Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-02-08
10 United States Due Chief
| " TO Frame Buildings.
Cheaper Fireproot Materials Gan
Be Used 10 Advantage.
Unnecessary Amount Of Material
Used in Structural Work.


reed after Zeus had deprived mankind of
enormous tax calculated by United States
Government officials at almost a million
and a half dollars a day and LAG lives a
year AS a result of an investigation Just
concluded by officials of the United States
Geoloaical Survey it has been ascer-
tanned that cheaper fireproof materials
can be used to advantage in construction,
that three to six times the necessary
amount of material is habtually used in
structural work in the United States, that
the building codes are laxly enforced.
that the fire loss in the United States is
eight times as much per capita as in any
country in Europe and that the great fire
waste in the United States is due prin-
cipally to the predominance of frame
buildings and to defective construction
and equipment.
Contrast between the small losses by
fire to government buildings and the i'm
mense losses reported from the country
as a whole led the Geological Survey to
make an inquiry as to the fire losses in
the United States and as to their exact
cost to the people. Tests to determine
the strength and fire resistance of build
ing 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 $3O0,0O0,0O0
and is spending $20,000,0O0 year for new
buildings 1t will be a surprise to
everyone too. to learn that not one cent
of insurance against loss by fire is car
ried on these valuable buildings. 1nsur-
ance at the ordinary rate would cost more
than half million dollars year. and
tie Government avoids this great tax by
constructing buildings that are securely
tireproof.
To attain this degree of security from
fire for government buildings the govern
nrent has gone to considerable expense
and thu results obtained fully repay the
outlay. From these tests to determine
the strength and fire resistance of buila-
ing materials it has been determined that
American builders can with SAFETY use
cheaper fireprocf materials than they do.
1t has been learned that the difference i'm
cost between freDroof and .nsi2'nl1able
buildings /, lie, than generally supposed
.ufid tie officials predict that this differ
ace vii! So III beco l.e so small t1&t ii Viii
c.;tse to encourage the construction of
finsy buildings. II has been found that
three to six times the necessary amount
Of material, il hahitually used by Ameri-
can builders in structural work. The
necessity also is shown for better build
ing codes in cities and especially of
better enforcement of the codes already
enacted if the present enormous fire
losses are to b. diminished. After care
full 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 lin themselves
extensive) but including excess cost of
fire protection due to bad construction
and excess premiums over insurance paid,
amounted to the enormous sum Of over
s456 ass coo. tax on the American people
exceeding the total value of all the gold,
silver, copper and petroleum produced in
the United States in that year. The cost
of building construction in 1907 in forty
nine leading cities of the United States
reporting a total population of less than
$4,000, coo amounted to 1861. 076, 2S6, and the
cost of building construction for the en-
tire country is conservatively estimated
at 81. 900. 100000. Thus it will be seen that
nearly one-half of the value of all the
new buildings constructed within one year
Sc. hy Tho
is greater than the value of the real
property and improvements in either
Maine, West Virginia. North Carolina
North Dakota, South Dakota. Alabama,
Louisiana, or Montana. In addition to
this waste of wealth and natural re-
sources, LAG persons We're killed and
1884 were injured in fires in the United
States in 1907.
The Geological Surveys inquiry, which
is embodied in report entitled The Fire
Tax and Waste of Structural Materials
in the United States" prepared by Fl. NJ.
Wilson and J. l.. Cochrane of the Survey,
covered not only the value of property
destroyed but also the cost of maintain
surance premiums paid less the amount
returned, the tuSl VI protective dBcHtita,
the additional cost of water supplies, and
other elements of the fire loss. The re-
port ives the method of gathering the
statistics collected. makes an analysis of
the fire loss in city and country and on
frame and brick buildings. and contains
tables showing the increased cost of fire
protection due to faulty construction.
The actual fire cost in the United States
due to the destruction Of buildings and
their contents amounted to S2l5.0S4.I09 in
1907. This was so.5l less per capita. The
per capita loss in the cities of the six
leading European countries amounted to
but % cents. comparisons of the total
cost of fires. which includes the items
already stated. show that if buildings in
the United states were as nearly freproof
as those in Europe the annual fire cost
would be 100000 instead OF si56.o0OOO0.
Convalcscenee.