Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-05-07
Report on Insurance Rates.

Rates of insurance in the fire district OF
BrattleborO: On brick and frame dwelling
houses, per cent for five years; Oh bust.
ness blocks OF brick, average Il per cent
per year business blocks OF wood an aver
age of Is per year; factories 30 per
year: merchandise an average OF l.S7l per
cent.
City of Rutland, population 1900: On
dwelling houses .S24 OF ! per cent for five
years; other insurance in like ratio less
than ours.
City of Burlington, population $4,000:
On dwelling houses three-fourths of ! per
cent for five years: other insurance at a
like ratio below that of Brattleboro.
keene, \. H., population 5000: Has the
same rate on dwellings, but a lesser rate on
business blocks, and the same is true of
St. Johnsbury, Vt, which has popula-
ton of 5000.
Rockville, Conn, population 1000; On
dwelling houses l per cent for six years
and other insurance on the same ratio.
Athol, Mass, population $500: On dwell
ing houses three-fourths of per cent for
five years, and other property upon the
same ratio.
Nestheld, Mass, population II 900: On
dwelling houses three-fourths of per cent
for five years; business blocks Of even
greater reduction.
Greenfield, Mass, population 300: On
dwelling houses three-fourths of per cent
and business blocks at about two-thirds of
what is paid in Bratteboro
Norwich, Conn, population %, 200: On
dwelling houses go Of l per cent for I'VE
years, and business blocks less than two
thirds Of the rates of Brattleboro.
In Brattleboro our facilities for extin-
gushing fire consists of 33 hydrants. y
reservoirs, > steamers, hose carts ! hook
and ladder truck, ! chemical engine with
the Estey steamer as an auxiliary, lO2 fire.
men, 1000 feet of good hose and the best
fire alarm system il use. This fire depart
ment is so well equipped that all the bust
ness portions of this fire district can be
reached by three different supplies of wa
ter, viz, the rivers and ponds. the hydrants
and reservoirs. The water in the reser-
yoirs has never given any trouble about
freezing in any fire that Brattleboro has
had. 1t will be remembered that at the
time Of the fire in the Carpenter organ fac
tory the thermometer was 81 degrees be-
low zero. Water was taken for that fire
from all three of the sources of supply,
and that from the reservoirs and hydrants
worked freely without any hindrance from
FROST that from Milestone brook caused
some trouble. That fire plainly demon
strated that We have at least two supplies
of water that can be worked with safety
in the coolest weather known to Brattle-
boro
Not town named has the facilities for
eXtinguishing fire in proportion 10 the pop
ulation that Bratteboro has. Take the
city of Burlington for illustration Ii has
1000 - l ,l4
engine, hose wagons, ! hook and ladder
truck and As tiremen, Is permanent, and
80 call men.
Take the city of Rutland, with more
than double the population of Bratteboro
II has a total number of 26 firemen: !
steamer, hose wagons, hook and ladder
truck, 5000 feet of hose, and the hydrant
system of either of those cities is no bet
ter than that of Braltleboro. The ny
drant service in Brattleboro has the great
est pressure in the vicinity of the greatest
risks.
The engineers report of this fire dis
trict for the year ending May l, 1897, shows
property loss by fire OF S9433. 90 on prop
erty that was insured al S47, 70050, and
this included the Clark barns that were
practically out Of reach of good service.
1t will be seen by this report, on an aver
age, where fires have occurred in this dis
trict they have been extinguished by loss
of less than one-tifth of the insurance rest
ing upon the property that has taken fire,
and this includes damage by water as well
as fire. We know of no place that shows
a more favorable ratio in this regard.
The county of Windham, exclusive of
the fire district of Brattleboro, suffered
last year losses by fire amounting TO about
$50, 600, and, assuming that the premiums
paid are in the same ratio in proportion TO
its grand list as those throughout the state.