, 1877-12-09

TIE E1RE ELEM D5.
There are some people in the City. ct Chi
capo who seem determined to burn it down
again at all events, these people are always
ready to incur the risk and increase the
danger, for selfish and unworthy motives Of
their own. Aid. Cu1LEEToS has taken upon
himself the unenviable task of representing
this class of people in the Common Council,
and few other Aldermen, with the purpose
of pandering to certain elements which they
think may bo useful to them politically, seem
| disposed to assist him. The following is the
COPY of q new fire ordinance recently intro
duccd into the Council by CU11EE1oS, and
| discussed before the Committee on Streets
and Alleys:
Section J. That Section 1 Of an ordinance
auendntory Of Chap. IL Of the Revised Ordinances
| passed July 20, 1874, entitled ~ Fire Depart
mcnt and repeating ordinance passed Nov,
o. 1873 amending Sec. 5 Of said chapter, be-,
and the same IL hereby, amended 60 as to read as
| follows:
s S city Gf as19es as o sfi
@ r. fsP 5s.: a 5ssaf ss hsf fs;
;h i 'fs En, HfSn Ut y SID onaRsa a
stories in height. may ne erected within ihe Io,o1ns
hsnss nGEh alSn
S
street as.cd street thence south On Hasted =,
9sr!S:4 wsta tat es ssns s
such sesS Istirtai ptrait sha not exceed So centA.
Sec @ This ordinance shall take effect and be In
force from and after its passage and On publication
This is a proposition, iu effect, to throw
open the entire southwestern district Of the
| city to the licensed erection Of shanties, cot
tares, md wooden tenements without limit.
It is district which, in view Of the large
number of frame buildings it now contains
and by reason of the prevailing southwest
| winds, is already constant menace to the
most valuable residence and business por-
tions Of the city. The proposition to multi
/ nix the number of wooden structures is SIM
NV proposition to multiply the existing
| danger, and to carry it out will be to entail
| immediate damage pending the calamity
that is threatened. It has created vide
spread nstonishment that man like ALBERT
CRANE, reputed to be very wealthy, should
appcar bcforo the Committee to advocate
this scheme, which threatens his own prop
orty and that Of his neighbors, simply to
seek m advantage for certain rea1 estate
which he happens to own in the district
which it is proposed to except from the re-
strictiors Of the fire ordinance. It is con-
spicuous instance of the selfshncss and short
sightedness which greed develops.
The moral effect Of announcing 10 the
world that Chicago has again resolved to
tolerate the erection Of fre-traps without
number will of itself cost this city millions
Of dollars year in increased insurance rates,
withdrawal of the best companies, and loss
Of general business. Tho district which it is
proposed to except from the operation OF the
tiro ordinance is large enough to create
! alarm of itself; but the license will not stop
here. Other districts will claim the same
exemption, md get it, too. It will not be
fair to permit the erection of wooden build
ings in the southwestern portion Of the city,
aud refuse the same privilege to the south
ern, the western, the northwestern, and the
| northern districts. The result will be that
it will be impossible to enforce the fire or1i-
nance in any portion of the city, except,
perhaps, the business district which consti-
tuted the old fire limit before the disastrous
conlagration Of 1871, The step vnce taken
in this direction. the safe insurance COM
paaies, and especially the English companies,
will probably withdraw altogether from Chi
cego business, and those that remain will in
crease their rates enormously. 1t is not i'm
probable that ths adoption OF the ordinance
proposed would take $1,000, 600 out Of the
pockets Of Chicago business men and house
holders for increased insurance rates, end it
might lead to concerted movement among
the substantial companies to abolish their
Chicago agencies. This was Threatened, it
will be remembered, after the July fire OF
1874, and it WIS only tho passage of the lar'
making the fire limits co-extensivo with the
city limits that prevented it. The withdrew
al of insurance would be dcath-blow to the
business Of the city; commercial houses
would simply close their doors and seek To-
cation elsewhere. Even o material increase
Of rates would be frightfu1 burden on busi
ness and impede its growth.
There are other considerations which ran