, 1859-09-20

!, TUESDAY. SEPTEl
Ex.s=eratlons Of Loss by. Fire.
Ed tors Press AID Tr!buze: I..G
The fire Of Thursday night was very disas-
trous, but the aggregate loss has been much
/ exaggerated ~ the reporters for the daily pa-
pcrs. 1our Reporters estimate it at half a
million Of dollars. The JouraaFs ut Scoo, 900,
and the Times. Heratd. and Democrat range
from FIVE to seven hundred thousand. But ail
these figures are considerably too high. Per-
sons who hare means Of estimating pretty cor
rcctfy, are not able to foot up the property oop-
sumed to more than eco0,ooo, and hnrdly that
much. The nctual loss is about half what the
newspapers make it, The aggregate insurance
is not far from s150,noo which covers one-hn,f
Of the whnle destruction, md thereby mitisatcs
the loss sustained very essentially.
What led the Reporters to eT 50 largely was
the vafuing ct buildings and machincrv at what
they cost three or four years ago. This is 4
| rery erroneous standard, because building
that cost $40, 900 four years since can be re-
placed this year for very little more than half
the money. a million feet of common lumber
that WIS formerly worth $4,000 csa now be
purchased for half the sum. 4 great deal Of
furniture and other moyeable property was
sared BY rer'osas, hut still counted in the fire
| reports as destroyed.
i ~ tAE IuEs I'll Qult1USS WILL E3lfE-
fy feW instances Of exagg rated va1ncs. The
| Cleveland House is put down as beng worth
! s37 ,000- There are dozen builders who vi |
Contract to replace it for less than SEQ coo: pro-
| yerty must be estimated at what it WAS worth
when consumed, and not what it may hare cost
during thH Inflated tin,es Of past rsa1sL Tho
INSURANCE hn the Cleveland House is stated to
be Sl5, ,oo1. which pretty well corers the rctual
loss sustained. The papers Put Gown .ne yatue
| OF the Cochrane House ut $4,000. 1t WAS 4
solidIy Euilt, substantial structure which can
be duplicated this fall for $50 900; the building
nothing.
The Hydraulic Hills obserrcd, is valued at
| 3l?.o0o.. TIE owner would no doubt hare been
glad to hsre taken half that money for it The
Lead Works building is also estimated many
Thousand do1lurs higher than it would now cost
to rebnils it. -, The machine shops Of Mason,
Macarthur Warrington, arc all estimated nj
double what they were worth at the time they
! were consumed.
What lhave said in regard to the brick build
lngs is also applicable to the frame ones, de-
stroyed. ! think it bad policy to send abroad
those exaggerated reports Of the damage sus-
/ tained bythi*, or other fires. The truf1 is bud
| enough, md nothing is gained bY mixing it
worse than it's except to crafty morbid teel-
ing in the human breast that loves to conten-
plate gre1t horrors and terrible destruction
whether Of property OF life. EER1rAs.
We we're unable to procure the amount oil
Walter Lul1s loss by the recent fire, in time for
our last i4sue. We bare since ascertained it to
be as follows Loss in The ya1d by bis office,
32o,s1o; insured for $500. Loss in the yard
two blocks back from the riEer, $1,000: no in.
surauce. Total loss, s2a,olo. This is severe
loss on very. worthy aud'much respected man.
Thetypes make the loss of 4. S. kedzic sa4,-
600 On framc housc: it. should read se,40o Of
course.
The Blind and Sash Factory. Of F. I. Roech
was insured for 5000 instead of 500, AZ
stated.
0ur figures put the loss Of T. H. -Arery &
Co. too high They had little over three mil
lion feet Of lumber burned, valued ut &c, 900 and
insured for $4,000. They hare two yards un-
touched, containing between three and fourm mil
lion feet, comprising their best md highest
priced lumber. TLcir loss is severe, but not so
much as Was first reported by 10000.
The insurance on the Cleveland House was
$l5, 900 instead seo,o00 and the building wus
worth about sc, 900, instead Of $4,000, which
WIS what il may have cost several years ago.
1nk 1l'o" ieRse.-1a"o's 1rf@ o"+ INV
a"e ouf paper u 'l's n'0'n'"e e'n'*''s
ske'en Of some explanatory remarks maae "
Gen. Iil5hman upon the conditions imposed by
the U. 5. Society on all competing horses for
the e'tlzensNpusse Of 1000, won by the horse
Ike CooK, on Saturday last; and as the Pres:-
denis wosds place The contest in very differ
eDt light fron: ~tat the result ~arrauts' should
feel obliged to Eou or others to explain to the
horse breees7s, turner's, de-, Of the country
why thirteen year old turf horse, showing no
strk1nglJ good points OF utility, is preferred to
such an animal rs Rdgna caarto, !" afour year
old stallion, going his mile IN e:353, or seven
year old mare, making the mile IN e:sS}s Gen.
Tilghmau said it was "ineonslstens with the
established rules Of tho Society " that the pre-
mium "should be offered for a trial Of speed
alone" placing the award on merit and
utility. Then why were the stallion aud mare
above mentioned, passed over by the judges
without some public recognition Of their first
class qualities in the conteats 1t is the uaiTer-
81! opinlon. s a. o. aa presen', eaceRnns srof.lsS
~ H. nat .nd ron,;n1 henefts tn 1hs stocS nf
for tho premium, A:ai, ask, wherein lies thu.
f.at- u, rn-1-z