The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-02-09

as to their exact cost to the people.
fire resistance of building materials
are still being made by the Survey.
and although these tests are designed
primarily to meet the needs of the
government as the largest consumer,
their results are available to anyone
for general use.
Not one person in a thousand knows
that the United States government
owns buildings that cost more than
$500. 900 and Is spending $20.-
100000 a year for new buildings It
will be a surprise to everyone, too, to
learn that not one cent Of insurance
against loss by fire Is carried on these
valuable buildings. Insurance at the
ordinary rate would cost more than
half a million dollars . year. and the
government avoids this great tax by
constructing buildings that are se-
curely fre-proof.
Cheaper Fire-proOf Construction.
To attain this degree of security
from IRE for government buildings
the government has gone to consid-
cradle expense and the results OBJ
these tests to determine the strength
and fire resistance OF building ma
terials 1t has been determined that
American builders can with safety
use cheaper fire-proof materials than
they do. 1t has been learned that the
difference in cost between fre-proof
and infiammable buildings is less than
generally supposed and the officials
predict that this difference will soon
become 80 small that 1t will cease to
encourage the construction Of fiimsy
buildings. 1t has oeen found that
three to six times the necessary
amount OF material IL habitually
used by American builders in struc-
tural work. The necessity also is
shown for better building codes in
cities and especially of a better en-
forcement Of the codes already enact
ed IL the present enormous FIRE losses
are to be diminished.
Half . Billion . Year.
/. After a careful investigation It has
been determined that the total cost
Of fires in the United States in 1907,
excluding that of forest fires and the
marine losses Tin themselves extern
sive) but including excess cost of fire
protection due to bad construction
and excess premiums over insurance
paid. amounted to the enormous sum
Of over $456,485.000. q tax on the
American people exceeding the total
value of all the gold, silver, copper
and petroleum produced in the United
States 10 that year. The cost of
building construction in 1907 in forty
nine leading cities of the United
States reporting total population of
less than 100000 amounted t
1851, 076.286, and the cost Of building
const. uction for the entire country is
conservatively estimated at $1,000
100000. Thus it will be seen th,t
nearly oAe-half Of the value of all
the new buildings constructed within
one year is destroyed by fire. The
annual fire cost is greater than the
value Of the real property and i'm
provements in either Maine, West Vir-
ginia. North Carolina. North Dakota,
South Dakota, Alabama. Louisiana or
Montana. In addition to this wa ste Of
wealth and natural resources, 1449
persons were killed and 1854 were in
jured in fires in the United States IN
1907.
The Geological Surveys inquiry,
which II embodied in . report enli-
tied "The Fire Tax ana Wasts OF
Structural Materials in the United
States" prepared by H. ". Wilson
and J. L. Cochrane of the Survey,
covered not only the value o: prop
erty destroyed but also the cost of
maintaining fire departm enrs, the
amount of insurance premi"ms Daid
lesc the amount returned. the cost Of
protective agencies, the additional
cost Of water supplies. and other e,e-
rnents of the fire loss. The report
gives the method OF gathe :ing the.
ST tistics collected, makes an anav-
ST., of the fire loss in city and cOun.
try and on frame and brick buildings
and contains tables showing the in
creased cost of f-c protection due TO
faulty construction.
The actual fire i' So in the United
States due to the destruction ot build
ings and their contents amounted to
sc1b, 084,7O9 in 1907. This was 50 81
less per capita. The per cap.tl loss
in the cities of the six leading Euro
pean countries amounted to hut 33
ceLts. Comparisons Of the to:al cost
re fires, which includes the items sl-
ready stated, show that If build ngs IN
the United States were as nearlv fire.
>roGf as those in Europe the annual
Ere cost would be $90,000,000 instead
e $456, 100000.