Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-10-31

into four classes: The mischievous,
the mentally defective, the malicious
and the greedy. Mischievous boys
sometimes put a match to rubbish or
to leaked gasoline just to see it burn.
The cost of fires from this cause is
not large. Those mentally defective
are the idiot and the pyromaniac.
Pyromania is an occasional propensity
of the insane, oftenest found among
imbeciles, melancholics, dement's and
paranoiacs. 1t occasionally occurs in
epileptics. Just as the kleptomaniac
has an irresistible desire to steal,
without reference to profit, so the
pyromaniac burns from an uncontroll-
able impulse. He is often apparently
normal mentally and in such cases
conviction is difficult because of the
absence of motive for the crime.
The fire marshall cannot lessen the
number of pyromaniacs because they
have no fear, but the number of fires
started by them may be limited by
his conviction and confinement in an
asylum. There never comes time
it is safe to give liberty to one who
has shown evidence of pyromania.
Those who burn ''to get even" will
decrease i'm number when it is known
that there is an assistant fire marshal
in each district who will thoroughly
investigate any suspicious fires.
The meanest man in the world is
the one who burns his property to
collect insurance. His crafty greed
leads him to secretly set a fire which
destroys the products of human toll.
The robber only changes the possessor
of wealth; he destroys nothing The
largest number of incendiaries are OF
this class, but this number has been
reduced so per cent in states having
fire marshal departments.
The statistical facts which this de-
partment must gather will be tabu-
lated so that at the end of the year
can be shown the value of the pro-
perty jeopardized and the amount of
value added to the ash heap as the
result of ignorance, or carelessness, or
crime. The facts will be shown in
the aggregate and by counties.
Wisconsin has several cities with
about thirty thousand population;
several others with about fifteen
thousand, which are of the same gen
erai character as to buildings and
streets. Valuable lessons may be
learned by comparing the fire loss in
those towns and showing what pro-
portion of the value of a building in
each is lost if fire starts.
The majority of insurance men es-
innate the amount of insurance at rs
per cent of the actual value. That
may be true of the selected risks car
ried by them, but fire marshals who
get all the facts from all fires occur
ing in state know that there is but
81 cents of insurance for dollar OF
loss. WheGher property burned Is IN
sured or not just so much of wealth is
lost to the country. The insurance
companies make good no loss; they
only distribute the loss among their
premium payers
There are other important duties
not expressly stated but still within
the intent of the law makers. The
state fire marshal may call attention
of municipal officers to the Importance
of having proper ordinances against
fire dangers. and he will have for dis
tribution forms of ordinances which
have proven effective in cities in
which they have been enforced.
THOMAS M. PURTELL,
State Fire Marshal.