The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-05
Insurance Companies Making
Conditions More Burdensome.
Orders Issued to Write No Ad-
ditiOnal Insurance.
TALK OF CANCELLING.
Inadequate Fire Pressure Given
as the Reason.
Little Hope Of Improvement
Till City Gets Plant.

To further emphasize their desire
that the city of Topeka provide inn
proved water service for fire protec-
tion, the fire insurance companies are
sending notices to their local represen-
tatives to cut down on the line of in
surance which they carry in this city.
One of the leading dry goods mer-
chants of the city stated today that one
of the companies carrying insurance on
his building had cancelled it's policy
and refunded the premiums. "I think.
however, he said. that 1 will be able
to take UP enough insurance in smaller
companies to protect myself
1t seems that different companies are
pursuing a slightly different policy. One
local representative of a number of
large concerns said today:
"All of the companies 1 know any
thing about have issued orders to write
no additional insurance on Topeka pro-
perty. They do not object to carrying
the insurance already on the books, but
they won't take any more"
Another insurance man said: with
in a few days, business men will find
that they are up against it on the mat
ter of insurance. It has been generally
dSIGGu dlilOuS Tie companies
that they are carrying too heavy a risk
i'll Topeka. They are going to cut down
their lines very materially. 1t will
leave Topeka in bad shape, because it
can not get adequate protection. The
only thing for Topeka TO do is to inn
prove it's fire protection. This talk that
Mayor Bergundthal makes about a m1-
tuai insurance concern is all boSn.
There is no mutual insurance concern
which could carry more than two or
three thousand on any one establish
ment. It is the large, old concerns
which have to take the big risks, and
they are just the ones which are drop
ping out. They had supposed that To-
peka had good fire protection, but they
are just discovering that it has had
practically no protection at all for six
months. Suppose he f1re pressure is
good now, it would mot stand up under
drain. They must have some reserve
pressure there to put on when the nre
department puts five or ten streams on
a fire.
MERCHANTS WANT MORE INSUR-
ANCE.
What has probably brought about the
latest hostile action of the insurance
companies is the abnormally heavy de-
mand for insurance which has struck
the town since the Parkhurst-Davis
stitutions of the city have been trying
to get more insurance. One business
man said today:
1.-The Parkhurst-Davis concern car
ried about one-half the value of It's
stock It's loss in the fire was about
1925, ,000 besides its loss of business.
When the other merchants of the city
realized that they were in great dan
ger of meeting a similar calamity, they
| at once commenced to hunt around foI
more insurance. They wanted to in
crease their lines to the limit. OF
course this unusual demand was at
once reported to the insurance COM
panies, and they decided that II all tf1e
merchants here were convinced thal
the fire protection was inadequate, II
was about time to protect themselves
So they are shutting the doors to any
more Topeka insurance. Some OF the
companies are going even furtner ane
are cancelling or reducing the pollcles
already in force"
| Neither the insurance men nor the
merchants are very anxious to talk
about the new move, because they are
afraid it will precipitate a sort OF IN
surance panic here. The insurance mel
want to carry their bluff just as Tar as
nossible. for the purpose of forcing the
citv to make extensive improvements
to the waterworks. And yet they dis
like to have it reported that the con
certed action is the result OF the IN
| e1,rance combine or trust" 1t is IL
he observed that whenever there is {
real. genuine trust in existence, Il
hates nubIicity worse than anything
else The business men 90 not like le
talk about it for fear the insurance
men will simply rub in their demands
a little harder.
For the present the business men ar
playing a cautious game, and are tax
ing up insurance in smaller concerns
| Whenever opportunity offers. In SOM
ways the present scare is proving L
be a good thing for the small com
nanies. The risks which the big con
/ Germs are unwilling to assume are takel
M bv small companies 1t does not CIV
0uite such solid protection to the IN
stred, but it is much better than non
at all. -.
Meantime things are moving rathe
slowly with the city. Nothing can b
done toward improving the waterwork
until the city gets possession, whlcl
NAV be on April l. and may not be 10
a good deal longer. The fire commltte
| has not had any meeting yet to consld
or the purchase of steam fire engines
but will probably meet some time befor
fhe council meeting next Monday night
| Fire Marshal Wilmarth has recelYe'
estimates and descriptions of numbe
of different kinds of engines.
He coughed Himself to Death
I Teavenworth Kas., March 5.-Wli