Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-15
NO INSURANCE ON
UNCLE SANS HOME
United States Owns Buildings
Valued at Over S3OO,OOO,0OO
But Carries No Protection.

Although the United States govern
ment owns buildings that cost more
than $50 900. 600, and is spending s2O.
O000O0 a year for new buildings, none
of this property Is insured against loss
by fire. To avoid this great tax, which
at the ordinary rate of insurance.
would cost over half a million dollars.
tho government constructs only build
ings that are securely fireproof. says a
Washington, D. c. special to the Chi
cago Daily News
Tests are now being made by the
United States geological survey TO de-
tcrmlne the strength and fire resist
ance of building materials. and. al
though primarily designed to meet the
needs of the government as the larg-
est consumer. the results of these tests
are available for general use by tho
country at large.
Results already obtained tend to
show that cheaper f1reproof materials
can be used and that the practise of
nimsy construction of buildings Will be
discouraged by the small difference in
cost between flreproof and inflammablo
building materials.
The contrast between the small losses
by fire to government buildings and
tho immense losses reported from tho
country was responsible for the inves-
tlgatlon instituted by the geological
survey as to the fro losses in the
United States and their exact cost to
the people. Tho findings of this inves-
tigation arc published by the survey
in report made today. which IS, in
part, as follows:
INVESTIGATION SHOWS.
The investigation disclosed the fact
that the total cost of fires In the
United States in 1907 excluding that OF
forest fires and the marine losses, but
including excess cost of fire
protection due to bad construction
and excess premiums over insur-
ance paid, amounted to over $685.
$4,000 a tax on the people exceeding
the total value of the gold, silver cop
per and petroleum produced in the
United States that year, The cost of
building construction In 1907 in 10
leading cities of the United States re-
porting a total population of less than
900 amounted to $661 .076. 2S6 and
the cost OF building construction for
the entire country in the same year is
consorvntively estimated at 81 900. .000.-
900. Thus It VIII bo seen that nearly
one-half the value OF all tho now
buildings constructed within one year
is destroyed by fire. The annual flre
cost Is greater than the value of tho
real property and improvements In
either Maine. Wcst Virginia, North
Carolina. North Dakota, South Dal1o-
ia, Alabama, Louisiana or Montana
In addition TO this waste of wealth and
natural resources LAO persons were
killed and 5,654 were injured In fires In
the United States In 1907
GREATER THAN EUROPE.
The direct loss by fires In this coun-
try Is eight times as much per capi-
tn as In any country of Europe. Tho
actual fre loss In the United States
due to tho destruction OF buildings and
their contents amounted to $2l5. .OS4, 709.
a per copitn loss OF S251 Tho per
capita loss In the cities of the six
leading European countries amounted
to but SO cents Comparisons of the
total cost of fires. which includes
the Items already stated, show that IL
buildings in the United States were
as nearly flreproof as those in Europe
the annual fire cost would bo $50 900 600
instead OF $t68.0O0000.