The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-22

statistics showing how at different
periods of the year certain businesses
were bound to have fires.
commissioner Johnson stated that
% per cent of the fires of New York
city were incendiary and for the in
surance money He characterized the
and most criminal trust in existence
He stated that the insurance companies
in order to get large amount of busi-
ness wrote bad insurance and by charg-
ing an enormous premium were able to
pay the fire losses of the incendiary and
still make a large profit. Commissioner
johnson showed that corset factories.
shirtwaist factories. millinery shops
and fur brokers were, subject to fires
when styles changed. All businesses
| in New York which were subject to
sudden change and which left large
stock on the hands of the manufacturer
or broker was heavily insured and
when the style changes came in the
| spring and fall of the year. fires oc-
Cured in these establishments In u
way that left no doubt that they were
caused by incendiarism and were in
tended to recrue to the owners by in
surance money the loss otherwise suf-
fered by stock left on their nands.''
Asked If the same percentage existed
in Birmingham as in New York on in
cendiary fires Chief Bennett stated
that there was no comparison to be made
between the two.
"Oh, no, in Birmingham we do not have
very many incendiary fires he said.
II should guess that the percentage is
about 8 per cent, and the incendiary fires
in Birmingham are in isolated cases and
cannot be connected to any regular pro-
gramme as Commissioner Johnson has
shown to exist in New York. The elimi-
nation of the insurance broker in Birming-
ham has also decreased the writing OF
bad insurance, and therefore the tempta-
tion toward incendiarism is is lessened.
We'll, chief, how was Birmingham
thought of at the convention?'
Birmingham's Population
"As a wideawake city," he smilngly
replied. "You don't have to tell anyone
what state you are from when you say
Birmingham; they know Immediately.
Birmingham, find, has created the i'm
preston of a hustling city and the eyes
Birmingham as the best city in the south
for a young man to come to-"
In speaking of his monthly report for
August. Chief Bennett stated that it was
an average report, although the number
OF false alarms reported might be un-
usual In the report was noted that there
there were total of 133 fire alarms for a
total loss of ssS, ,21631 The total value of
the property at risk was s5s1.579 IS. The
report in detail follows:
August Report
"1'he department responded to 1873 alarms
and fires, ran 2456 blocks, laid out "a $50
feet OF hose used 1893 gallons of chemicals
and raised 1742 feet of ladders.
1.-THE Bristol recording water pressure
gauge indicates an average daily pressure
of 901a pounds, and an average daily va
ration of 9 5-e pounds per square inch.
alarms. How Received-Box 6. still Z.
telephone 120-total 133.
Kind of Buidings-Brick H. frame 81,
concrete 1, stucco !, other than buildings
s. false and unnecessary 1S-total 13s.
"How NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. arrival II,
chemicals 81, water At. false and unneces-
sary 1S-total 133
cause of Alarms -Carelessness IL, COM
municated Is, defective fiues 7. defective
wiring 2, dynamite EXPLOSION l, false
alarms IA, gasoline 1, gasoline stove ex-
plosion 2, incendiary 2, lamp explosion 2,
oil stove explosion 1. overheated stove ].
rekindled q sparks on roofs 81, spark in
paper |, spark from engine 2, smoking
mosquitoes 1, trash burning 2, unknown
"a. unnecessary 4-total 1873.
"value of buildings at risk, $780, sos 10;
value of contents at risk, $151 ,070. S5--total
value at risk. $551 ,579.55.
Insurance involved In buildings, $780,
045; insurance involved in contents, $751;
S4O-total insurance involved $351 1885,
Insurance loss on buildings, s15,719. 81;
insurance loss on contents, $7S7S. .14-total
insurance loss, $23, ,597.S1
uninsured loss on buildings, s429S SO;
uninsured loss on contents, s5319 .97-total
uninsured loss, $961S.
Total loss insured and uninsured. $780,
o16 II -