New-York tribune., 1907-05-23
BLAMES COTTON BALE.
WORST FIRE STARTER.
So Benjamin Richards Tells Ma
tionaI Fire Protection association.

Every rev days tnere appears d StolS til"t ti'0
steamer So-and-so has arrived with cargo Of
cotton and that her crew has been fighting fire
in her holds for several days. occasionally
steamer is lost from such fire The cotton bale
harmless enough in appearance, but constant
and dangerous menace as source of fire. was
the subject OF the paper read yesterday at the
opening session of the National Fire Protection
Association in the Engineering Societies Build
ing by Benjamin Richards of Boston
without exception" he said in the course OF
his paper, there is no greater fire loss sustained
to-day any merchandise. whether oils
naphtha, celluloid, gnpowder or dynamite
while in transit between producers and consum-
ers. than there is on the cotton crop of the
United States For the nineteen years preced-
ing 1903. the fire losses on raw cotton alone not
including cotton in gin houses mills, nor the
damage to the buildings in which the cotton
was stored, amounted to more than S2l,oUouo
Mr.. Richards declared that no other crop was
packed and shipped in such sloveny condition
as the cotton crop Great waste is caused by
this. addition to the fire menace from the
loose cotton. OF the fires around here caused
by and spread by the slovenly cotton bale, Mr..
Richards mentioned the Hoboken fire, with its
monetary loss of $4,5G0OO0 and its great loss of
life, and the three cotton fires in quick success
sion on Staten Island last June, which led the
there. He continued:
The readiness with which cotton falls prey to
sparks is well known by those familiar with the
manner handling cotton. These bales. with their
protruding, highly infammabe contents. are piled
along the platforms OF the railroad without covers
where sparks from the passing locomotives shower
upon them The trucknen lounge about the bales
smoking, and often drop matches which later
make their presence known on shipboard or IN the
ION often is oe1 onP" & or cSr 5its nd raIIfd over
the Southland and later the great shipping ports
ing forth sparks which rain steadily upon the
protected cotton Arriving at the wharf it meets
RED About the Upon brhor irS on ] i In MGw orm Il aat Is
the sparks which fail about from the passing tug
@ boats h and c,s @ Indeed sparks are ataGk
is IN the machines Of the cotton mill
To remedy these conditions. after pointing out
the general superiority of the methods of han
ding cotton abroad MI Richards offered these
suggestions:
! Underwriters should realize the great differ
ence in losses between foreign and American baled
cotton Statistics show that Egyptian cotton is a
more favorable insurance proposition than are gray
differentate favorably for Egyptian or Indian cot
ton against the American compressed bale. In
spectors should point the differences in hazard
tfWeen the classes Of cotton and demand the sOa
uon Of that which is improperly baled.
2 No American cotton as at present haled should
be insured when piled in mill yards, on platforms
sparks
S A density Of forty pounds cubic foot should
Tie snaDe should De similar to the Egyptian
bale. with the pressure applied at the compress TO
the side with the lesser area.
D. y complete covering Of closely woven hurlap or
cotton canvas should be required.
@ There should he larger number OF ties with
There should be- In fact the equivalent Of A ma
nonai ~ o b cotton mi PALE M that IN ICON G9nas ot
by fire and, as well. credit to American industry
The convention is the eleventh annual one OF
Z fha
day for the first OF three sessions by =. 4.
HeXamer, Of Philadelphia, its president Based
on a population of 7O00OO00, he said. the per
capita fire loss in the United States FOR 1906 in
Guiding the San Francisco loss. was So 80 and
without the San Francisco loss. 50 p. owing
10 the San Francisco fire the percentage Of loss
20 premiums received by all companies report
ing to the Insurance / epartment of the state
Of New York for the year 1906 shows the un-
precedented high loss ratio Of 96S per cent.
These figures are startling. he declared and the
conditions responsible for such results well
merit the consideration of the highest Iegisla-
tive bodies OF the nation
Several technical reports were read following
the presidents address, after which H l. HIS
cock read a paper on The Season Hotel" in
which he said:
As in all bgiIdings St? esTscally in hots the
non nr6f@cfjnr Of sane The ac' as o3 1r f
carrying the smoke and flames These vertical
hazards usually comprise light wells stair and ee-
vator wells, wire. pipe vent chases hues. dumb
walters and clothes Chutcs. Where these vertcals
are necessary. such StaiTWdys and elevators.
they should be carefully and securely protected 10y
surrounding them with hreproof materials.
The ideal remedy IS the plan adopted in the great
manufactu turing plants coming under the super
vision OF the mutual ana special associations Of
stock fire insurance companies. viz, brick loser
erected outside Of the wall line OF The buildings.
with openings from the tower the separate floors
protected by double tinclad doors. This type II
construction may not be feasible or desirable for
architectural or other reasons, ana the next best
solution IS brisk shaft within the wall line. hay
ing similarly protected openings. As Il substitute
for this II consideration for appearance is requisite
there Is the wire glass in metal framing. Light
wells can be constructed Of this latter combination
Of materials The other necessary vertical openings
should be incosed in conduits Of hreproof material
reports the convention adjourned until to-day