Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-03-16

| ana 4 nail from tne east size OF Lincoln
street up to Kingston. The losses outside
these limits were comparatively small, eX-
cept at the corner of Columbia and Essex
streets, averaging perhaps sl50DOO.
From figures given out by Mcssrs. Field
and Paige OF tho board of underwriters the
| following is the grand total Loss on build
| ings-Brown, Durrell building, S2s0,000:
| Frederick Amcs building, $4,000: Fanlon
buildings, Sl25 900: Lincoln building, Sl25,
coo: building at the corner of Essex and
| Columbia streets S6O.OD; total OF S!2O,-
600. The loss TO buildings outside the area
| bounded by the east side of Lincoln street,
| by Tufts. by EssoX and by Kingston will
| probably he enough to bring the total to
the million mark, though the more con
scrvativc estimates place it a triilc under
that figue. Mr. Paige said, "By adding
| everything along the line the loss will not
reach above II million" Other insurance
men are inclined to agree with this csti-
mate on the buildings.
The Destroyed stocks.
The destroyed stocks were chiefly the
following: Those in the Frederick Amcs
| building, SiO0,0OO: Brown, Darrell and
| other occupants in the Brown. Durrell
building. Sl.0c0.O0O: in the Faulon build
in4S S?G9OJ0 in the buildings on the
other side Of Lincoln street. 800, 900; in the
building at the corner Of Columbia street
aud ESSEX street and around the fringe of
the fire. Sli5.0O0; total of S?3S5.Wo loss
on stocks \ grand total ON both build
ings and stock OF S3,30j,0Oo
The variations that will he shown when
the losses are more accurately computed
than is now possible are as likely to be one
I. Irt4 ,,lirl In.S bo a
round s3.5O0.u0o can Ice expected at the
best The insurance loss is Y hole may
be computed at siO0,OOO less than the
actual loss and will accordingly show
! about S2gO5.C coo rs total on account of
the 80 per cent reinsurance clause,
The underwriters are the most solemn
set of men in town. The terrible sudden
ness of Friday night confederation follow
ing closely after the llecht tire of 81 ,5oO,O0O
loss was more than could be expressed in
words The raising of rates was. of course,
uppermust in everybody'S mind, but the
underwriters have been busy liCuriugpr
bic losses to indulge in speculation ON the
amount of the boost that j. to come.
g. p Field of Scull Il Field says: what
is going to become of Boston? is the Ques-
cion chat every body is asking The build
ings were large areas to he sure, but OTHER
and do not suffer these enormous, unex-
plainable losses The
old Cry of Fire Traps
will 90 up again, but the buildings were
not fire traps. though the way the flames
swept through them would give the ordi-
nary observer that impression. They
seemed to be sheets of flames at once and
the fire swept on resistleSsly toward Wash
latiuus of ordinary fire hazards are upset
by these continued losses, which seem to
be no longer the exception to prove the
rule, but the rule itscl-so far as Boston
is concerned, at least
The underwriters believe that all that
saved the flames from pushing their way
to Washington street was the automatic
, sprinklers in the Brown. Durrell building
The efficiency Of this safeguard has never
been 80 clearly demonstrated in this city
before. for when the people left the build
ing they left four inches of water on the
floors and IA mass of goods reduced to pulp
almost by the constant flow Of water The
great soaking building stood as a barrier
against the further encroachment of the
: flames. 1t
Was a Splendid Test
Of the assistance of the device in fighting
! fire.
So far as companies are concerned the
I losses. il is believed, will fall fairly equally,
5 no small companies carrying any excessive
= amounts in the district. The financial
. suffering OF the companies will be i'm
D mense, of course, the losses amounting in
: the case of the companies represented by
Scull and Field to 100000, j. c. Paige
s $500 900 Billiard & Davenport Sli5,0 and
so ON down the list.
The Hecht fire brought inspectors here
by the score to arrive, if possible at a
solution Of the vcXed question of the Ros-
y ton fire losses. Ii has been thought that I
!. portion of that ISOLATION was found in the
y character of buildings erected under less
II strict building laws than are at present in
4 vogue. hut Friday night the fire work ed
h more disaStrously in buildings of such re
{ cent construction as the big Brown, Dur
2 rell and Frederick Ames building.
6 "Boston's fire question only grows the
more complicated by recent events said a
well known insurance expert, 1.-THE out
come, so far as adequate protection of the
:, business district by insurance j. concerned
!, is problematical only so tar as figures go
- il is merely IA question of how much sub
A traction now
: There are many conflicting stories as tC
If The Origin Of the Fire
&c and as many more theories have been ad
Il vanced, but not the least particle of evi
e dence has beon produced to give weight tC
any of them,
Electric wires have as usual come in fol
q fair share of criticism, and it will be
hard matter to convince many that the fire
g was not the direct result of an explosion.
o The more conservative experts have
II settled down to two theories: one, that the
ID fire was caused by turpentine and oils
e said to have been stored on the third floor
of the Ames building, or by spontaneous
lie combustion near the chimney.
lie The great connagration has FASTENED thu
n union OF the Insurance companies in sci
ID defence for protection against the heavy
risks offered ny lofty buildings with enor
70 nous floor spaces in the Kingston street
IT Lincoln street and generally the leathe
t. district of the city.
is The insurance men have frankly stated
n that the last great iire-the Federal stree
10 blaZr-practically wiped out every dolla