The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-02-10
The Fires Or 1873.


~ have managed 70 burn up during
Of jse,ses ,Oa6, Of which lpss a., eli. zoo
was distributed by mesns Of insurance, and
tile remainder "A nearly equal amount
fell exclusively upon the owners The
tax we have paid to the "fire fiend''
amounts on the average to $40 per annum
for each productive life in the country.
And of this tax, Is per cent, at a moderate
computations, was inflicted by causes en-.
tirely preventable chiefly by carelessness
and incendiarism. ,-....-.-.,---------.
OF the total loss, $55, 373, 800 was
caused by the burning of 1862 9 specials, !"
and on account of this the Insurance com.
panies paid $28, O52 800. October bravely
maintained its reputation o. the most dis.
astrous month Of the year, the losses dur.
ing that month being $12, 953, DOS.
Strangely enough, the months of March
and September, notorious as months of
turbulent winds, show the least loss
$4,O95, 400 and g., 876. $50, respectively.
But the chief feature of our compila-
ton, and that which gives it s value not
easily to be calculated, is the report by
months Of special hazards burned in this
country and Canada. The agent and the
solicitor who wish to convince the owner
of any special hazards that his property
is liable to burn, and the established rate
is not extortionate, have only to produce
this table.
First in the number come hotels, of
which no less than 337-nearly one per
day-were burned during the year. And
these burnings were distributed pretty
evenly throughout the year. Hotels
burn in all seasons-in season and out of
season-and in all ATTITUDES and longi-
tudes. ..@,y ''r-
Next on the list come saw-mil1s, of
which 261 burned-the greater "mortali-
ty'' being in the summer months, when
many of them. are idle. Liquor stores
make brave effort to keep up with no.
tells and saw-mills in intiammability, but
only 168 of them" succeeded in, getting
burned. Drug stores-which every drug
gist will tell you never burn-come in =
good fourth, with 1873 burnings. Restau-
rants are close after them, with 1876; and
119 livery stables were converted into
chariots of fire.
Then come 107 losses on furniture fac
tories, SO on machine shops, 70 on -four
ing mills, So on planning mills, 70 on
carpenter-shops and t73 on blacksmith.
shops.
Churches and lumber.yards and public
halls burn very evenly; Is churches, IA
lumber-yards and u public halls.
Tanneries and woolen-mills, newspaper
offices and printing offices keep close to-
gether in the race for destruction-51 of
each of the. first three burning, and 4S
printing offices.
Cotton-mills, cooper-shops and car
riage factories make about the same con-
tributions to the total number of losses,
and woodworking establishments Of ev-
cry kind do their utmost to swell the ag-
gregate.
But this table must not be mistaken for
q guide by which the relative indamma-
bility Of different hazards can be COM
puted. Because it records the burning of
36 breweries and but one cclluloid facto-
ry, it would he absurd to infer that brew
cries were thirty six times as hazardous as
celluloid works. There were about $500
brewerieein the country. There was but
one mandatory Of celluloid, and that
burned.-Insurance Chronicle.