The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-02-12
RATES LIKELY
TO GO WAY UP
THAT'S WHAT THE FIRE INsUR.
ANCE AGENTS BELIEVE.
1t Is Expected That an Advance of
Twenty-Five Per Cent. on the Pre-
vailing Insurance Rate for the
Business Section Will Be Declared
Next Week-Colonel Hitchcock
Says City Needs Paid Fire De-
partment at Once and Talks About
Thursdays Fire.

VI locHi INSURANCE men tnat the IRE
insurance rates for the business por-
tions or this citywil be raised twenty
five per cent. at the meeting OF the
department board of underwriters.
which meets next Tuesday in phila-
delphia.
The district agents of all the big
insurance companies have become
alarmed and 1t IL expected that some
raise in the rates for the congestcd
parts OF the city will be made next
week, and general rumor has It that
this raise will amount to twenty-five
per cent or perhaps even more
we are fearful that there will be a
big raise in rates" said Colonel r. l..
Hitchcock, one Of the most prominent
lire insurance agents In the city. yes
terday. 'rhe fire insurance companies
cannot be blamed If such u raise is
| made. They have put up with Il grea
many things in this city that are not
put up with in other places.
THE rates would have been raised
two years ago had 1t not been for the
local board of underwriters which got
councils to buy extra hose. I'm afraid.
however, that our pleading will be of
no avail this time. There was no rea-
son whatever for the spread of that
fire on Thursday last. The amount
wnich the various companies will have
to pay out in insurance for that fire
Will almost equal the entire amount of
the premiums which will be paid in
this city during the year 1901, and it
must be remembered that the year
has not yet run two months.
1rr-cr II,1yu, tn prc,,r AWAY
1--WE must have q paid fire depart
ment in this city. and we must have
1t right away. Councils must provide
for 1t. The citizens Of this city almost
to a man want it. and what the people
want they generally get. if they want
it bad enough. We must have de-
partment i'm which order and discipline
prevails. There was none of it at
Thursdays fire. There seemed to be
| no head, no organization. Everybody
seemed 10 be chasing around in a
willy-nilly sort Of a way.
1T has been charged by some of the
flremen that the fire was not got under
control because the water supply was
insufficient ] dispute that. The sup
ply was entirely sufficient If they had
| utilized it right. They should have
concentrated the force into a few
streams. instead of spreading it into
a large number. If that had been done
the fire would have been checked much
sooner than 1t was.
But the need of a trained ire-Geht-
ing force. amenable to orders, was APP
parent throughout Volunteer firemcn
do many brave things. but they cam
not all be expected TO risk their lives
and to work as hard and faithfully as
n paid man and receive nothing in re-
turn but a spoiled suit Of clothes. The
thoroughly trained. hardened and sea-
soned regiments during the Civil war
were the regiments that lost the few
est men. So II is with q working force
Of any kind. The better trained the
force. the better the work which they
will accomplish.
NEED NEW APPARATUS.
"Not only do We need q trained and
paid fire fighting force. but we also
need new apparatus. We need first
class engine with double the power OF
any OF those now in the city. and I
think it would he we'll to have pur-
chased new hook and ladder truck
with a water tower attachment, even
though the fremen did attempt to
burn the old one last Thursday"
The board OF trade is going to take
up the question of paid fire depart
ment at its regular meeting next Mon
day night, when Secretary Atherton
will bring up for consideration a re-
port adopted in 1896 by the board.
authorizing a plan for putting the fire
department upon paid basis.
This plan provided for q chief and
fire marshal combined. with q salary
of $l,S0o per year and On assistant
chief, with salary of $1,000 per year:
chiefs clerk. at 5000; chiefs driver.
at $500, and contract veterinarian. at
$500 a year.
The five steamer companies are, to
have five paid men; five engineers and
five stOkers; the combination hose ANA
chemical wagons. four men each; the
hook and ladder company. five men,
and the hose companies, four men
each. The paid men, under the plan,
would be paid $500 each. and the
captain of each company, who would
be one of the paid men. S720. The
board of trade at that time favored
the plan of increasing the wages Of
the captains and flremen IS per month
per year, until they would amount TO
$1,000 and $40 respectively.
COST or MAINTAINENCE
1t was figured out at that time, un-
DER this plan, shat the annual cost of
maintainence would be $61450. This
included $500 for the purchase of new
apparatus and horses. q part of which
would not be needed now, but il would