, 1875-06-01

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FIRES AND INSURANCE.
During tho past four years 1t hss been tho
custom of the rross Of otllcr cities to devote
much time and space to Chicago whenever
tho subject of fires or OF insurance has been
broaohod. Chicago Ina invariably furnished
an illustration whenovsr It WIN necessary to
mention tho raynges of fire, tho exposure to
1t, or the losses of insurance. We havo beeu
lectlred upon our care1ossneHs mud our reck-
lessness; upon our Mnnssrl roofs nntl our
wootion cornicos; and upon tho inetflcioney
OF o'ir Fire Department md tho ins,dllciency
Of Its equipment Wo have Ind Gen. snALrn
quartcred upon us, aud came ncar having tho
infliction of his expensive but elegant md
ornamental reforms. We hnre ind ol1r losscB
Hung in our face. We havo had 10 endure
tho onmity and jealouRy Of New York be-
cause our merchants havo imported for thcn,-
selves inst cad Of buying in Tint city. Tho
insurance companios hayo stormel and threat
cned, withdrawn ngencios and Withdrawn
capital, and prescribed tho most rigitl de-
manas, and the faster Chicago has tried TO
meet these demands tho moro violent md
virulent have been the attacks made upon
her, until Mt last 1t seemed NJ If Chicago were
the only city in this country exposed to fire.
A few figures will demonstrate tho injustice
Of this conduct, both upon tho part Of tho
press aud OF the insurance companies. They
will show that other cities aro equally ex-
posed, and tlat, while there ha7o buen nu1ner-
rous great fires since tho lat Of Inst january,
Chicago has not contributed moro than other
places TO tho sum total Of losses, 1t would
bo impossible to record all tho minor fires
which have happened during tho past fvo
months, but tho following in correct list Of
those which hare involved loss of $500, 600
aud upwards: January-Partial destruction
Of orangeburg, s. G., 100000; tobacco
warehouses at Baltimore, Nd, $3.50, 900;
orockery warehouse In Now York, $500, 900;
iron works at Canton, A1ass., $3.50, GOO fro
at Rntland, Vt, $aoo,ooo. February-Busi-
ness block in Buffalo, N. T., $3.50, 900 busi-
ness blocks in Hartford, Conn, $3.50, 900;
Wants 6lue works, Chicago, $500, 900; loco
motive works ut Scranton, Pa., $500, 900.
March-Lantern factory in New York,
@200,o0o. April-Warehousos in New York,
$500, 1000; cotton fire ut Charlotte, N, G..
$3.50, 600; tho Oshkosh connagration, s., ,oo0,-
Coo; WHnLn furniture faetory, Detroit, Mich,
$500, 900; tannery in Port Loydcn, N. Y,
$2oo,o May-Carpct mills, Brooklyn, NY,
$500, 900; the 1ucent Pennsylvania fires, 9s,-
oo0, ,0o0; business block at Worcester, Mass,
S263, 900; fro ut st, Johns, N. b., $3.50, 900;
buRiness houses in Springfield, Afnss., $780,
GOO. Here is total loss Of s9,98s, 600 from
the large conaagraions alone, which amount
will b swal1ed by many millions moro from
tie R1nallcr aroB, rory evenly distributed
throughout tho country, which the insurance
companies have boon called upon 10 meet
They certainly involve somo very useful los-
sons for those companies, and invite criticism
as to their management. We do not observe,
howevor, that they have led to any increase
Of caution in taking risks, or that tle COM
paniea haso manifested any unoaaincss over
these unusual losses, or TINT they are ut oil
anxious as to tho future, which is TO say tho
least vc1y remarkable. There las not been q
time for yoars when frcs hnvo boon 90 abun-
aant and so destructive as during tho past flye
months, and almost every Days news of late
has been characterized by some terrible con-
aagration. In viow Of the fact, therefore,
that all this destruction Causes no anxiety Of
al upon the part of tho insurance companies,
We arc at loss to understand why
these companies discriminate against Chi
cago, and why Chicago is constantly CON-
tnandod to do this and do that upon pain Of
losing her insurance capital. How ia it that
The insurance companies mover grow uuoasy
Ut fires elsewhere, cyen when thoy are COM
Ing thick and fast, aud sta1t up in alarm
oyery time 1re.ball strikoa in Chicago,
lthough there is not another city In tho
country 80 well protected against tire as Chi |
cago is now, aud not another city in tho
country doing anything to secure itself, while |
Chicago every month Is making assurance
and insurance, too, doubly suro? How is It
that, when tho Now York Commissioner Of
llatcs and Surveys reporta that Of the sixty.
nane hotels in that city not one is seoure, but |
That oTery one is Are.trap, tho insurance
companies pay no hoed to It, md the hotel.
ownars zefuse to mako tho necessary cor.
'ectlons upon the plea that they can gst
plenty OF insurance, md leave things as they
ire? These arc questions which deserve m
'nswer. II they arc not answered. then the
insurance companies and tile Eastern preas
ought in common dsoency to let UAicaeo
loua.
We havo received wall from Second Ad.
'entist, or At least from one who pretands
o be such, and 1t is peculiarly loud and
ouchiun wall whether 1t ha trna ~ ,n.- |