The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-30
So Says Mr.. GriswoId, the Fire
Risk Inspector.
supT. BOILING REPLIES.
He Thin ks the Insurance People Take
an Exaggerated View of the Local II
shortcomings-His Rec
concentrations.

There have been gathering Indications
for several months that city authorities
and the insurance people would sooner
or later clash over the recommendations
and demands of the latter as to what i
the former would do to improve the I
city's water mains and general fire pro- !
lection plant and equipment. The STORM I
fore the Water Committee of the Couns |
Gil.
Mr.. F. NJ. Griswold. general inspectors /
for the Home Insurance Company. OF
New York. one of the largest American T
companies. was present. Mr.. GriswoiG |
has held this position for twenty-seven
years. and is recognized authority i'm |
insurance matters. He has made a cares
full study of the local situation
The immediate neishborhood under cons !
sideration was the area sou,A of Caryf3
from Twelfth to Virginia Street. where. !.
the property owners have pettioned forl
better protection. Mr.. Griswold's re-
marks applied to this section and to tho
whole city as we'll. Other Insurance men,. (
among them Mcssrs C. S. Crenshaw. |
Arthur L. Peasants and r. L. Traylor. |
were present. Mr.. Griswold referred tot
the conditions as ''deplorable. ana
stated that unless speedily remedied, hiE1
company and other companies would havef
to put up rates and cut down lines ot3
insurance to the standard adopted for
cities and towns providing no hre pro-
lection whatever. The pipes n many
places he thought. were full of mud.;i
He recommended a line of eiGht-inchl
Pipe through the district under imme-l
diatc discussion and extensive lmproVe.
ments elsewhere.
Mr. BOILING REPLIES.
Superintendent Boiling thought that{
some of the suggestions were eScsilents
and needed. but to say that the present.
situation is "deplorahle" is far from the
actual facts. He referred to the sue
cess of the department in handling a tire
back of the Stonewall Warehouse. and ae
Younger's on Virginia Street. He rec
commended an s-inch main down Thir-
teenth and 6-inch main down Virginia
Street These recommendations did noe
appear to satisfy the insurance man. hr.
Boiling thought that in view OF the sIiati
losses in the Cary Street district. tha
Home insurance Company should not teeA
in great alarm.
Mr.. Griswold replied that because they
had NOT burned was no reason that they
would not burn. lie stated that he was
the writer of the letter recently puol!sheet
in The Times and signed observer
which letter Mr.. Boiling had taken occas
sion to vigorously criticise.
The whole matter was referred to th9
superntendent for his report and recon-
mendations, which will be the two Ines
of mains mentioned above
In the course of Mr. Griswolds care"
fullv-nrepared address to the committees
he said, in part:
MR.. GRISWILD'S ADDRESS.
THE large number and expensive
character of the fires which have occur
red within the city of Richmond dufihs
the past two years has served to make .
insura nee capital timid in the assump-,
ton of liabilities. EIany companies nave
cancelled off large lines. others have ma
teriaIIy reduced their Liabilities by rein-