The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-08-31
A CENTURY OF FIRES.
High Figures Of the Losses and the
Insurance Payments.

In 1858 David J . Dana publishe,
In Boston his work called THE Fire
man" in which he gives "a list o.
what he denominates large fires Ito
day they ould be called conaagra
ticns) which had occurred in thi,
! country in the previous fifty years
TGe record as "A matter Of fact, be
! gins with the fire iu Boston, March
! 2G, 1850; but this is the only ~ity
where any data are given previous to
! TIE year 1900, hence the list given by
! Dana may be said TO represent the
| fire loss for the first half ce.tury
! from what we're called large fires
/ Dana Goes not cnume"ate any ire
where the loss was less than $50, 900.
/ There are, however, a very few-pos-
sibly not over five per cent.-as 10"
as this figure, and from that point
the upper limit Is $1,000, 900.
There were two fires In the first
half OF the nineteenth century which
reached this $17,OOO,000 figure, one
being the fire in New York City in
! S35, while the other was the fire in
tistics appear to be quite complete e-
probably as complete as could b
gathered. The aggregate produced
by his researches makes a total OF
$l9l 100000, caused by sO-cailed
large or connagration fires.
FIFTY years later-or, 10 be exact.
forty-eight years the National
Board Of Fire Underwritcrs, in their
report for 1906, publish list of
what they call cOnhagratiOns. which
occurred between 1866 and 1896.
In other words, they practically cover
the fifty years succeeding Dana S
record. No fire enumerated by the
National Board invo.Ved u loss Of
less than 100000, and the largest
were, OF course, the well known Chi
Cago fire of 1874, Of 1000 900.
and the Boston fire OF the succeeding
year, Of $4,000 900, while the third
is the Baltimore fire Of 1904, with a
loss OF $5O,0O0,000. The solal
amounts to $4,000, 900.
It should be noted that the mini
mum fire enumerated by the National
Board is twenty-five times greater
than minimum fire enumerated
! Dana; aad yet, in the second half
century, with a minimum twenty-five
times high than in the first cen
fury. tne loss from large fires or con-
fagratiOns is nearly three times as
large as it was in the earlier period
The maximum fire enumerated in the
first period is $1T,00O,000, while in
the second period it is lChicago)
$ $4,000, 1000, or practically ten
times as large.
The statistics for the last period
are from the National Board Of Fire
Underwriters up to the close OF 1905.
Since then the San Francisco CON
nagratiou has occurred. and with 4
fire loss Of $25O,00O, 900 a new max
imum is established This maximum
is fifteen times greater for the latter
period. as compared with the earlier.
The first period has twenty six fires
with losses equal TO or in excess Of
$l.OO0,OO0. while the second period
has to the close Of 1905, seventy
eight such fires THESE million doll
lar fires thus show an increase Of
three times for the latter. as COM
pared with the earlier period.
The totals given above are the
total fire or property loss, as dis
tinguished from the insurance loss.
The first represents the total loss
caused by fire. while the latter i5
that portion Of the loss which is rc-
turned to the insured by the insurer.
In the long run the insurance loss is
about sixty per cent. Of the total
property loss Thus, for period Of
thirty years--1S15 to 1904. inClu-
Sive-the Chronicle IRE tables report
a property loss of $4,000. 900. 900,
while the insurance loss was S2,20T,-
OOO. 900, which is iiNty-one per cent.
During this same pCriOd--i to
1904, inClusive-the property loss
from large or Contlagratiun fires. as
listed by the National Board, amount
ID To 1000, 900, and the iusur-
auCe loss, being sixty per cent. of
this. was Sl6S, 900 0,0O0--practiC
seven and one-half per cent. Of either
the property or insurance loss caused
by all fires journal Of Fire.