Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-07
City Has a Fire Every Hour
Of the Day.
Worlds Most Expensive Farm
Proves a Failure.
Harbor Improvements So An Eagle
nunt...The Finger Watch.

New York, Dec. 6.-With the
United States leading ali other nations
| IN lire losses every year, New York as
| the largest city in the country natural
| ~ takes first place in this respect In
the metropolitan list throughout the
world. Every day there are twenty
four fires here. taking the average. OF
a total of $500 each year
Throughout the whole country in
deed nearly one-half the buildings
erected in the course of a year go to
replace others that have been
destroyed by flames. according to
statistics which form the basis Of
study Of the national loss by fire which
is to appear in the next number OF
Appleton's Magazine. The compiler Of
these statistics asserts that while no
other nation builds so much as the
United States, no other burns even
small fraction of the same amount Of
valuable property. The figures show
that in the country at large $780, 00,-
600 worth of property has been
destroyed by fire in the past twenty
five years, while 100000 buildings
have been wiped out Of existence in ten
years. The cost of fire-fighting is
100000 is paid over to the insurance
companies for protection. Confagra-
tions consume on the average every
week six theatres and public halls,
twelve churches, ten schools, eight
public institutions, nine department
stores and apartment houses, twenty
six hotels, 40 flats and 1000 individual
homes. Thirty-six thousand lives are
reported to be endangered every day
by fire while seven thousand lives are
sacrificed annually to the same cause
1t is said that IS per cent Of all the
damage done by fire to buildings aside
from those in which it originates Is due
TO improperly constructed windows.
Milk at $40 per gallon; pork at Sis
per pound, chickens at $35 a pair and
cows at from $500 to $500 each: these
are not panic prices in New York. but
the cost figures Of the city's most ex-
pensive farm which is now to be dis.
continued. Surprising as these figures
may be they are those Of the cost OF
various articles produced by Mr..
Willetts the owner of this, the most
costly farm in the world, which WAS
run on scientific and cleany principles
so scientific and clearly indeed that
meal consisting Of a single slice o:
bacon and glass of milk from this
farm would cost more than the average
family spends on food in several days.
The cowsheds were all constructed of
concrete with no corners and every
morning after the cows were turned
out the whole structure was scrubbed
and scalded. AT milking time a crops
Of milkmen, clad In sterilized white
duck suits, appeared with sterilized
milk stools and sterilized milk pals to
extract pure milk from cows after
sterilizing them by bathing. an ex-
tremely expensive proceeding resulting
in milk costing $40 gallon to get and
selling or GO cents in an exclusive
market. The same process applied to
the care Of pigs resulted in a cost price
Of pork of Sis per pound, which Is
certainly a figure to make the beef
trust envlous. With chickens. the
same tender care resulted in a cost
value of $3.50 for each, on which basis
single drumstick would be worth
about IS. To these prices, ordinary
business methods would add q per-
centage for profit, and the resultant
figures are so staggering that Il Is no
to the extreme lave received q black
eye in the discontinuance OF the cost
lest farm in the world
While New York feels that the $685.
900 for harbor improvements which it
is reported Congress will be asked to
appropriate for carrying on a years
work is entirely inadequate, there IS
nevertheless some satisfaction ex-
pressed that anything at all may be
done. The metropolis comes pretty
near to holding the long distance re-
cord for delays in necessary harbor
improvements as instanced in the case
Of the Harlem River, the busy little
stream connecting the East River with
the Hudson, whose commerce last year
amounted to nearly 100000. 900.
Twenty-nine years ago, that is in 1873,
the improvement of the Harlem on q
plan estimated to cost $2,700,000 was
undertaken. Up to date the work Is
only about half completed. so that
with changed conditions a quarter OF a
century has accomplished very little.
But more ambitious plans are under
way and as result Of the city's
awakening to the needs Of her water
iioiit, huStdS OElWdD 10 attend
the convention Of the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress in Washington
in the first week Of December to voice
the feeling of the metropolis in advo-
eating the adoption by Congress OF a
systematic national plan OF river and
harbor improvements, for which the
waterway advocates are working.
Reviving old memories Of the real
leopard hunt in New York more than q
quarter Of century ago. and the press
agents scare by which 1t was reported
at an equally remote period to the
terror OF the whole city that several
circus lions confined In stable had
broken loose and were devouring
horses and men, was the appearance
on the east side Of the city this week
OF real eagle. The bird was the kind
described in school books as NOBLE
with measurement OF twelve feet
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