The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-14
THE FIRE FEEDS WORK FOR A YEAR
Annual Report of Fire Marshal
McSpedon.

| Alarm Telegraph : Alarming Increase
OF Kerosene Fires--Over Seventy Per
| Cent and Seventeen Deaths Liquid
Gas-Its Dangerous Propsrtiea
| the annual report OF Fire Marshal Thomas
McSpedon for the year ending October 81, 1870. has
Just been presented to the Board OF Police Commits
sioners, and is able and valuable exhibit Of the
workings OF this important bureau OF the city gsv
eminent and the Fire Department, which. under tho
new regime, has commended itself to the public for
efficiency, alacriry OF movement and general CON-
pletencss in all its details. The report Is repete
with very interesting statistics for insurance compa-
MES and business nen generally, and certainly
shows that Mr. McSpedon and his assistants have
not been idle In the Iab0rs OF the year just closed.
The proposed creation Of this valuable bureau
at one time met with the opposition Of many per-
sons, it believed that 1t would interfere with
the insurance companies and become an expensive
incubus upon the city; but this faacy was long ago
exploded and IL works In unison with all interests
IT is not alone In the collection OF valuable satis-
tics that the Fire Marshars office has become
cessty. In all large communities IKE this there Is
class OF business men--vampircs upon the public
who make 1t q practice TO insure their property
above It's value and then wuly fire it for the pur-
pose OF securing the insurance thereon. Here
Iofore there has been no authorized officer to
guard insurance companies against such systematic
robberics. There is crime difficult or detec.
ton than incerdiarisn and the Fire Marshal whose
duty II IL to ferret out such offences, should be man
or sound Judgment and energy He must first dis
cover whether, in the event or suspicious fire,
there exist any motives for any one TO fire the pre-
misses, ana, discovering that such u the case, must
proceed with delicate caution in oil his Prelimina
ries 10 arrest, that the rights or innocent parties be
not encroached upsn and their regulations forever
stained py the stigma OF an arrest.
In many cases the police make arrests upon no
grounds Tor suspicion and the Fire Marshal has been
prompt 10 check their hasty action. He Is an eficer
who stands between the insurer and the insured
ana as such nv McSpedon has certainly guarded
the interests OF both.
Durlng the year. It will be seen by mis- report there
were fortyfour ires Of supposed incendiary origin
and twenty eight arrests, some OF whom were hon
ofaDly discharged, others held for trial and three
convicted.
When it IS remembered that the cause OF every
fire, sometimes as many as ten per day. has 10 be
fully Investigated and evidence taken; that officials
oil the bureau must attend every 1re, ascertain all
Details subpoena witnesses. &c. IL is PLAN that the
expense OF the office, about sl8 900 per year, is
money welt laid out, and no business man should
feel dissatisfied with the exhibit made In the report
Space viii not permit or an extended analysis or the
report. Indeed Mr.. McSpeden and his chief clerk,
Mr. sheldon, In Their compilation OF 1t have been so
minute thar ii IS unnecessary to do 80. The remarks
OF the Marshal on the dangerous properties OF kero-
sene oils ana explosive fluids show very startling
state or things and he very properly calls the aten
ton OF tile Legislature TO The necessity or passing
more stringent law for the punishment or the hends
who spread the deadly fluids throughout the city.
1t is gratifying to observe that there is visible de-
crease Ia the losses, which, during the past year.
were s2,764.so3, upon which there was S1o.525,9i9
insurance; or which S3 660,S29 Is on buildings and
$500, l2o on stock. Toe report Is as folows:-
To Tie Board of Police Of the Police Department of the
GEErLEaES-I most respectfully submit the annual re.
HS g 81 Tsaas M s sSsas
EnroEr OK LEES ~ TIE sr3 s ar NEW YosS FOB TUE
TAnLEs SLOWING THE rsAssAoTioSs OF THE BUREAU
TsIIr No ia exhibit of the number Of fires which
have during Inc year casssa by precincts The
vons year OF s PC, cent me greatest number Of res
estimated loss OF average loss Of si2S
TABLE No. 81 ian exhibit of tho number of buildings
esoysd ~ & The nnmser ass and Of what maea
s s number number Of Of Sasss soy esseyea 20
ne aomSer Of SaldipSs sisS.y damaged vas
The number Of buildings not injured wasis
T re n nSnssr 81 hI so p Saan Was "
The plumber Of atone buildings was So.
There wsSe s,so thirteen and two railway
or y s e eahb n hs for which tn.
where res 9aasd qssuPsd Ihsse are
principal ones-Dwellnss "a; fancy goods 81; artificial
hair workers ute as stables, as liquors, as groceries,
printers IL foundsres, 10; dry goods 9 AS fire risks they
isrs GrNot hazardous a.s (of which 2ia dwell
ns szafaogs N s ss1s s.la 49,
Taar No an exhibit Of the causes of sres, of which
areessnsss o. OCCUPANTS in the Of
dies, matches, pipes. cigars, &c., 2Os
Children playing With Ere and Matches w.
Liquid gas, gasoline &C.. Il:
Sponl aneoas combustion. a.
TAnIE NO. SIS an exhibit OF in. estimated loss
the total loss for 1870 is Sc .ses,
The total loss FOR 1853 s4,o5!s7s.
decrease 10 1872 ron , isSs u, s :5S
Loss from Nay SeoSsr' isss usys, 81 ;ss5a
bs N i. @ssIa III lS sms psroa
| 1889, $4sl.s07 being 3l.l9 per cont zoo, $500 .ss
Number q fires, Nay October, is7e ins'asys, S$s
ppS q Ts 9r ss SIX n'n' Of 0 over
'n average pse.oS loss per ePy ire D' IN s s
Aysrsss oss per rs u lss $SI
Syssss Leg ges rs from November i' % April i'''
Ayorase loss per IRE from May October 1852 nclusye
FIRE from November 1859, to April 1870
Average loss per ire from May to October 1870 inclusive
s The s a. amour. of insurance i. slo5assia
Ss q NJ es ' ess 0 sy '9s e
s ssin sd1 s. IL
This valuation OF on loo or ~ ss on The re-.
below h
and especially the great decrease " the number o.
S Snsd as to SAH Ss inaresssa efficiency Of o De
unss as Sa u q
ton below for the past months alarms
ere transmitted with rapidly almost incredible only
thirty seconds intervening netweso the tIscovery
of the communication Of the location to the va
Gus companies bell towers while under the old system
eight minutes requisite Tor the same purpose
It expected that by the close o. the year sig
we may reasonably for still greater decrease in tho
number OF DISASTROUS hres =
YApE No exhibit of the losses during the year,
claasaed from 800 4e9, ope-haf the
number OF frcs show than 800 EACH no.
or 30 per cent loss less than $4,000 EACH These
are In the arae last year. OF the disastrous
fires there nine, showing loss or upwards OF
| each, while in 1853 there were ~ OF the same class
4 INCEaDIAlIeN.
The total number Of fires classed m tncendiarJ ~
beng "a Ger cent Of aggregate number In 1859 there
S. per oeu and 1869 3d. " per cent OF aggregate
The number of arrests during the were
twenty eight ana parties disposed OF follows
| CITY were honoraby discharged.
i r. .~a.s hala theirn