. s has bas spen spent t ern 80 several haw thousand thou dollars in in sending a atoo too tee of experts to report upon the c w OI conditions in all of tb the In- In cities The Tho in C investigations ins of these oe indicate that most fires ire dit in part at least to fault faulty building e i- i Other causes are nn and i ignorance norance upon the part of tha o ot- ot a lack of fire firo i at 4 atwell well we'll as protective c provisions pro ad i II lie some somo instances the tho fact that the flIt fin officials are arc political appointees and aDd Nt M always 8 properly for r the dat devolving lUg upon them 7 The const construction ruction of or a n build buildup II eludes the materials used the ht height gb W S. S the tho structure the fire control areas tw tIlT exposed vertical openings s and qt avenues for the l o of flames the buildings s the tho pro provision ion for or fi fireproof fire firt proof ro roofing fing and anI other conditions b bi f influence or cr i I B JI tug ing an it upon ion creasing the spread spread of a flame lame crt ot started Carcle Carelessness s awl and ignorance the tho part of the occupants of bUI C include the accumulation of ot all Kits I of Df rubbish in corners where a fir fire CJ fit be bo easily started by a drop dropped d well as as as' tho careless ban handling ling 0 of St J J.- J. materials materials Chief Ex-Chief Broker Croker of oC the New cw 1 York ork fire file depart department de deh ment claims that at le least t on foar to tot i ithe the hc great firo fire waste of oC the city Of i- i t York bork could be traced to J cellars ellars halls and corners f W fr frIs r responsibly s 's or flues are Bre 13 Is per cent of the fire tire W entire countY throughout tho county 30 o 0 per cent coat of tho the fires files d de t Mt Si j in the southern states slateS I ann j rout rom this cause jl Fourth on List Sc School ool buildings stand stand fourth u waste al of 1 tb tho list of hazards bazard In in the fire of 1 oi average this country and an j Iff Iffla destroyed V bf l fu school buildings are arc ii la each h week through the year ear tad of school I burned effect In la in inIng year has It n material JM time half dam clawes Ing the tho number of oC mg ing rd Cd to which crowded crO schoolrooms tb from Aside Aide ron caters bo toO much object b constant danger is tho the I in to ed children ren are rc exposed ba baI held heiti in I upon ipen schools Ci like th An n occasional horror UK I tugs ings gs i f holocaust hoo u t m jU Ohio lingwood jn r years cars ago aco when a large alive school chool children were roa roasted or cause a wave trao of or public ir indignation tb ret r in ill resume such n a condition school bool tion of man loan many fireproof p u 1 not however ho e er r be It will m of ot rn f stroll strong to prevent tb the D S WIt wooden ire fire trap school t J I in ing tho the next Inn rI months but is i lr v M buildings 8 for fireproof number o of f J ing in them into me UC in a th b j Tho great eat difference Continued on page 5 N FIRE WASTE CONGRESS IS IN SESSION SESSIO Continued from irom pago page 4 nual anal nual fire waste te in iu the United States a and uro o is due also to the lack of r roI ro- ro I taken by the occupants of oC a a dwelling invaded iu b by hy fire In German Germany erma n every cn 6 cry person connected ed with a n building may share in the tho responsibility A fi fire is looked t G upon as a public offense if not Dot a crime and the r person responsible i for lor it is ie promptly sought out and cot compelled com com- pelted to pay pa ay the Hie penal penalty y The la laws mako make absolute provision for fire rote protection I tion lion and they ore are enforced A few fe months ago an American gentleman r re- re lidin tiding eidinS in Berlin was awakened o one morning mOlDing by the smell of smoke Ho He 1 found that a fire firo originating in a roo room overhead was eating away ay the ceiling of his hia dinin dining room Thu Tho fire V was S promptly prompt jf extinguished with chemical ap apparatus arat F and ud little damage was done dono The nc next t alarm morning gentleman an official who investigation had turned hega began hegan in the t was called before the tho fire firo nt mar mar- hals Tho The fact that ho had bad been abo about t to lea vc tho the cit city was wa'S not considered I II He had b d to Q await fhe investigation of t the he fire firo Ho He was asked man many questions It was as ascertained that tho the fire ori on originated nat front Ironi a coal conI dropped from a aunt laundry f to o in an attic above c and rolled ov over upon u pen a wooden floor The American showed bowed that the th stove to was nn an appoint nt an tn lu nt of or his apartment which he ha bad d neither the duty nor privilege of R hanging The Tho landlord was called He Be Claimed that he ho had purchased the bui building build build- lug ing with the assurance 38 that all laws lav's ii had ad been complied compHel with Ho lie hail had not nol h had hael f. f his attention called to the fire risk of t the stove The buil builder er of the tho house then caller called Ho lie admitted that he ho was was 8 5 responsible for settin setting the stove and i neglecting to provide a metal hearth of L tho required kind between the thc ate vo C and aud the thc floor The Tho penalty enforced Ced him upon included the tho estimated cost COt of Ithe eit city in responding to the fire firo al ali alarm arm V and extinguishing the fire fir i tho dam damage a e to the furniture of the tenants an and d a n J tine line of marks marb as UR a penalty for v vio 0 lation lalton of ot the law The damage o to the building was not included e because it was I i held neM that tho the owner has been nc negligent li eat ent In not knowin knowing tho the condition n of the tho Et stove and an and therefore should make male his hie own repairs I |