South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-24
First Annual Report of Marshal
LOngIey Shows Total DAM
age BY Flames in This City
Was S21,219.
0VERINSURANCE RULE
THROUGHOUT INDIANA
View of Whole Situation Re-
veaIS Great Temptation to
InCendiariSm to the Small
Property Owner.

The first annual report from The or
hce of W. T.. Longley. state ire mar
shall which has just been given 10 the
public, deals comprehensively with tine
question Of the prevalence of the fire
bug in Indiana
From the time that the IRE mar
shais office began work early last
spring 20 Dec. 81. 1913, the state Off
cial succeeded in obtaining ten con
victiOns for arson in Indiana. Arrests
numbering thirty-three were made.
Pleas of guilty were entered IN eight
additional cases, acqulttais were forth
coming in six instances, there were
sixteen cases pending there were
three suspended sentences and One
jury disagreed.
Evansvilles per capita fire loss was
sips. with "A total damage 60 property
of SS7.65O. Fort Wayne had per
capita loss Of S1.05, and a total dam
age of $67,340.
Northern Indiana cities "a rule
did not suffer as did central and
southern Indiana cities. with the pos
Sible exception OF Michigan City ana
one or two others.
South Bend was q notable example
of this fact. the per capita fire loss
there being but 80 cents and the total
ire udllldSt htAllr - y. ANA Af AAtNN'NN
had a per capita loss OF SIG and
a total damage OF S73,247.
Whiting Loss Small.
Whiting had but three hres durlnE
the period. with "A per capita loss OF
34 cents and "A total damage of $2,26o.
Winchester was high in oer capita
cost with Sl6.26, and total damage
Of S7l,955.
Statements. made by the legal de-
partnent of the fire marshals office,
point 10 the enormous OVer-insurance
of properties OF all sorts i'm Indiana,
A table in the report shows the totai
number of fires in each county, with
the total loss. Another shows the
total loss in each city OF four thOus-
and population or over. with the total
loss. Indianapolis, of course, had
the largest total number OF nres-ool-
with a total damage 20 the property
of SI.O4S.S92. The total value or the
porperty here in which fires occurred
was S6,4S2.366, and the total insur-
ance carried on the property was
S4.S54,056 The loss, divided among
the inhabitants Of the city was S4-4y
for each resident during the part OF
the year I'm which statistics were kept
Lower i'm Total Losses
Other cities Of the state We're lower
in total losses. although I'm many M
stances the per capita loss was much
tia loss was 1929. while In Elkhart
the per capita loss was but 81 cents
Garv's loss was low as a total oelnS
S2695O. and the per capita loss there
was $3.50. The total damage from
fire in Goshen was small being Ao.-
$50. while the per capita loss tnere
rivalled F,lkhart. with 60 cents. AZ
Hammond the per capita loss was
S227 and the total damage was s 4i.-
eO4 Richmond had the lowest per
capfta loss II cents RushNillt.
meanwhile, had the highest per capita
loss in the state. S27O1, and Michsah
CITY was a close second with per
capita loss Of $23,13. Ihe total 1ail-
a pc TO property in RushVille was Sl5s.-
ass and in Michigan CITY IL was
S451439. Laporte was low IN the
total per capita cost of hres. Win
31 cents and her total damage from
fires was only $3,253.
Recording the ovcr-insurance
throughout Indiana. the report SAID
Much Over-InsuranCe.
.Tt is impossible TO deal with In
diana fires i'm the aggregate Wllhonl
being impressed with the fact tnal
there is an enormous oNer-lnsurance
of properties Of all sorts, ransihS
from live stock through the calegotle-
OF risks 70 the dllapidated o"etltI-
house relic Of the halcyOn days or ihe
mast Everywhere temptation lies ln
tho Dath of the small property owner
temporarilv down on his luck. W AMI
ing a purchaser for deteriorated hold
ings he sells out 10 the only one
lahle-the insurance company. iil4
trade medium is a match. Ihls class
Of criminal we do not recognize ass
the professional frebug. his, now
ever. is a type far more numerous lhah
the other: his activity swelis me m
n1,aI fire loss and from his ranks the
professional IS recruited.
..rT,l,era can be no doubt as 20 The
v-boIesorne local effect following pros
eoutions for arson. The CONVICTION OF
one man generally suspected h\ ms
nefeF1bors of having prOhted hy "a Hre,
means a saving 20 the insurance com
many and ultimately 20 the puplc. 'l
an amount that can only Zee estlmai-
cd One record shows that Tor SIX
months OF the history Of one indiana
county there has not been a hre o-
unknown origin. This happy t.H'l
ton prevailed following the arrest of
t,,-o we'll known men of the c,H1tv
seat on charges of arson. insurance
men generally declared that this coun-
" had had the highest moral hazard
in the state
old Vacant Buildings Menace.
Ia relation 20 the inspection ph-Sr
of his work. the FIRE marshals report
said. Vacant dilapidated building
are an open invitation % rampS
loiterers and mischievous persons
through whose carelesSness hres are
often started DiIapidated buildings
occupied become au additional menac.
TO life and limb. 10 has been impos
sible in the nine months covered 2
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