The Washington herald., 1909-01-10
lessons FIRE RISK
High Pressure Service Does
Much for New York.
INSURANCE RATES TUMBLE
some Of the Advantages of New Sys-
tenn Would Follow Its Installation
in Washington-ThfnKs that Re-
suited in Manhattan and Brook
Ign ConEested Districts.

The recent completion OF the high
pressure water service in New York IS
mentioned by the Evening Post as the
GROWING improvement Of the year 1893.
Such a service IN the business section Of
Washington would do more than any
thing else 20 give security 10 buildings.
lessen fire insurance rates. and Increase
the value Of property
Realty holders and business men, says
the Evening Post WILL IL for nothing
else. remember 1913 ror the completion
OF the hlEh-pressu1e water system. and
tie reduction OF fire insurance rates that
followed IL This year was responsible
Tor the creation Of the high pressure
zone" as the year 1876 Yves for the con
gested district" one put the rates up and
the other brought them down
What san Francisco Taught
Immediately after the san Francisco
disaster the board OF fire underwriters OF
this city. IN conjunction with similar
bodies In the other large cities. placed
what are known as confagration hazards
on plots ~ large values IN small spaces
in their respective jurisdictions. and on
these hazards there was a general ad-
vance in rates Of from 10 70 = per cent.
and in some Instances even 20 . Al
the time. however. z was stated By the
underwriters that when the city improved
IT'S Interpretation service in this C0uCeSted
district that moment would The rates be
lowered
Soon after this The installation Of the
new system began by which the city. be
tween Fourteenth and Twenty-third
streets. was rugged with hiEh-pressure
mains. through which The water Of the
hsr50r could be forced hy pumping sta
tons over any building standing in the
district The new system was completed
last summer. and used 20 advantage for
the first time on o FIRE which occurred on
the extreme edge or the hiEh-pressure
z0ne-a stable in Twenty-third street,
west Of Twelfth avenue
Other Fires Follow.
Following that FIRE there was success
sion Of others in the district which served
70 test the new system 10 its utmost. In
only two did it fail The first Of these
was a blaze ar Nos. 9-13 Walker street
There was a valve broken and some other
nishap % the system. which caused
enough damage To reduce the pressure
almost entirely. The second failure OF
the system 20 work occurred AZ a fire
that occurred III Nos. 2l5-15 Grand street.
No satisfactory explanation has ever
been offered for the collapse q the sys-
TEN here. but il IS understood that the
gr.-
fusion that resulted the damage was
done
On December 8. however. came a fire
IN Franklin street. near Hudson. that
tested the h!gh-pressure system 10 its
fullest extent. and the service was not
found wanting II was al that could be
asked for even by the most exaCtIng
and shortly after this appeared the re-
port Of the committee Of underwriters.
which had been investigating the sys-
TEN. stating that protection had been ma
teriaIly increased. and recommending a
reduction Of rates
Created Three Districts.
The work Of the underwriters in max
ing these reductions made it necessary
To treat the lower end or the Borough Of
Manhattan in three districts. The high
pressure zone alone, which was estab-
lished between Fourteenth and Twenty
third streets. and bounded by East and
North rivers, the high-pTessure and con-
gestion zone between Fourteenth and
Chambers streets. and bounded by North
River and the B0wery; and the COngeS-
ton district alone. between Chambers and
Fourteenth streets and bounded by the
-sOwery and East River
Thus. Il vas necessary to give different
treatment 70 each: A district in which
there was both congestion and high
pressure; one in which there was high
pressure without congestion. and a third
with congestion without any high pres
sure Whatsoever
Broadly stated. the advance In rates.
which went into effect May. 1906. I'm the
high-pressure zone above Fourteenth
streets, was 10 per cent. and in the high
pressure zone below Fourteenth street. j.
per cent. When the Underwriters Elk
change acted. il cut those advances 10 )
per cent. which rate now applies through
out the hiSh-presSUre zone and high
pressure and congestion zone. There was
no reduction Of rates in the congestion
zone
Insurance Rates Fell.
In Brooklyn the reductions following
the installation Of the high-pressure sys-
TEN were greater than IN Manhattan, the
reason for this being that the advances in
1905 had been correspondingly more. The
line Of demaTcation for the high-pressure
zone on this side OF East River was drawn
through the center Of the following
streets Broadly speaking. it made a
zigzag course along the water front from