The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-29
LOOKING INTO FIRE RISKS.
The Southeastern Tariff Associations
Representative Here.


An inspection of the Fertilizer Facto-
ries and Cotton and Naval Stores
Warehouses Secretary Topper Ex-
plains Why me Rates Were In
creased and How They Can be Re
duced--A General Return to the Old
Rates Probable--A Meeting Of Insu-
rance Men To-Day.
MI s. y. Topper, secretary of the
Southeastern Tariff Association, is in the
CITY looking into the matter of insurance
rates upon cotton, naval stores and fer
filters.
A heavy increase IN rates upon these
commodities was recently made by order
of the Southeastern Tariff Association
A committee of insurance agents com
posed of c. F Prendergast, r. NJ. Hull
and w l.. Wilson was sent TO Atlanta,
and. after comforting with the executive
committee of the association, secured
return to the former rates upon cotton and
a promise of an investigation
of the situation in Savannah, and proba-
BILE return to the former rates upon naval
stores and fertilizers.
Mr.. Upper arrived in the city yester-
day morning from Atlanta. He spent
the day. with the committee. visiting the
warehouses. wharves and fertilizer facto-
ries.
THE FACTORIES INSPECTED.
The factory of Conner, Hull & Co., west
of the city. and those of the Savannah
Guano Company and the Commercial
Guano Company below the city, and
number OF the wharves and warehouses
for storing cotton and naval stores, were
visited Mr. Upper will continue
his investigations to-day. He will
meet the committee this afternoon and
report his decisions upon the risks
here The local insurance agents
will probably be invited to be present at
the meeting.
In talk with q MoRNING News re
porter last night Mr. Upper expressed
very favorable view of the situation
here and Judging by his statements the
old rates are likely to be generally put in
force again. Mr. Upper said IT is mis-
take 10 suppose that table Of new rates
has been enforced upon Savannah. The
rates which were put in force were those
which had been in existence for several
years. BY complying with the demands
of the tariff association in build
ing warehouses according to the
SLduudIu anu DAONlAllAA bllN AN'l NA
supply of hose and water barrels and
buckets in each warehouse, concessions
were made to two Savannah business
men which gave them lower rates than
they would otherwise have had.
INCREASED RISKS DID IT.
The tariff association had reason to
believe Mr. Upper said, that the risks
here had been greatly increased by chan
ges in warehouses and the building of ad-
ditions and new warehouses in close prOX-
unity to the old buildings and by the neg
lect of the required precautions. Re
ports We're received to the effect that the
appliances in many warehouses for fight
ing fire had become old and useless, and
that when additions had been
made the supply of hose and water barrels
had not been increased. For these rea-
sons the full rates had not been put in
effect.
Many of these defects are easily rene
died. Mr. Upper said, and when the
proper appliances have been provided,
there will be no difficulty in securing the
reduced rates. The cotton rates were
not to have gone into effect until Septem-
Der anyway, and this matter has already
been settled, the conditions being that
the warehOusemen shall take all the pre-
cautions required.
THE NAVAL STORES RISK.
For decreasing the risks onnayal stores
Secretary Upper thinks it Will be neces-
sary to separate the spirits from the
rosin and also to see that both spirits and
rosin are separated from cotton, where
cotton is stored on the same wharf with
naval stores. BY keeping spirits, rosin
and cotton separated from each other it is
expected to decrease the risk in case of
fire breaking out in any one Of these
commodities.
The inherent risk of naval stores Mr.
Topper said, is very small as compared
with cotton. and the losses on naval stores
at this port have been small. Spirits and
rosin are not very liable to fire. but when
cOntlagratiOn is once started they make
very dangerous fire and one very hard
to subdue
Mr. Upper found the fertilizer factories
in very good condition, and there win be
no difficulty in adjusting the rates upon
their property
THE CHIEF TROUBLE.
The chief evil that the insurance men
have to fear, he said, are the yards and
wharves of the Central railroad and the
Savannah, Florida and Western
railway; particularly the former.
where in the busy season immense
quantities of cotton and other cOmmodi-
ties are gathered and it is next to impos-
sible to provide any adequate means for
their protection One large cOnAagratiou
in these localities may sweep away the
profits for whole year of half a dozen
insurance companies. The only thing the
insurance companies can do with these
cases is to make the best arrangements
possible and trust to providence Mr.
Topper will prabably conclude his work
here to-day.