The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-02-16
Loss BY FIRE
AMOUNT to Over oae Million Dollars Per
Day, Says Report.
MORE CARE Is NEEDED

MORE CARE Is NEEDED
Geological Survey Prepares Report
Showing Contrast bes"een Sn'*il
Losses by Fire 20 Government and
Enormous Losses Reported from
the Country IS = Whole.
Owing BUILDINGS that cost more
thar s3co.ooe.ooo and spending
more than seo.ooo.ooo for new ones.
and not cen. OF Are insurance from
one years end 20 ano,he. Is Uncle
Sans way OF doing business just
low this is accomplished Is interest
tnc!y told in story from the Geol-
ogical survey:
Tests to determine the strength
and fire resistance OF building ma
ter:a,s are now made By the United
States Geological Survey. aod. al
though these tests are designed pE!-
uar;ly 70 meet the needs o. the Gov
errment as the largest consumer.
their results are also available for
general uses
The results already obtained show
that cheaper areproos materials can
be used and that the difference in
cost between S.eprooc and inaanna-
Bile buildings will soon become 80
small that i, will cease to encourage
a:msy construction. They indicate
that three 70 six times the necessary
amount Of material is hasitual!y USED
in structural work They also show
the necessity Of better building codes
in cities and especially OF a better
enforcement OF the codes already
enacted II the present enormous are
.osses are TO be diminished
The contrast between the snai!
losses BY FIRE to Government build
inss and the immense losses report
ed from the country as 2 whole leo
the geological survey to make AZ iu-
au..y IS to the Ere losses in the
United States and as to their e1ac:
cost to the people. The results Q:
th,s inquiry are presented in the
Surveys Bulletin AS. just published
which can be obtained free by ap.
plying to the director OF the survey
at Washington. The report IS en-
titled The fre tax and waste o!
structural materials in the United
States" and was prepared By 4. u
Wilson and J. L. Cochraoe, OF the
survey. Theinausry covered rot onl!
the value OF the property destroyed
By Ere, but also the cost OF main
!. ta!ning FIRE departments. the amour
Of insurance premiums paid less tn'
amounts returned. the cost OF pro
tec.ire agencies. the additional COS
OF waite. supplies. and other element!
OF the Are loss
The investigation disclosed the fac
that the sotal cost Of fires In tn
United States IN 1907. excluding tha
OF forest fires and the marine losses
but including excess cost OF IRE pro
lection due 70 bad construction ant
excess premiums over Insurance paid
amounted to over s45s.4S5. 900.
tax on the people exceeding the tota
value OF the gold. silver. cope. ans
petroleum produced IN the Un!tes
States IL that year.
The cost oe building const-uc.io!
In 1907 il forty-nine leading cite
Of the United States reporting eosa
population OF less than 1S.ooo.0e'
amounted to sSSl.e76.2Ss. and th'
cost OF building construction fo- th'
entire country in the same year 1
conservatively estimated at $1,000.
oo0.0ee. Thus it will be seen tha
nearly one-halt the value OF all IT,
aew buildings constructed within on
year Is destroyed by fire. The an
ruai are cost is greater than TIT
yalue Of the real property and i'm
proyements il either Maine, Wes
Virginia. North Carolina. North Da
kota, South Dakota. Alabama, Louis
lana or Montana. IN addition to tht!
waste OF wealth and natural resour
ces l.z4s persons were killed and 5.
s54 were injured in S-es IN the
United States in 1907.
The direct loss by f-es IN thi:
country is eigh. times as much pc.
capita as in any country il Europe
The actual FIRE loss in the United
State due TO the destruction Of build.
ings and their contents amounted &c
s215.oS4.7os. per capita loss o.
$2.51. The per capita loss ii the
cities Of the six leading European
countries amounted to but So cents,
Comparisons OF the total cost o. fires.
which includes the items already
stated, shcw that II buildings in the
United States were as nearly are-
proof as those in Europe the anoua!
FIRE cost would be 100000 n
stead OF s4SS.0o0.o00.
The report states 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 constgue-
ton. The predoninance OF frame
buildings IS set down as the NOS.
important cause Of the great are
waste in the United States. Decee-
tive construction and equipment con-
ssStute second cause.
Results Fatally.
As q resu;k ~ fnirrIes reeeiyed