The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-02-07

the immense losses reported from the
country as whole led the geological
survey to make an inquiry as to fire
losses in the United States and az to
their exact cost to the people. Tests
to determine the strength and fire
resistance Of building materials are
still being made by the survey, and
although these tests are designed pri-
marily to meet the needs of the gov
ernment 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
$300,Oo0,0oo and is spending $2O,OOO,-
600 a year for new buildings. 1t will
be a surprise to everyone, toot to-
learn that not one cent of insurance
against loss by fire is carried ON
these valuable 4S..'ldings. Insurance
at the ordinary ssould cost more
than half a milll.. Mss. q year, and
1he government avol.. c.,.at tax
by constructing buildingsSocI re-
curely fireproof. c
To attain this degree of secu. !
from fire for government buildings
the government has gone to consider
able expense and the result obtained
fully repays the outlay. From these
tests to determine the strength and
fire resistance of building materials
1t has been determined that American
builders can with safety use cheaper
fireproof materials than they do. 1t
has been learned that the difference
In cost between fireproof and infiam-
mable buildings is less than general
ly supposed and the officials predict
that this difference will soon become
SO small that it viii cease to encoXr-
age the construction of flimsy build
iugs 1t has been found that three
to six times the necessary amount of
material is habitually used by Ameri-
can builders in structural work. The
necessity also is shown for better
building codes in cities and especially
of a better enforcement of the codes
already enacted If the present enor-
nous fire losses are to be diminish
ed
After careful investigation it has
been determined that the total cost of
fires in the United States in 1907, ex-
cluding that of forest fires and the
marine losses lin themselves extern
sive) but including excess cost of fire
protection to bad construction and
excess premiums over insurance paid,
amounted to the enormous sum of ov-
er $456, ,4S5, 900, a tax on the American
people exceeding the total value of
all the gold. silver, copper and petro-
leum produced in the United States IN
that year. The cost Of building con-
struction in 1907 in forty-nine leading
cities of the United States reporting
a total population of less than 49,
100000 amounted to 1861 ,O76,286, and
the cost Of building construction for
the entire country is conservatively
estimated at $1,O0O,000,O00. Thus 1t
will be seen that nearly one-half of
the value of all the new buildings
CONSTRUCTED within one year Is de-
stroyed by fire. The annual fire cost
is greater than the value of the real
property and improvements in either
Maine. West Virginia, North Carolina,
North Dakota, South Dakota. Alaba-
ma. Louisiana, or Montana. In addi-
ton to this waste of wealth and ma
tural resources, 1,449 persons were
killed and 1852 were injured in fires
in the United States in 1907.
The geological surveys inquiry,
which is embodied in report en-
titled "The Fire Tax and Waste of
Structural Materials in the United
States," prepared by H. M. Wilson and
J. L. Cochrane of the survey, covered
not only the value of property de-
stroyed but also the cost of main
tanning fire departments, the amount
of insurance premiums paid less the
amount returned. the cost of protec-
tive agencies, the additional cost of
water supplies, and other elements of
the fire loss. The report gives 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 con-
tains tables showing the increased
cost of fire protection due to faulty
construction.
The actual fire loss in the United
States due to the destruction of build
ings and their contents amounted to
s215, ,OS4.7O9 in 1907. This was $2.15
loss per capita. The per capita loss
in the cities of the six leading Eu-
ropean countries amounted to but 33
cents. Comparisons of the total cost
of fires, which includes the items al
ready stated. show that IL buildings
in the United States were as nearly
fireproof as those in Europe the an
nual fire cost would be $90,000,000
instead of $456,0O0.000.
SHOTGUN QUARANTINE