Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-24
AFTER ALL Big FIRES.
MEN W, ',AY BE SEEN IN The
M . -LteRATloN.

The work Ths, riremen. Policemen,
pa,roinen aud Adjustcr. DO.
After fire ~ over, what them Tho
average citizen secs only heap Of smok-
ing ruins aud thinks that nothing re-
mains to be done but TO clear them away
and build anew. But TO the initiated
the details Of the work are manifold.
There are four bodies Of men actively
concerned with the ruins.
First, the frcmen. They distrust tho
red dragon. He may be- lnrking under
any Of the heaps Of bricks, ready for \
fresh outbreak. SO they do what they
call overhnuling. They turn over all
the smoking piles and drcnch the embers
aud yet down the neighboring walls
and iSnain ON guard until everything Is
cold. Sometimes they have TO wait
nearly n week. and their work after the
fro IA very laborious, ns In the Park
place fire. where 20 many lives were lost.
Three days after tho fro was over
ther5wero still fifty fremcn at work on
tho ruins getting ont tho bodies and
watching the place to make sure that no
flames would start up again. Many Of
these fifty men worked for forty-cight
hours inccssantly, with only three hours
intervals for meals At tho great fro
that destroyed tho llavomeyor sugar no
f.ncry II was more than week before
tho ruins worc cold enough TO be safe.
Second. the police. They protect tho
nremen from the crowds Of citizens who
come 10 look on and tho property req
cucd from the rabblo vino como to loot.
They draw what Is called fro line
about the burning building and keep IL
up after u Ia burned Till the work Of the
hrcmen - done.
Third. the fire patrol. This is n pro.
fessional band OF property rcscucrs,
maintained by tho insurance companies
It was organized forty years ago, and
was then composed entirely Of members
OF tho volunteer FIRE department In
1868 1t was incorporated under charter
which commissioned 1t to save lives aud
property at fires. In the frat place II
really was patrol. walking about tho
streets from 7:gO o'clock each evening
till $50 o'clock next morning looking
for fircs Now II Is called TO fires IA tho
fahe way "a the regular fro depart.
mont. IL mon used to wear tho same
uniforms ~ tho drcmon, but there was q
row over that and now they arc distin.
guished by red stripes
TIE IIRE PATROL
Tho men OF the fire patrol go ont with
trucks, one truck from each station.
Zach truck carries eleven men and axes,
ladders, brooms, thoyels, crowbaIs and
iwonty-four immense tarpaulin cover
ings, with which the fro patrol rushes
into building comparatively safe fron
Ere. hut drcnched with water, and covers
up tho goods there The patrolinen
usually work under the iiremon. For
instance. " there is fire on tho fourth
floor they aro busy on the third floor and
the floors below covering up goods with
the tarpaulins and removing them out Of
the way Of water.
They also follow the hose lines wher,
these lines run through buildings not on
fire to stop all leaks In tho 'hoso or sei
buckets under the leaks Or protect goods
from spray. They can't tell till the hr,
IS over whether the property they Hr'
saving is insured or not; therefore they
20 ahead without paying any attention
TO tho question.
The Tire patrol follow the frcmen and
fla things up. saving all they can for III,
insurance companies and stopping al
unnecessary damage. When the fro
men and police have gone away tho fir
patrol stays with the agents Of tho own
,rs, guarding tho goods TIL tho insur
anco is settled or the rescued property 4
removed to place Of safety.
After all Is said and done at the fir
proper. come the insurance adJuster
poldug about the ruins This Is a small
high priced body OF shrewd and expert
cncol men. whose business 10 TO find GU
on behalf Of the insurance compauie
how much the ltss was. An INSURANCE
adjuster will always tell you that his
u judicial function. just as a district NJ
tornoy always contends that no is actin
ludicially. though tine prisoner may no
think No. The insured seldom agre
with the insurance adjuster. Ho Is sen
on behalf OF tho insurance companies
aud is on the watch for fraud,
THE ApJusrEi,s' WORK.
The serious work does not usually h
Kin iii the ashes are cold. lnsuranc
companies don't take inventories Of III
property insured nowadays. The COZ
tents Of store are constantly changing
They wait for the insured TO make on
his claim IN itemized form. Then the
call for the books and tho voucher
Maybe all books and vouchers are burr
cd. In that ease the memory OF III
owner must do its best to supply the d.
iiciency.
Frauds are frequent, and the adjustei
are usually In business for themselves
not attached TO any particular company
hut hired by the job, just like lawyers {
private detectives Thoy have to keo
their eyes wide open
In cases like the Park place fire, wlol
everything becomes heap OF ruins IN a
instant, and no books or papers or mi
terial evidence Of any kind is Left ii
Hliustors have TO depend ON caref'
scrutiny Of the itomized claims; but
numbers Of other cases whore the fire d
partment does iis work rapidly the az
1usters mako most astonishing finds,
After the insurance is settled Il
owner Of the building puts the ruins Il
for sale. There are u number OF col
tractors in the city who will buy the
on speculation.-New York Recorder.
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rarthworns In the New world.