New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-25
THE DRY GOODS DISTRICT.
MEANS TO DECREASE INSURANCE RISKS.
ACTION TAKEN BY THE BOARD OF FIRE UNDER
WRITER'S

MEANS TO DECREASE INSURANCE RISKS.
ACTION TAKEN BY THE BOARD OF FIRE UNDER
WRITER'S
The hall of the Board of Fire Underwriters was
we'll filed Yesterday with insurance men, who met
TO take some action to decrease insurance RISKS IN
the dry goods district OF the city. Inc subject mas
heen under discussion for some time by q special
committee, which has held numerous combinations
with representatives of dry goods merchants ann
agreed upon number Oh recoMmenuatons " T, po
acted upon by the Board of Fire Underwriters. Inc
Improve ments deemed necessary are numerous and
important aud include the obtaining OF more
prompt increase of the water supply than IS nkely
70 he had from the Croton Valley The committee
recommends that the Board approve the Ramapo
scheme. $500
nlished by the proposed changes was not so much
the increase of the present ratings (which are ie-
Qarfed az onerous enough Already as the adoption
of such measures. through the medium OF rates, as
would tend TO lessen the hazard OF general con1a-
grafton and thereby enable merchants TO secure
that protection by insurance which under presen,e
conditions they are unable to obtain. Inc hIgh
buildings already erected can not be removed, nor
can the fiimsv partition walls be strengthened, or
the narrow streets be widened. Each one OF THESE
defects FORMS an important factor in the aggregate
sum of the confagraton hazard. The underwriters
believed however, that if iron shutters are placed
on the fronts of all the buildings where the streets
pa av eS' 70 'S minimum height Of four feet and
if elevators inside the buildings are Incosed py
walls OF sufficient thickness the liabiiity 70 conns
n
nres recommended by the committees, which had
given careful attention to the matter. were IN
creased rates on buildings sixty-hye feet hign
when not absolutely fre-proof; reduction OF
cents per 100 of insurance case all parts OF tue
building are protected by automatic hire alarms. an
allowance for buildings the snb-celars and base
ments of which are equipped with perforated pipes.
and similar recommendations. A Subcommittee
Consisting of Messrs. Hope. jeremiah and Kennedy
had made an investigation into the question: OF
water supply and the means of extingushing nres,
and called attention to the need OF more hre-engihes
in the dry goods district Ii suggested that an orna-
mental building capable Of holding az least TWO
| engines should be erected at City Hall farK at
| Broad way and Ctambers-st. Z
The recommendations we're taken up scriatlm ana
| discussed at length by the meeting. 1t was yoted
TO add 10 cents to the schedule rates on buildings
| situated i'm narrow streets. and the recommends
tiops IN regard 10 parapct walls aud IRON shutters
| were approved A member called attention 10 the
| fact that the building law required all bulldihRs
facing on narrow streets to have iron shutters ana
sald that tbe building Bureau had altogether faied
70 enforce that law. He wanted the Board to take
official action in regard to IL. Another member SAID
that IL was useless try TO get merchants 10 Keep
partitlou and elevator openings closed rs they
would not do It, ~, 4,
After further discussion, the other recommenda.
tions of the committee laid over until the neA
| meeting.