Evening star., 1898-04-22
FIRES OF TWO dosr1SGNr
Those in United Statfss Aave Pro yea
Least Serf0a2

Those in United statf., fave Pro<ed
Least serfos2
| From the San Francisco Chronicle.
The largest fire of the year 1907 was
what has come to be knewn Is the Alders-
gate street fire in London,S the damage
from which, variously Estimated at first,
has been put officially al $1GoOO,OO0. Ten
million-dollar fires are vfry i4re nowadays
| in countries equipped, however imperfectly,
with apparatus for the Axtirguishment Of
| fires, and in the Uniteds States confiagra-
| tions of such dimensions are practically
unknown. In former times, however, such
fires were not so rare, and what is known
as 1.-The great New York fire. of 1885 in
volved a pecuniary loss of $50 600 600, which
represents, of course. much larger
amount, relatively, than would such fire
today. the purchasing power of money be-
ing probably greater at that time, and,
moreover, the system of insurance being
such that by the failure Of large number
of companies the insured were practically
left without any compensation for the
losses which they sustained. The number
Of buildings burned in the great New York
fire, which started in what was then known
as Merchant street. In the Wall street dis
trict. was 100 and it was not the firemen
who put stop to it, but the United States
sailors, who came over from the navy yard
end blew up number of buildings
The Chicago fire of 1871 entailed loss
than 1000 acres, consuming II 900 build
ingS.
The Boston fire. with which it is com
pared usually, and which occurred little
more than one year later, entailed a loss
of 10000 coo and destroyed 800 buildings.
but these were of a much more substantial
character than those burned In CHICAGO.
Only about 20 per cent of the Chicago fire
losses were paid. but more than 90 per
cent of the Boston losses were met by IN
surance.
The aggregate losses in New York city
from fires of all kinds occurring during the
year are now about So, soc. 600, and in any
recent year they have never been so large
as 81 600 600. The nearest approach to that
was in 1891, when they were S6,0ooooo'
the largest item of which was supplied by
what was known as the Bleecker street
fire. at the corner of Greene and Bleecker
streets, on St. Patrick's day. the loss from
which was $1,4O0,OOO. In the same year
fire on South street, in September. entailed
a loss of 1894 600, and another on Fulton
street, one week later. caused by the vapor
of benzine igniting from the heat of a
stove: S22OOOO. Such fire losses, however
are so rare in New York as to become ex-
ceptional. but those in 1891 were unusually
large and further included the burning OF
the Fifth Avenue Theater on January :,
at a loss of $4,000; fire in Franklin
street. in May. entailing loss of 1000.
and fire in the factory of the New York
Print Works in Jane street, in July, en-
failing loss of S225 600.
The largest and most serious fire of which
there is authentic record in Germany was
in Hamburg in 1912, the loss resulting from
it being $35, 900 900. The great fire" Of
London took place in 1906. and consumed
about two-thirds of the city, but there has
never been any very accurate computation
of the loss. and perhaps no such computa-
ton was possible There have been many
serious fires in France, but no one of them
large enough to take rank In respect to
loss among the notable fires Of which there
is record.