The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-05
THE FIRE Loss FOR 1899.
The Record a Good One in Spite of
Recent Large Fires.

Supt. Mcguire of the fire department
turned in his report for the year 1899 yes
terday The report shows the fire loss
for the year to have been s155, 5ss.SS. But
for the recent large fires the record or
loss would have been the best the depart
ment had made in eleven years.
The fire which destroyed the Lindsay &
Morgan building and did great damage to
adjoining property on the night of Dec. g.
added just 100000 to the fire loss &C.
count and destroyed the departments
chances for making banner year. The
Chatham Academy fire occurring the same
month. added $4,000 to the fire loss. but
even this could have been included and
the record stil obtained.
AS IL is, 1889 stands fourth best among
the lost ten years, the smallest yearly
loss in that time having been $96, 293 To-
in 1897. Supt. Maguire's second year as
the head of the department. In 1895 the
fire loss was only $112, 645.26 and in 1870
$685. 1854 In each instance a small fire
loss had been preceded and followed by
years of heavy losses. That of 1890 was
preceded by the disastrous year of 1882
NileD Sl,0Ib.9f5 went UP III smoke, ana IOI-
lowed by that of 1891, when $345 265 was
put down to the loss account In 1894
there was the heavy loss of $452 4O7. fol-
lowed by the good year of 1895, when the
loss was only $112645, succeeded, in turn
by the 1891 coo loss of 1896. Following
this came the re cord year of 1897 wheh
the fire loss was only 500, 293. 70 This, in
turn, was followed by the bad year of 1898
when the loss reached $40 630.7S. Evil
IDENTIFY the good years are sandwiched in
between che bad ones to keep up the spir-
its of the insurance men. Should history
repeat itself, the year 1900 should prove a
bad one for insurance men. The close of
the century is also a good time for the
fremen TO make a acord, and they win
doubtless exert their efforts in this direc-
ton.
OF the $151, SO loss for the year SIG
1888 was in the month of December leav-
ing only $35, 412.50 for the other eleven
months of the year. July was the next
highest month with a loss of $40, 26S6 5. to
which the fire of d. J. MOI rison & Bro.
contributed $90C0. In April the fire loss
was only $4425O. There were 23S calls
for the services of the firemen during the
year. the greatest number of the last len
years, with the exception of 1898, when
there were 299 calls. The total value of
the property involved in these fires was
1886, 233, giving a percentage of loss to
value OF property involved OF "a against
1912 the previous year. The heavy losses
of 1898 included the Cathedral and the
store of Charles A. Conklin & Co. ard
adjoining property, all of which occurred
in one night.
The department al present consists of
so full pay men, the largest force in the
history Of the department. Notwithstand-
ing this fact the appropriation for operat-
ing expenses is only $4,000, which is less
than in some previous years when there
was a smaller force. Supt. Mcguire as
serts that he does not know how he will
get through the year on this appropria-
ton. An appropriation of $4,000 is made
for improvements but the superintendent
considers this too small TO make any per-
manent improvement, even in the way of
a new hose station. He is understood to
have made some very pertinent remarks
on the situation in his report