Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-05
By
Frederic
]. HdSkfn
LOSS BY FIRE

forever lost to the property owners. The
maintenance of fire departments in
American cities costs a total of $4,000 600
a year, and, according to the United
States geological survey, the annual cost
of waterworks equipment chargeable to
the account of fire protection, adds over
$2S, 200. COO In addition to these public
expenditures, most industrial plants
maintain private fire fighting apparatus.
factories are equipped with automatic
sprinklers, and the like, making an an
nual charge of over $1S,000,000.
Thus it is shown that in the United
States $3.50, 200 goes up every year in
smoke. while another $3.50, 100000 is spent
to prevent the flames taking even larger
toll of our property. That the money
spent for fire protection is well invested
is proved by the fact that cities suffer
comparatively less from fire than do
rural communities. At the same time the
money spent in this manner represents an
economic loss to the property owners and
taxpayers who must foot the bills.
Taking into account only the actual
cost of property consumed by fire, it ap-
pears that the annual fire waste amounts
to $2.51 for each man, woman and child
in the country. The annual per capita
loss by fire in the six principal countries
of Europe is only 80 cents. American fire
fighting apparatus is the best in the
world, American firemen are quicker
than any others, and as brave as the
bravest. Yet the tax on the resources
of the nation by fire loss is eight times
as great in the United States as in Eu-
rope.
The reason for this alarming discrep-
ancy is to be found not in the people,
but in the buildings. On Europe, build
ings are constructed largely of fire-proof
materials, and under the strict super
vision of officers who compel the builder
to take every possible precaution against
fire In America, the majority of the
buildings are constructed of wood, and
even those built of brick, stone and iron
prove \often to be fire traps because of
impropep and careless construction. In
one year the fire loss in frame buildings
was more than $146,OOO,O0O as compared
to $6SO00,0O0 on buildings of brick, stone,
etc. The number of frame buildings
burned was 10000 as compared with &c.
90 buildings of other material.
The greatest single property owner and
builder in the country is the United
States government. The federal govern
ment is the owner of buildings costing
more than $500. 100000. and it is putting
up new buildings to the cost of $50. OO0. 600
annually. The government carries no in
surance on its buildings. preferring to as
sumo its own risks. That this is a wise
policy is indicated by the fact that If
the buildings were insured, it would cost
S6OC,O year in premiums. The loss by
fire has amounted to less than $4,000
year for quarter of century.
The reason for this apparent immunity
of government buildings from fire is quite
simple. The buildings are constructed
with a view to making them fire-proof,
and the vast majority of them are sur
rounded by open spaces, insulating them
from ignition from nearby buildings. But
the governments is not satisfied, and to
this end the geological survey maintains
a laboratory for the purpose of testing
building materials. Its Investigations in