Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-06-14

buildings, l54 grain elevators, gymnas-
lums, 622 public and society halls, -
hospital buildings. 1921 hotels. 354 ice
houses, 64 iails, 10 public libraries, 1901
liquor stores, Il public markets, 8 ship.
yards, lG penitentiary and reformatory
buildings, A. police and fire department
stations, 256 postofiices, : powder mills,
40 printing houses, l42 railroad bridges,
fl car shops, 33l station buildings, 40
roundhouses. IS railroad stables, 9l3
restaurants, II Kinks, 52S schoolhouses.
81 seminary buildings, state houses,
1873 theaters and opera houses, 40
tobacco barns. 1872 vessels at whaves
or on rivers, 50 wharves, so windmills
and AZ water tanks. The number of
insured dwellings and tenements burned
in this country last year was 49,29S; of
insured barns, stables, granaries, ETC.,
HOS.
These figures not only stagger under
writers but they shatter some of the
basic theories upon which the fire in
surance business has been conducted.
1t has always been held that the moral
hazard has been verv large factor in
fire risks; that insured property burned
more freely when times were hard and
owners wished to realize upon it and
were tempted to sell it to the companies
because other purchasers could not be
found. and that comparatively Door and
vacant property was more hazardous
than that which was first class and oc-
cupied.
For four years we have had most pros
porous times in the | uited States.
There have been few vacant buildings.
The value of goods has appreciated,
purchasers for almost anything have
been easily found, the owners of struc.
lures of all kinds have put them in good
repair and there has been as little temp
tation to let them burn as there ever was
or ever will be. Not only this but the
companies as rule have steadily in
creased their requirements and restrc-
tons as TO fire projections and firemen
and fire apparatus have been better than
losses rises by leaps and bounds until it
threatens to wipe out the companies as
sets or force raise in rates.
What the reason is no one knows.
The Chronicle suggests carelessness
with matches and cigar stubs, but peO-
pie were no more careless in 1900 than
1896. Another says electric wires,
which seems to us much more probable,
for live wire in contact with combust-
ible marterial is about the worst fire
fiend in the business. But be the cause
what it may the result is beyond dispute
and it Is a most costly and disturbing
one.-Mirror and Farmer.
1000
ECHOES OF THE DERBY.
Volodyovski, the Derby winner-it
seems that few at EPSON Downs had
backed him lowing to his unpronounce-
able name"-is not an American horse,
although the Hon. William G. Whitney
owns him. The horse was bred by Lady
Meux, who races under the name of
''Mr. TheObalds," and who first leased
his running qualities, as they express it
in turf parlance, to Lord William Beres-
ford, whose colors he bore as a two-year-
old When Lord BeresfoTd died there
was a legal dispute over the right to
manage the colt, now three-year old !;
but Lady Beresford withdrew her suit,
and then Mr. Whitney bid successfully
for Volodyovski's racing qualities,
The only American horse that ever
won the blue ribbon of the English turf
was Iroquois, son of bennington,
bought by Pierre Lorillard from Penn
sylvania breeder. The date of IroquoIs' S
victory Is June /, 1881. There were only
fifteen starters-the other day there
were twenty-fiye-and on Iroquois was