Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-04-23

y 81
neys are demolished, siding torn
off foundations damaged and oc-s
cupants killed. q
Lightning comes third as cause
Of loss, and statistics show that
mills, elevators and large barns
are the source Of the heaviest loss.
Statistics also prove that buildings
properly provided with lightning
rods burn only in exceptional cases
and, am Of the opinion that
where the precaution is taken to
porperly rod buildings Of this class
the loss would be reduced over
one-half. /.
THE FARMERS MUTUALs,
The persons giving most atten-
ton to the prevention Of loss from
lightning are the officers of the
farm mutual insurance companies.
In several states these companies
carry more than three million in
surance and in large number half
as much. Their experience shows
that the loss by lightning each
summer in states in the Mississip-
pi Valley is from two-thirds to
three-fourths as great as that from
all other causes added together;
In Iowa in 1902 the fire loss on
farm property farm lightning was
three times as great as from all
other causes combined. In the
meeting Of the American Associa-
| tion Of Mutual Insurance compan-
les at Denver. the matter Of re-
ducing the assessment where the
building was rodded was discussed
favorably. This has been done by
many companies. Other companies
penalize the absence of a lightning
rod by paying but 80 per cent of
4 the loss, il it is by lightning.
(. Others put rodded and unrodded
4 buildings in separate classes.
4 Aside from this many companies
have been formed to insure rodded
buildings only. 81
During a discussion at the last
annual convention of the mutual
INSURANCE. association Of Iowa it de-
veloped that about half Of all farm
buildings in that state are rodded.
One delegate said: In our
company, where more than half the
buildings are rodded, it is a fact
that in Is years there isn't case
on record Of single building with
rods on it that has been struck by
| lightning, and a great many Of
them that were not rodded have
been. Z 70 quote from the report
of an annual meeting Of the Hi.
nois Association Of Mutual Insur.
ance Companies, s Mr.. Hanlan asked
|if anyone could tell Of an instance
where a barn burned by being
!: struck by lightning when it wa
protected by lightning rods il
perfect order. No one could.
LINE INSURANCE
COMPANIES
< s. \ J.
old line companies have beel
: discussing the necessity Of making
a charge for the lightning claus
lin the policy if the building is no
I Irodded.
! The president of a company rank
pling in the first there in amount o
j farm property carried writes: =
want to say that if we could sc
: cure the proper rodding Of all de
!. tached or semi detached buildings
1ilike dwellings, barns and schools
q 1--we would save sums Of money 70,
: the people. It may interest yo1
!; Ito know that during the pas
!, twelve years our records show tina
It f25 per cent of our protecte'
d lschoolhouse losses we're due t
Y lightning. By protected ! mea
J under the protection Of a fire de
Z partment. 9
The manager Of the company do
ing the largest farm business wrot
a year ago: We think it viii
Nlnot be long until insurance com
panies will charge higher rat
\ i for property unprotected BY rod
than for protected thattis, diff
erence in rate will be made
j The fact is that owing to th
!. large number Of lightning fires
8 farm barns have been a losing PR
4 position to insurance companies Il
Ii several years. n
!; STATE FIRE MARSHALS IrlVEsss
q TIGATE
The State Fire Marsha Of Wi
: consin says in his annual report;
4, From personal investigated
t as to the methods used BY ali tx
z concerns in the lightning rod bus