The Indianapolis journal., 1897-11-21
REs FREaUENT IN LONDON.
Facilities for Fighting Flames Lack
ing i'm the Big City.

OF al the great cities of the world London
mas been the most seriously devastated by
hre, with the possible exception of Peking.
China, for which there is no data In the
early history of London, when frame con-
struction prevailed, the houses and stores
were crowded together, making the spread
OF conhagration most rapid London has
never possessed such facilities for fighting
fire as have the great American cities. al
though enormous sums have been expended
on it's department. The fire engines are
light weight, many of the hand pump pat
tern, and apparatus of the character of
the Amoskeag, the Arens. the Clapp &
Jones, or the La France are practically un-
known. The fire alarm service is absurdly
slow, and, it appears from the reports. was
responsible for the spread of the fire In
proportion to the area covered the London
fire department force has about one-third
of the fire fighting material available in
Chicago or New York.
The section in London in which FRIDAYS
fire occurred is mainly occupied by what
are there called the Manchester ware
houses" 1t is a wholesale district The
conhagration was in the northwest edge
or the warehouse district and had the wind
carried the fire. into the center of that
trade area the loss would certainly have
surpassed the Chicago FIRE.
The values in some of the London blocks
are enormous. The topography of the pres
ent London fire site bears more resem-
blance to that of the Boston conhagration
because of the great value per acre and
the crooked and narrow streets. In many
of which there is room for but one vehicle
at a time. The buildings are much lower
than in Chicago, New York or Boston, be-
ing regulated by the width of the streets
but are usually more substantially built
and the occupants are more careful.
The scene of Fridays big blaze is close
In fllA IL.
street fire ten years ago. The loss is the
largest in London since the Tooleytstreet
fire, thirty-one years ago, when the chief
of the fire department was killed. The
risks in the burned section pay an insur-
ance of 5 shillings per cent. (25 cents per
$100) on stocks and about 2 shillings six
pence per cent Q215 cents per Sl00) for
building lines. These rates range very low
compared with the price in some American
cities. In Chicago the insurance would
cost. in a similar district. $3.50 on stocks
and about $l.25 on buildings for each 500.
London's great fires have been as follows:
962-Most of the city destroyed.
10S7-A similar fire.
1212-London bridge destroyed and much of
the city. Three thousand people drowned
1666-Great fire. covering 436 acres, lasting
four days; burned eighty-nine churches, the
city gates, custom house and 1920 houses
rendering homeless 100000 people.
174S-In Cornhill ward 200 houses burned.
1S54-Nne hundred and ifty-three fires oc-
CURED this year.
1s64-Seventeen hundred and fifteen fires
1874 : Fifteen hundred and seventy-three
nres, with heavy loss. this year.
1880 = Eighteen hundred and seventy-one
fires reported.
1890 = twenty-five hundred and ffty-five
fires caused great damage.
An average of fifty lives year have been
lost IN London by fire. The fires in London
are much more numerous In December than
any other month, although no explanation
for this is given. The great fire of 1866
caused a loss of one thousand lives and
wiped out $20000,O0O worth of property
Neither the loss then nor yesterday was as
great as that caused by several fires in
America.
In 1885 New York was scourged with flame.
About $40 000 900 in property was destroyed.
In April, 1S45, Pittsburg was visited and
Sc 900 worth of property was blotted out
Porticnd Me-, was hane-swept in 1866,
and 100000 worth of property was oblit-
Grated
went ND in smoke Ancient Rome was de-
stroyed in three. days of The year "a A. ID.
The Boston fire endured day and half.