The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-28
INSURANCE MEN PROTEST.
The Violation Of The Fireworks OTdi-
nance Nay Cost The City Something.


and Several Other Smaller Losses.
The Insurance Men viii Make Test
Case Whenever They Can Prove That
a Loss is Attributable to Fireworks.
The Park Extension the Only Place
Where Fireworks Should be Allowed,
They Say.
The insurance agents Of the city are
considerably exercised over the manner
in which the ordinance prohibiting the
discharge Of fireworks north of Liberty
street has been violated during the holt
days. They say that the violation has
been constant and reckless, and that there
has been no adequate effort on the part of
the police to enforce the ordinance. They
point to the further fact that in every
instance where arrests were made for
violation of the ordinance the offenders
were released without fine.
In this connection Chief Green told
Morning News reporter yesterday that the
present ordinance regulating the use Of
fTewor' aas passed a good many years
ago just err the destructian of the Villa
Tonga warehouse at Bay and Houston
streets. the fire originating from fire.
works. At that time there was a great
deal Of cotton exposed on Bay street at
this season of the year, and such an ordi-
nance became an absolute necessity.
The insurance agents announced pub
licly year ago that they would hold the
city responsible for any fire occurring
north OF Liberty street originating from
| fireworks and would enter suit for dam
ages. They hold that under the law the
city is responsible for any loss occurring
by reason OF the violation Of its ordi
nances, when no adequate attempt was
made to inforce them. bearing & Hull
have such a case which they would push
except for the lack of evidence. Christ
mas morning at 4 o'clock fire occurred at
the boarding house Of Mrs. Burns at
Houston street and Bay lane. The fire
originated on the outside in the rear and
spread from the ground to the rear. Some
of the inmates of the house barely escaped
with their lives. The loss amounts to 81
600. Both the insurance agents and Mrs.
Burns believe that the fire originated
from fireworks. The theory is that some
drunken merrymaker who was Just nm
ishing his nights carousal threw cannon
cracker over into the yard in passing by,
the burning fragments of which set fire
to the building. Mrs. Burns states posi-
lively that there was no fire in the build
ing or in the yard outside when she re-
tired several hours before.
Besides the Burns loss, bearing & Hull
suffered another loss of SIS from the fire
in the Marshall house Christmas morn
ing, which is also believed to have been
caused by fireworks, but in this case as
with the Burns house there is no proof.
The same firm suffered a small loss at
East Boundary and South Broad streets
the following day which is known to have
been caused by a cannon cracker and an
other small loss in one of Mr. r. d. Cue
rards houses on New Houston street.
which is believed to have been caused
by fireworks.
I'VE would certainly make a test case
of the Burns fire" said MIR. Hull yester-
day, 'if we could prove that the fire
originated from fireworks, as we believe
to be the case. The ordinance prohibits
the discharge of fireworks within the city
limits except in the squares south of Lib
erty street, and in the Park extension. 1t
does not allow even the discharge Of fire
works in the streets south of Liberty
street. The permission extends only to
the squares. The manner in which the or
dinance has been violated is we'll known.
The use of fireworks north of Liberty
street was constant and reckless. This
was done under the very noses of the po-
lice, and the effort, if there was any, to
prevent it was not noticeable. There is
too great a concentration of values in the
northern section of the city to allow such
risks to be taken. Because there has been
no serious loss which could be attributed
to this source for the last several wears il
no guarantee that we will continue to es-
cape. The free use of fireworks in the
residence section Of the city, too, is very
reprehensible. The buildings south of Lib
erty street are mostly frame and very
easily set on fire. A point that seems to
have escaped the general attention is that
the material of which these cannon crack
ers, sky rockets and roman candles is
chiefly composed is a composition which
burns for hours instead of dying out al
once. The compressed paper which forms
the wrapper for the fireworks is more like
punk than anything else. 1t does not blaze
up, but smolders for hours The small bovs
are well aware of this fact and can be
seen carrying burning pieces of exploded
hre crackers around the streets for use in
lighting off the rest of their stock. WHY
the abuse of the squares should be al
lowed at Christmas time when il is a fine
of S25 to walk across them at any other
time of the year l cannot comprehend
The Park extension is large enough to ac-
commodate all the boys in the CITY who
have fireworks to get rid of and the con-
centration of the whole business tbara
would make display worth seeing. II
would also enable the police to oversee
the business and preserve order annone
the crowds. The city may as well take mo-
tice that the insurance companies will on
ter suit upon the very first occasion when
there Is a loss which can be proven To
have originated from fireworks. We intend
to make test of this matter at the irst
opportunity"
Mr. c. F. Prendergast was spoken to on
the same subject. Il always pray for
wet Christmas" said he. Il am in a con
slant state of apprehension until the holt
days are over. The general consensus ~
opinion is that the use Of fireworks this
Christmas has been greater in amount and
more reckless than ever before in the his
tory Of the city. The wonder is thai We
have escaped without serious eonfiasra-
ton. Although the ordinance Dro-
hioits the discharge of fire
works north of Liberty street there
was constant cannonade Christmas eve
and Christmas nights on Broughton straet
and even on Bay street. The cftv cannot
tax without assuming some responsibiIitv
TO protect.
Every insurance company doing bust
ness in the city, said Mr. Hun, paws
It,