, 1874-12-27
PREVENTING FIRES.

TO the Editor Of Tjx Chicago Tribune:
CHICAGO, Dec 26.-The chief question in our
6re-problen is, how to make the city reasonably
safe and still retain our $4,000 or more pine
houses IN the condition they are. The preas
does not aee1n to present the issue square1y for
ppblic consideration
The enforcement Of the ordinance against
wooden houses. and well-observed building
law, will give fair security to the future build
iugs OF Chicago against hres within them, but
will not reduce the danger from those now
standing
Your Niesbaden letter OF Aug. 8 last to Mr.
Coolbaugh, in THE TRIBUNE OF Sept !, proposes
most effective means OF making wooden
HOUSES flre-proof bricking tho sides and cement
ing tho roofs but the introduction OF this process
sufficiently to be generally beneficial is inprao-
ticable. II the better class OF insurance COM
panes wore to reject wooden-houscs unless so
protected, it would mako little difference, be-
cause the wildcat companies in tenfold greater
numbers will write on an the shanties they can
get. The solicitors for these doubtful concerns
aro roappcariug within the past two weeks
in greater numbers aud more NnpoItuuato
than over before. They canvass through
tho pine ncighborioods, and insure everything
oa which they can collect premiums.
The present tiro ordinance makes the removal
Of apv wooden building very difficult, aud, II OF
an Inferior class, its removal Is virtually out OF
the question. An inferior wooden house, there
fore which the owner wants to rou,ove. has ac-
tuatlv no value unless it Is insured aud burns.
This special incentive 10 iucenG4arsm is one that
our tire1ncu have mover LaE to confront before.
The only practicable prevention when tire, as
useful element, gets beyond its proper limits IN
one Of the houses Of . wooden ueigAborhood, ID
to arrest its spread that is. to extingush it at
the earliest possible moment. An abundance OF
convenient water il the natural remedy, and the
placing Of faith in chemical repellnnts. or other
doubtful measures, is treating most ser1ous
ailmeut with tho v1lest quackerr.
Tho objection to Gen. Shaler's measures is
that they are only temporary RELIEF, and very
expensive. II adopted now, they might he re-
iectcd, and tho force reduced by fu1uro Fire
Boards or Common Councils The enlargement
Of the water-svsten1, when once ACCOMPLISHED.
cannot be changed, and money 80 expended Will
benefit fu:uio generations aS veil III our
selves despite the Whims Or ideas Of future city
officials.
There is not more than one-tentl OF the whole
settled area Of tho city with sufnclent hydr2nt
end water capacity to mass tho Whole maculnery
(no, not lnif Of it) we nox have, about twenty
i've engines, aud work to advantage.
Tho city authorities Of Boston decided. 5000
after their ire in November, 1872 to enlarge their
water system at expense Of nearly IS. 0o0, 000,
this work IS now being carried forward. Ihe
statcneuts in the Times editorial OF Thura-
the best weapon with which to combat fire, came
only from tue writer's assumption, having no
basis of fact
Little progress seems making toward our per-
mauent relief. The heads OF municipal depart
n,enta do not agree Oh the best means. The
Citizeus' Assoclation is positive only In the
layahncss of expenditures through Shaler'a
recommendations. Tho Times, usual, scolda,
but proposes nothing practicable. HE TRIBUNE
Eeerns to look iu different directions toward as
many measures some Of them Of little promise.
Meanwhile the modern Tlgg Montagues have
placed nn active army Of insurance solicitors in
tho ticld. who swarm through the city seeking
1ie ni,nLlo dimes OF the shanty-owners With ths
voracity OF srasshoppcrs, and an aviditY presag-
ins even greater dosolation for us than has fol-
loSed ths track OF those. posts. The expendi-
ture Of q large sum on the frs question IL in
ev1tablc, and tho proper disposal oi thus fund
great degree to tho influence Of the press.
NIX.