The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-10-29
u2hH 2aGaIl1agiMer.
wnrrIIso, W. Va, oOroUEn 80, 1885


fire losses in this country, now exceeding
hundred millions year, aroused first the
insurance companies and hen by logical
sequence the insured. We have been led
to believe tina. in this country riska were
far greater than in the older countries,
such as England for example, because on
the other side property holders build for
permanency, architects are more intelli-
gent and more encouraged to employ their
highest skill, and builders prefer to do
honest work. Their, have been frequent
comparisons made between London and
such American cities as New York, Bos-
ton and Philadelphia, and always to the
disadvantage OF the American city. Eng
lish fire underwriters have peculiar
weakness for this.kind OF comparison.
Ths recent destruction Of the Charter
house buildings in London is lesding to
comment in that county an in this, and
the New York Commercial Bulletin is
moved to ssy that Sin point Of fact the
recent statistics OF a number Of British
fire oifiCea, represented in the United
States, have shown larger ratio OF fire
lcsses at home than in this country"
This is interesting ini9rntEtien, but it
would BIO more valuable to have at hand
the statistics covering the whole fire bust
ness in the two countries, that thorough
comparison might be male.
This much, however, cannot be gain
said, that tho FIRE los'es in this country
are far in excess OF the necessities of tho
case, and whatever u comparison Of stats.
tics may show, the fact remains that only
a rich and vigorous country could stand
the fearful annual waste OF our fire losses.
II droath or food or the glasshopper or
pleura.pneumonia or other such visitation
were to work year alter year half the
harm that Are does, tbs co1ntry would
be aroused. Elormous FIRE losses, on the
contrary, are IS regarded something that
must be endured.
The London Charter-house fire has
lesson ioI them thst dwell in cities. In
spite ola Fire Brigade which has been
held up as model, Notwithstanding
there were thirty steam engines on the
spot with an abundance Of water at COM
mand, the splendid buildings were do
stroyed, twenty or thirty tenements
being cleaned out in short order" OF
course such thing as this could not
happen without filling with complaints
and explanations tho correspondence
columns OF the London Times. From one
OF these writer's VIC get. fair idea Of
the destroyed buildings and understand
better how 1t was that the fro
once started had a free course. The
buildings were "mos!impoSiag in appear
ance"; with regard to the materials OF
construction, "wood within brick casing
formed tho greater part, iron and plate
glass the next" The heat broke the huge
windows, the terrific drauSht thus created
famed the flames and carried them with
inconceivable velocity on their destructive
way. The fire "ignited the match boards
extended over the iron Orders, often sus.
pended upon an array OF light columns,
until the whole became as friedrich
furnace" There was not one fire proof
floor, not a plaster ceiling.
The writer who gives this information
suggests that in the reconstruction OF the i,
buildings the ways be made wider, the
walls thicker and more plaster, cemeat and
tile be used in order to isolate the CON.
partnents. The came writer relates his
experience in Paris after the terrible work
OF the Commune. He found that Paris
was city impossible to destroy by sin.
gle spark--a fact alone due to the solidity
Of the buildings, which in all cases burnt
out like so many tire-grates were left
alone"
Perhaps Wheeling is no worse of than
the average city, but wherever men arc
brought together in closely settled commu.
mites the first requirement Of an efficient
FIRE depsrtment-more important than
good engines and good men-is the proper
construction OF the buildings. Every
structure ought to be isolated from every
other structure, so that in case OF FIRE it
may "burn out like are.grate" il must
burn out, and leave adjoining buildings
intact.
The City Of Boston, after a terrible ex-
perience, has gone further in this preser-
vative direction than any other American
city. That is wise community which
consents to take its experience at second
handandproht by the misiortunes Of other
communities.