The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-03-04
THE FIRES OF1S79.
A Loss in the United States of S77, ,7O3..
700, $44, ,464, 700 Insurance.

During the past FIVE years, according
to the figures collected by the Insurance
Chronicle. 1868 ,018, ,255 worth of proper
ty has been destroyed by fire in the
United States. In 1875 the loss was $751;
102.2e5; in 1876, $64.130, 800; in 1877
$68, ,265, 800, in 1878, So, ,315, 900, and in
1879, $77, ,703, 200. The last year, it will
be seen, was unlucky, and only 100000
better than 1875, although in 1875 Vir-
ginia City, New, was visited by blaze
which swept away over Sc, ,OO0, 900 worth
Of property. The loses 20 the insurance
companies last year were in excess of
the loss9s of any of the four previous
years. These losses amounted in 1875
to $39, 1926, 400, in 1876 to $34 ,374 500, in
1877 to $39, ,398.900, in 1878 to $50, $751;
800 and in 1879 to 4,464, 700. Dur
ing the five years there were $3.50
fires. Poorly constructed buildings,
carelessness on the part of occupants
and incendiarism are the principal
causes of fires.
Among the several states. New York
leads in the figures. In 1876 her loss
was $14, ,090, 600; in 1877, $11, 1856 400, in
1873, So, ,397 900, and in 1879, SIS, 1885,
200. Pennsylvania comes next with q
total loss in four years of $28. .123, 500.
Massachusetts lost $20, ,991 800; Illinois,
$14 432, 200.
OF agricultural implement factories
80 were burned last year, 10 aims
houses, 86 bakeries, 13 butchers shops,
80 billiard saloons, Ill blacksmith
shops, 13 book binderies, 18 box facto-
ries, 40 breweries, 103 carpenters shops,
104 carriage factories, 20 cheese facto-
ries. Is chemical works. 80 churches
| (of churches, Sc were bunred in 1878,
81 in 1877, 66 in 1876 and " in 1875),
9 theaters, 25 cigar factories, 10 coffin
factories, II college buildings, 12 coal
yards, 40 confectioneries, 33 cooper
shops, 26 cotton m ills, 13 cotton ware
houses, 13 court houses,> II distilleries,
22S drug stores (of drug stores, in the
five years beginning with 1875, were
burned respectively 113, 145, $50, 191
and 223), 20 drying-houses, II dye
works, II engine.houses, 13 express Of
fees, "a fancy-goods stores, So feed
stores, ITO Touring mills "a great in
crease over former years), SO furniture
factories, SO grain elevators, "a grain
warehouses, IL greenhouses, " grist-
mills, 40 retail and IL wholesale coun-
try grocery stores, II harness factories,
13 hat factories, 384 hotels, 224 liquor
stores, 10 beer saloons, Is spoke facto-
ries. 81 ice-houses, 20 iron foundries,
10 jails, Is junk stores, 16 laundries,
mot one owned by a Chinaman), 65
lumber yards, 42'machine shops, IL
mattress factories, 45 meat factories, AZ
newspaper Offices, ian average number),
"a oil refineries, II oil tanks, IS paint
shops, 29 paper mills, Is rag shops, IL
paste factories, IS Photographic CALLER
les, 13 picture-frame factories, 86 plan
ing mills, 81 pork-packing houses, 12
powder mills, 81 printing Offices, 38 pub
lie halls, 67 railroad depots, % railroad
repair-shops, IL railroad stables, 218
saw-mills, 36 shingle mills, % sash fac
tories, 1863 restaurants, So school houses,
90 slaughter-houses, 46 shoe factories.
13 sheddy mills, 16 smoke-houses, %
stave factories, no stone yards, 10 sugar
refineries, 46 tanneries, Is steamboats,,
% tobacco factories, II tobacco barns,
"a tin-smithies, II wheelwright shops,
10 wood-turning shops and 80 wooden
mills.