New-York tribune., 1910-12-20
'C|TY ALWAYS IN DANGER
Many confIagration Breeders
Here, Says insurance Man.
TESTIFlES IN GRAFT HUNT
Fears Disaster from Continual
Underground Construction and
Dynamite Explosions.

The continual danger from dynamite ex-
underground construction Of different knos
which is always going on here makes New
York City as liable to destructive hre OIL
the San Francisco disaster size as any CITY
in this country. according to the testimony
given yesterday before the legislative IN
Ivestigating committee by Moses Taheh-
baum of the firm of 1. Tanenbaun1' son
& Co.
Unlike many Of the witnesses VINO HaNe
been heard recently by the committee, MI
Tanenbaum is engaged in an effort 10 re-
duce fire insurance premium rates. ana mas
been in business closely connected VIII
the fire insurance field for nearly fifty years.
His firm, while conducting Insurance
brokerage business which extends over a
score OF states. has combined with that
the business of installing fire protective ana
! fire resisting apparatus designed to force
tne reduction of premium rates by the IN
surance companies
| ''There are half a dozen spots IN new
York City testified Mr.. Tanen noauin.
(which are confla grafton breeders. tull VI
fire germs. We've got right here conditioHs
that are as bad as the earthquake hazaru q
which was responsible for the great oaii
Francisco disaster"
| With illustrations, maps ana photosla apii9
Mr.. Tanenbaum showed that the san ran
cisco fire started and gained heaoWay III
+hree separata sections at the same time
He declared that with the amount OF uhcer-
~-ound construction continually going on
IN Now York City the danger of wrecklns
f,nnortant water mains from preihdl"re
idvnamite explosions was as imminent mere
as the similar danger from earthquake III
| the California city.
| Assume that three fires started III as
many separate districts in New YORK, NE
said Combine with that the always pos
sible dynamite wreeking of an important
water main, a slight wind oiowlns' anu oui
denartment would be unable to control the
trouble particularly If these hfes "ele' III
our manufacturing districts
The witness contended that ali Enshsn
and foreign companies should be required
IN have here in American funds an amount
sufHcient to cover all their possible losses
| IN the congested districts Of American cities.
! Along the same line, Mr.. TanenbauIn
thought the state should restrict the amolii''
| of liability that any company could as
sumo in these congested districts, because
he believed that the smaller fire insurance
conpanies continually gambled against 'iie
odds of a. conf1a grafton in those d1strlcts-
/ The witness thought that, on the Whole
the New York Fire Insurance EXcharss
had done q good work in this city III 'lie
Iway of reducing the fire hazard out nc
Thought the state Insurance Departhieh
sbo,1ld have the power of licensing brokers
Instead of the exchange, as at present. his
own firm has been to a large extent forceo
out of its business of installing IRE pro
tective and fire resisting apparatus IN TINS
CITY by a ruling of the exchange Whlch pre-
scriIes that any broker doing such d pust
ness shall be considered guilty of rebatlhe'
At the present time the firms broker
license is being held up, but Mr. 1anen
baum expected the matter would soon pe
cleared up. mainly because the exchange
would not care to enter into any htgatlor
while the legislative committee IS in ses-
sion.
Before this ruling of the exchange II
1901 his firm would take q high rated risk
contract for the insurance thereon at
greatly reduced premium rate for tern
of wears. and then install devices by which
1.-THE exchange would be forced to lower the
rate It is now engaged in this system ol
rate lowering in many states OUTSIDE OF
| New York but under the ruling IS power
less to do such work here.
George Tonkonogy, the owner of rae
tory building in the Brownsville section OF
Brooklyn, took the stand 10 tell the com
mittee how the exchange had charged hin
So for a rate schedule sheet. Aside from
that, his complaint consisted of the facts
that at the promise of a reduced rate from
the exchange he had installed iron stair
ways slate steps, tin barrels for refuse
hose and tank system and water pals. ont
after the other. He had obtained no reduc
ton. he said, and had finally given up ir
disgust and rested on his present rate OF
81 so a hundred.
Edwin A. Merritt jr, and II Linn Bruce
| both declined to answer the complaint o
the City Club that they We're sighting the
graft investigation.