Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-07

Foreign representatives: Cone, Lor-
enxen & woodman, Steger Building
Chicago; 1926 Fifth Ave-. New York
City.
IoWA's FIRE WASTE.
Some idea of Iowa's heavy fire loss
Is given by the report of Fire Marshal
Roe on fires occurring since the fire
marshal law became effective last
year. The total number of fires dur
ing that period was 1924 and the total
loss was close to two million dollars.
Concerning the fire damage and the
insurance carried the fire marshal gives
q table with the following explanatory
nOte:sJ
''In brief this table shows that there
were 1924 fires reported; that these
3 fires involved property valued at 3d.
129,0O6; that the total damage to such
property was $1,S82,552. The table
further shows that while in the aggre-
gate the loss appeared to have been
more than covered by insurance, the
facts are that out Of the number OF
fires reported, in the case Of 1913 fires,
the property destroyed or damaged ex-
/ ceeded in value the amount of msur-
ance thereon by $486729, and that In
100 of the fires reported, no insurance
was carried upon the property, and the
net loss as result Of these fires was
$14l,232, and that thus total. of $685.
961 Of property not covered by 1nsur-
ance was destroyed by fire"
u He summarizes the causes of these
fires as follows: \ z.,,5
.Unknown, 32s, ,72o; lightning,
. 100, $229,888; adjoining fires, 80, $685.
O39; sparks from 1ue, 70, $37,36S; de-
fective flue, So, $46,257; incendiary,
and probably incendiary so, $194,S19;
spontaneous combustion, "A, $44,107;
sparks from locomotive, 81, $50,650;
gasoline, "a, $14,13O; children with
matches, "a, $19,73s; carelessness with
matches, rs, $25,663; defective electric
wiring and installation, is, $685."
The following is given as the death
list due to fires:
e Joseph A. Wilson, Denison; Mrs. L.
a.. Chapman, Mapleton; Charles sJen-
gsen, Sioux City; M. McGregory, Nash
ina; Sigfred e. Berg, Estherville; Vset-
'aaEhk child, Clamar; Ole Washington,
Collins: Davis fire, Sergeant Bluffs,
two women and two children: Mrs. B.
Wing, Missouri Valley; Gust Christian
son, SDes Moines:, four Smith children,
near Collins. Thisais a total OF seven
teen people burned to death through
carelessness." r.
In concluding his report Marshal
Roe makes the following suggestions:
"As the people of this country are
beginning to live closer together, they
must learn the lesson that the older
civilized nations have long since
learned: namely to so build their
homes and to SO conduct their bust
ness that the fire hazard which threat
ems by day and by night, may be re-
duced to the minimum. This requires
care and care can only be fostered
by education and home training.
"a careless and wasteful nation can
not he made careful and economical in
q day or in year.
"Better building regulations must be
adopted and enforced. 1T
present building conditions must
be inspected and remedied where found
to be faulty.
"Civic pride must be appealed to in
order that the worthless shack which
is disgrace to many of our cities and
towns may be destroyed.
sThe law against crime and criminal
must be rigidly enforced.
seWhen the lives and the property
Of our people have been made more
safe, then, indeed, will our state have
entered upon her career as greater
Iowa"
II would therefore respectfully
recommend that every chief of fire
department, where there is an organ
zed fire department, and every mayor
IN the absence of fire department,
be paid fifty cents for each report,
provided said report Is filed out to the
satisfaction of the state fire marshal
and promptly filed in his Office within
the time provided by law.
1--WE have visited and made inspec-
lions Of dilapidated buildings in the
following cities and towns: Abba 6;
Ainsworth /; Boone g.; Cherokee IS;
Council Bluffs 4; Centerville 8; Charles
City II; Cambridge I; Davenport 1 Du-
buque IL; Fl. Dodge 5; Knoxville 5;
Leon Z; Lone Tree II; Oskaloosa 4;
Pella Z; Red Oak 8; Sioux City 3;
Total, 101.
Elm compliance with this provision
OF the law this Office has, during the
period covered by this report, investi-
rated suspicious fires in the following
places: Buxton 1; Boone /; Council
Bluffs 8; Des Moines Z; Denison 1;
Dubuque 1; Dumont 1; Delta l; Fit.
Dodge q; Gait l.; Grundy Center 1;
George L: Iowa City 1 Matlock 1; near
daquoketa / Missouri Valley 1; Menlo
1; Moulton /; Ottumwa 1; Patterson
1: Scion 1; Sioux City 2; Stuart 1;
Grifinville / Crescent l.; Odds 1; Sid
ney I Davenport 1 Muscatine 1; Wes-
lev 1. Total 40.
1.-THE cause of very many of our
fires" the fire marshal report says in
conclusion, land the cause of very
many of our diseases are the same
carelessness and dirt. When one OBJ