The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-10-14

. the insurance companies hive really only
been called upon twice TO. make good q logs
OF over $4,000, 900 at one tims In one
plaee-viz., the fire in '5D and Eve must
CONFESS that, rs a general thing. fire tnsu-
rance Lis lucrative business. as there is no
business that can do'fitty times The amount
OF Its investment in a year. The above
figures do not include the foreign offices,
which insure very heavily. The American
Branch of the London and Liverpool and
Globe Insurance Company bad on Decem-
Der 81, 1859, 500, 938, 126 fire risks, and the
risks during the year written besides thia
was $220, BOP 800, or total OF S31l, 23S, 6S2.
These gigantic figures certainly remind
one of the distance to some planetary body,
or the amount Of Yards OF cotton fabrics
manufactured in Manchester, yet, with oil
the safety of this immense property, upon
which the prosperity OF . whole nation dc.
ponds, has very justly been looked upon as
safe and secure. 1t must, however, not be
supposed that the surviving insurance
mYanies will very long feel the loss sus.
tanned in Chicago, az 1t can easily be seen
by our very figures that the increase Of pre-
MUM, which some have already put IN
force, of only 50 per cent, will give the to-
tai corporations in the United States, St2.-
600, 0G0 additional premiums, and conse-
quently profits. The dry goods store In
Maine and the cotton press IN New Orleans
will alike be called upon to contribute TO
the loss of the assurances offices sustained
by the Chicago fire.-Ne,o York World.
WHAT THE CHICAGO FIRE TEACHES AS
TO BUILDING HoUsEs.-The Cincinnati
Comm ercial says:
"The difficulty all over the land is that
We are not building as substantially as we
should. Our most superb edijces are Ia
pered-otf with ornamental lumber-y ards
We have Mansard roofs composed chiefly
OF pine sticks, and highly-dccorative cor
nices Of the same material. 1t does not
matter that they are covered with slate or
tina covering quickly pierced by the fire
to find supply of kindling wood admira-
bly, placed to spread the flames. The p0pu-
lar idea of palatial business-house is q
very high house with large windows. built
of poor brick and poorer mortar, to sus-
tain veneering Of stone, hooked into the
brick wall to weaken 1t, aud upon this
structure is rugged the hollow cornice, and
the beautiful heap OF lumber upon which,
In cases Of special precaution, sheet OF tin
Is tackled. a tin roof and stone veneeriDg
Is supposed to make building fre-prooG.
In the interior of these fre-proot' build.
iugs are stud and lalh partitions, adapted
| to CARRYING fire In recesses concealed by
plaster from one story to another.
"We must build better houses. A city
| should be rated not so much by the num-
Der of its frame houses and towering struc-
| lures of sham stone and real ginger bread
Us by its substantial construction, its solidi-
ty and solvepcy. 1t is not without reason
| that the cities of the Old World are better
| built than ours. Massive walls may occupy
valuable space, but they are good things.
| Tile roofs might not please the American
taste, but they are agreeable when there Is
a shower of fire. In constructing row Of
buildings it may be few dollars cheaper
to stop the dividing walls before they reach
the roof, so that if one burns the whole
must 60, but it would be an improvement
to put the walls through the roof. The
great fire in London was necessary to check
the use OF fimsy building material In that
city.
IF we are wise, all American cities will
profit by the experience Of Chicago, and
be taught, with her people, without pass
Ing through fire as they have, that it is
more important to build securely than to
build rapidly"