, 1874-09-14

beon dono towards framing building Jaw that |
will provide tho simplest protection to tho e400,-
100000 Of insured and uninsured property In
tho city. The butlding.Iana Of every city In tho
land tint has any property to protect hnvc
mado tue stipulation that certain clAssoa Of
buitlInga ahall hayo Iron shutters on certain
oxroHel openings aud thnt thoro shall bo
no wooden oornicos and no Woolon Manssrd
OF otlor inilhmmablo ruofa. Tho City dovorn-
mont Of Chicago has refused, evon aftcr the OK
psriss,on Of 1871 snd 1874, to give this subject
tho HghteBt consideration.
It has beon advertised to tho world by tho
Fro Department, by tho Firo Commissioners,
by tho poard Of Public Works, and tho City En-
ginoer, thut tito city has grown 70 rapidly and 30
far ahead Of ali reasonable anticipation that the
wator-Borvice pipes, put down somo ycars ago,
aro now wholly inadequate to supply tho fro
engnoa with water, and that this deficiency .e1-
iats oyon IN tho heart Of the city. It Ia true tho
city l1aH NO money now TO make this change but
II tue City Council had ono-ha1f tue zoal for tho
public wolfaro thnt 1t has for tho d.
vision Of the petty of1cos At tho no1s
election, sclcmo could havo boom long,
slnco devised whereby tho monoy for this
purpose could bo obtained from tho property
owners, nnd the work largely advanced. As 1t
ID. nothing haa beon dono. and nothing has boen
promised. III tho absence Of any law requiring
iron shutters, and prohibiting composition roofs,
with wooden cornices and wooden Mausarda.
th1s kind Of construction continues. and proper
ty-ownora aro paying e1tra insurance nt
tho ratio Of from / to az per cont. To
mako the cbangos On buildings duaoIont in these
particulars will coat 30 small a aum that tho
extra insurance for throo months will moro tlau
cover tue required expenditure. Nevertheless,
tho changcB aro not maao. psoperty-ownory,
Initiating tlo do-uothiug policy Of tho City Gov
ernment, take no action to procure an inoroaso in
tho size Of tho wator-soryico plpes. They arc
compelled to pay additional insurance, against
which tloy yehou1ontly protest, aud vet will not
move hand to put their buildings in that inBur-
able condition which tho laws OF all other cities
eventually demand.
Tho man who looks ut thia matter diBpnaslou-
atoly will understand tho alarm which Ia felt clse-
wLeso for tho capital Invested I'll Chicago. rhnt
capital iH invested III buildings aud in merchan~
disc, and In the Insurance companies that have
taken r1sks OIL these buildings md merchandise
1'ieao people do not and canuot understand tho
innction Of tho City Government, aud itsrefsal to
enact laas suggested by tho simplest prudence.
Thoy do not understand the lothargy Of tho
proporty-ownera WHO will persist in putting
wooden corniceB aud AInnHards on high build
ings, and Who refllso to oxpuud a few hundred
dollars for iron shutters, aud who rofuse to ad-
yanco $40 or $50 each to tho City Government
to ropace tho small water-aoryico pipea With
large onea. Tloy can understand why in
surance companies which suffered 80
largely i'll 1871, and ngain In 1874. and
which may buffer again at any momcnt,
should Withdraw t1oir risks in Chicago. They
agree that tho insurance companies hayo more
to gain than lose by such withdrawal; uoyer-
| tholess tley arc conscious that such withdrawal
! will DO tho heaviest blow to Chicago credit that
itl,aa over experienced.
| That thero will bo othor insurance offorod IL
undoubtedly truo but capital will not place coi-
illenco IN insurance which tahea tho place OF the
| withdrawal OF those companies which rank tue
| highest III this country and it, England Tho time
has come for action. hlr. Moore states tht
arrangements making already to do the husineas
NOW douo loro in some other placcs- Chicago
uninsured can hopo for no trade, commerce, o.
and pouple arc willing TO SEQ tho estate OF Chi
cago administered by other cities, there must b
aono action taken OIL this aubioct, md without
delay.