The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-13
RELIEF rs IN SIGHT.
Lower Insurance Rates Will
Come at Once.
sosAYsA"coMPAcT" MANAGER.
How the City VIII BE Rerated--Gavi-
gan's Railroad Commissfon--Judge
Dennison's RecoIiectfons.

The Iorg looked for reduction in insurance
rates Is IN sight, and will, il Is probe, be 8
reality within very short time.
NJ 7. J. Couroy, the assistant manager of the
Pacific Insurance Union--the "coTnpact" -who
IL az the Rainier hotel, said last evening IN re-
gard 10 the performance Of the nev 6reboat:
'Shs did very well, splendidly In fact. and I
shall feel justified in recommending liberal re-
dUetion Of insurance rates here.
'eThe situation is this: When the city was
last rated things were In most chaotic eondi-
ton. Buildings were IN all stages Of pro-
gress, and your Ere department. was
not yet well organized. Since then
great improvements have been made, and there
have been many applications for new ratings
But the union did not feel Ike doing anything
until the city and its FIRE protection were in
fairly definite shape. Changes were going on so
rapidly tia: constant changes In rating would
have been necessary had the beginning once
been made, and the result would probably have
been great tangle and confusion.
'-BUt now the city Is pretty well Strengthened
o1t- The Ere department Is in such shape that
we know approximately what 1t can do We
know what your water supply ia for the present,
and how mach 1t will probably be improved
within the next two months. The majority Of
the buildings in the business part Of town are
nearing completion, and Lastly, your freboas
viii soon Be ready for use.
good rate OF speed for new vessel Her ma
chinery OF course Is not broken in and her steer
ing apparatus is stiff Jet, bat she made about
ten knots an hour She looks rather chubby
and her machinery seems eTaEnped, the space is
50 small; bat her crew cen readily become &C.
crst0zaed 20 any such drawbacks. Then, too,
her shortncss enables her to sarp almost within
her length and turu very quickly.
"But the power 20 throw water Il the main
thing after al, and Ia this Der performance was
eniEeutly satisfactory She can really throw
more water than your men can handle. You
have the report Of the test and from that can
see r bat she is capable Of doing.
81 think, however, your people are mistaken
ss to the territory in which she will be avail
bic. North of Tcsler avenue she cannot be used
for fires east OF Front street A line Of hose
from the end OF the wharf up there would be
seven or eight hundred feet long. To get the
pressure needed at the nozzle would require
pressure Of 30 pounds at the wharf, and that
vonid burst your hose.
'.The fact that her swivel nozzles have not yet
arrived lessened her efficiency somewhat Of
course
'One OF the weak POINTS OF Seattle In the eyes
OF an insurance man Is the lack Of good build
Ing laws For instance, you have no regulation
requiring iron shutters on exposed Window
But in spite Of this shall anticipate the i'm
prOyemenfs to be made In laying water mains
ana tbe IKE wlthIn the next TWO months.
shall take II for granted that the promises Of the
city win be fulfilled and shall recommend what
l regard as a liberal reduction in rates. The ex-
act amount DO not care 10 state, because I am
not sure what action the executive board viii
take on my recommendation, though ! have
every reason 70 believe can make them see the
thing with my eyes and sustain me.
prefer reduction now which shall antici-
pate contemplated improvements rather than to
take OF say five per cent now and i've Per cent
when the work is actually done.
This reduction will not be reratinz, but
wiz be percentage OF OF the existing rating all
around. Then next year the whole city will be
rerated and each building considered according
10 its actual condition.