Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1804-05-18
Matnal Assurance against Fire On Build.

Mafnal Assurance agdiasf Fire on Build.
t.,s ings. IS q
sDY those who were opposed Ia this
ID philan,hropici nssitution, ishas been
held out, that If a large FIRE was To hap.
pen At Norfolk, II would ruin the mem.
bers Of the soeiety. Now there has as
great a FIRE aspossihly could sc expected,
taken place and including the several
fires which have occurred in Berkeley,
Frederick, Spotsylvania, Louisa, Prince
George and Gloucester, still one quota,
that is, one premium the same % paid
on entering Is sufficient to replenish the
funds. This shews that what they nd.
vance 10 fallaeious. Notwithstanding
the enormous destruction 1t Norfolk, the
society has funds enough 70 pay every
one of the sufferers and the quota which
the meiibers pay now, forms complete
fund TO answer against future losses,
which may insure the m for many years
to come, perhaps forever. As the IN
surance Is increasing, the funds win Be
so strong, that great losses must happen
indeed before another quota be necessa.
~ the interest will be so considerable,
that il IN a few wears no great losses hap-
pen, II will augment the funds rapidly,
independence the new assurances, witch
no doubt win be made. !, sslt. - AS ! Il 81
The society has been extraordinary
unfortunate; fall the houses in the STATE
had been affected in the same ratio, Il
would be at the rate ofupwards of {, 600
hou SEES per annuIi in this state. Now as
it is well known, that on an average
throughout the state, hardly more than
fifty buildings per annatf burn, this
shews that this society has in the most
extraordinary manner been afaietetl---.,
therefore il Is reasonable TO hope, thai ID
future the losses win not he so grest AS
they have been,f but that they viii he
much less !; as the system is now, and
win be better understood, tie insur-
ance no doubt viii keep Increasing. Il
is devoutly to Be wished that the people
would rise enmasse and insure all (WHICH
IN time they Wilt there being upwards
Of four hundred thousand buildings il
this state, the contribution would then
be mere tribe, perhaps not more than
TEL. or fifteen cents for each house per
annnm. On an average Of years, hard.
" more than one out of every ten thous
sand houses yearly IN this state Is destroy.
ed by ere then so as the insurance in.
creases, the funds augment as one 70 thirs
y three,. and the risk increases only a
pne to ten thousand. - - j y, -; 10
Some complain ofpaying 4 quota, buh;
they ought to consider that we cannot
always prevent fires, and that their own
houses nigh, have been included. Not.
withstanding the enormous and e3traor.
binary losses; cannot See the greaS
hardship complicated OF, when 4 man
who owns brick house in the country
worth ns.~.heusand dollars, who enters
ed inthe beginning Of the institution, paid
on entering nine shiliings per hundred
dollars, then he has been insured going
on nine years, of course at the rate Of
one shilling per hundred dollars q year
for the quota he paid, Is or viii only be
/ absorbed by the ERE which happeped last
February when abroad itwoaId have
cost him upwards Of fifty four shillings
during that period. Then taking even
the premium and Quota together makes
itoniy three per crntuin. when abroad
he would have paid nine per eentum;
and how much more pleasing il Is that
we keep the money here, and surcour
our anloftana.e fellow eitizens. Consis
derins the dreadful calamity Whish ragged
az Norfolk, where is the tender. heart
that would not eheerfully contrl 1te to
aid those unfortunate people, and the
more SO when by that contribution they.
do charitable act, and secure a the
same time their own properly.
! 80 4, w. r. Asst