The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04
SAvANNAH'S FIRE STATUS.
CHIEF MAGUIRE REVIEWS THE
RECORD FOR SIX MONTHS.

The Percentage of Loss to Property
Involved During the Six Months
just Closed 10, as Against 1915 for
the Whole of Last Year-A Com
pnrison with the Percentage of
other Cities-The Need of Ordi-
nances Providing for Building In
spection and the Investigation of
Fires.
The board of fire commissioners will
submit their semi-annual report to the
mayor in a day or two. In connec-
ton with this report will be submitted a
review Of the work Of the department dur
ing the last six months by Fire Chief
Mcguire, special attention being paid to
the percentage of loss, as compared with
other cities.
As to the number of fires, Chief Mcguire
says:
THE records of the department show
that during the period mentioned the num-
Der Of fires has been very much in excess
of those during the same period of the
past eight years, which is as far back as
my statistical information goes. The Of
fetal records show 1873 alarms, Y of which
came to us between the hours of 6 p. m.
and a. M, a majority of them late in
the night. One hundred and seventeen
of these fires were cssfned to the point
of origin, that is to say, they were OK
tinguished before they had done much
damage, or before they had extended be-
yond the room or place in which they
originated; eleven were confined to the
~,
words, eleven fires spread beyond the limit
of their origin before they were extin-
guished. None of these, however extend
ed beyond the floor or ceiling where they
were found when the department arrived.
You will notice that out of a total of 1873
recorded for the first six months of 1897,
12S fires were confined, not only to the
buildings in which they originated. but
practically to the floor on which they
were located; four of the total number ex-
tended to adjoining buildings, among
which I have classed the District Mes
senger and Delivery Company building,
which was virtually under one roof. The
causes Of these fires were varied and num-
erous in their character; seventeen aie
to incendiary and supposed incendiary and
thirty-fve to causes unknown; eighty
seven occurred in wooden buildings and
thirty-six in brick and stone structures ;lif-
ty-seven resulted in heating buildings, while
only nine can be attributed to illuminat-
ing. The total loss from the 1873 fires
amounted to $93 7l7.15, or rs per cent. Of
the property involved"
For the purpose of comparison, Chief
Mcguire submits a schedule of the per-
centages of losses in some of the princi-
pal cities of the country, the smaller
southern cities being left out and some
of the largest cities in the country in
Guided The figures are taken from the
published report of the committee on sta
tistics of the national board of fire under
writer's for 1896. Chief Mcguire calls at
tention to the fact that, while Savannah's
percentage Of loss in 1896 was 1916 per cent,
for the first six months of this year. with
an Increase of thirty-siX in the number of
fires, the percentage has been lowered to
rs per cent, in spite Of the last three Sc
we're losses sustained here. The statistics
showing percentage of loss to property in
volyed, are as follows:
Per Cent