Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-07
ENORMOUS FIRE TAX
Losses in the United States
Beyond All Proportion.
OVER A MILLION A DAY
Eight Times Greater Than the Per
centage for Europe.
DUE TO CHEAP CONSTRUCTION
Startling Figures Given in Unique
Report Prepared and Issued by
the Geological Survey.

Fire stolen from heaven by Prone
theus, according to ancient Greek my
thology, and as blessing brought by him
to earth in a hollow reed after Zeus had
deprived mankind of it, levies upon
Americans each year an enormous tax
calculated by United States government
officials at almost million and hair
dollars day and LAO lives a year. As
result of an investigation just concluded
by officials Of the United States geologi-
cal survey 1t has been ascertained that
cheaper fireproof materials can be used
to advantage in construction; that three
to six times the necessary amount or ma
terial is habitually 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
principally 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
melS0 losses T0pOGtcu SL0 SOAAASAS
as a whole led the geological survey 10
make an inquiry as to fire losses IN the
United States and as to their exact cost
to the people. Tests to determine the
strength and fire resistance OF building
materials are still being made by the sur
vey, and although these tests are de-
signed primarily to meet the needs OIL
the government as the largest consumer
their results are available to any one
for general use.
Uncle Sam Not Insured.
Not one person in thousand knows
that the United States government owns
buildings that cost more than three hun
dred million dollars and is spending So
COO 600 a year for new buildings. 1t Will
be a surprise to every one, too, to learn
that not one cent OF insurance against
loss by fire is carried on these valuable
buildings. Insurance at the ordinary rate
would cost more than half million dol
lars a year, and the government avoids
this great tax by constructing buildings
that are securely f1reproof.
To attain this degree Of security from
fire for government buildings the gov
eminent has gone to considerable ex-
pense and the results obtained fully re-
pay the outlay. From these tests to de-
termine the strength and fire resistance
of building materials 1t has been de-
termined that American builders can with
safety use cheaper fireproof materials
than they do. It has been learned that
the difference in cost between nreprool
and inflammable buildings IS less thah
generally supposed. and the officials pre-
dict that this difference will soon be-
come so small that 1t Will cease to en-
courage the construction OF f1imsy build
ines 1t has been found that three to SIX
times the necessary amount OF materlai IS
habitually used by American 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, II the present
enormous fire losses are to be d1min-
ished.
Enormous Losses in America.
After a careful 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 Tin
themselves extensively, but including ex-
cess cost Of fire protection due to bad
construction and excess premiums over
insurance paid, amounted to the enor-
NOUS sum of over $4j6, 49,, 600, a tax on
the American people exceeding the total
value of all the gold, silver. copper ana
petroleum 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
total population of less than 18OO.OOO
amounted to 1851 .O76. 2S6, and the cost
country is conservatively estimated at
81, 600, 600 600. Thus 1t will be seen that
nearly one-half of the value of all the
new buildings constructed within one year
is destroyed by fire: The annual hre
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 LAO persons were killed and
1854 were injured in fires in the United
States in 1907
A Comprehensive Report.
The geological surveys inquiry, which
is embodied in a report entitled 1.-THE
Fire Tax and Waste of Structural Ma
terials in the United States prepared
by II. NJ. Wilson and ]. L. Cochrane of
the survey, covered not only the value Of
property destroyed, but also the cost of
maintaining fire departments. the amount
of Insurance, premiums paid less the
amount returned. the cost Of protective
agencies, the additional cost Of water sup
plies and other elements of the fire loss
The report gives the method OF gathering
the statistics collected, makes an analy
sis 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 con-
struction.
The actual fire loss in the United States
due to the destruction of buildings and
their contents amounted to $215, OS4, 100
in 1907. This was SOL loss per capita.
The per capita loss in the cities of the
six leading European countries amounted
to but 33 cents. Comparisons of the
total cost of fires, which includes the
items already stated. show that IL build
ings in the United States were as nearly
f1reproof as those in Europe the annual
fire cost would be SOC, OOO, 900, instead of
1855 OOOOO