Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-10
Undesirable Insurance Offers
From Outside Agencies
Years Record of Fires
Causes of Fire
STATE HOUSE CHAT
More Farmers Institutes An
nounced-Man Fined $40 for
Buying and Sending Deer
Out of the State
Next Meeting of the Governor and
Council, 10 A. NJ, Thursday, Nov. 10


Council, 10 A. M Thursday, Nov. 10
From time to time the insurance
agents of Maine are supplied with cir
culars from agencies outside the State
Offering to take care of fire insurance
on property in Maine which is not
acceptable to authorized companies
and offering to place insurance on
other property at rates below those
fixed by our licensed companies stat
ed Hon. J. Wallace Blunt of Skowhe-
gan, the State insurance commissioner,
Monday, The general tenor of these
circulars and the liberal rates offered
should be sufficient reason to prevent
any cautious person from considering
them seriously or to expect for a mo-
ment that any indemnity such agen-
cies might provide can be reliable.
"Of course no agent familiar with
the facts will for a moment consider
acting as an agent for any unauthor-
lied company" continued Commission
err Blunt. Our statutes clearly pro-
hibit an agent from acting in such
way by fixing a penalty for any per-
son who solicits, receives or forwards
a risk or application for insurance to
any company without first being duly
licensed. The statute, Section "a Of
Chapter 49 of the Revised Statutes
further provides that :" an insurance
agent shall be personally liable on all
contracts of insurance unlawfully
made by or through him, directly or
indirectly, for or in behalf of any
company not authorized to do bust
ness in the State / firmly believe that
there are few of our agents who are
not familiar with these facts but for
the benefit of those who have not be-
come acquainted with them we have
deemed it advisable to call the atten-
ton of interested parties to the fore
going.
Record of Fires
From the first of the year up to the
present time the estimated value of
buildings damaged by fires has been
s2,389, 800: the estimated damage, s527,-
101; the insurance upon the property,
s2.125,971; insurance paid, $3.50, sOe es-
timated value of the contents, 81 ,104,-
GAS; estimated damage to the contents,
s211,357: insurance upon the contents,
s93S,ss9 insurance paid on the con-
tents. sio2,9le.
Causes of Fires
ported to the State insurance depart
ment as follows:
Ashes, four; back fire of engine. FIVE;
back fire in carbureter, one; boiling
over of kittle of fat. three: boiling
over of kettle of wax. enc. burning
out OF chimney, IA; burning paper,
ltssl lat
caught from boiler, four; caught from
candle, three: caught frcm chimneys,
Is; caught from dryer, one; caught
from fireplace. three; caught from
flue, one: caught from furnace, one;
caught from gas iron, one; caught
from gas jet, three: caught from gas
stove, three; caught from gasoline,
two; caught from gasoline tank, one;
caught from gasoline torch, one;
caught from lamp, seven: caught from
match. one: caught from muller, one;
causnt from oil stove. 10; caught from
oven. one: caught from stove. nine;
children playing with matches, IS;
caught from stove funnel two: caught
in picker, one: defective chimneys and
hues, Sc: defective fireplace. one; de-
fective wiring, FIVE; electric tlatiron,
one; electric iron. one electric light,
one; electric switchboard, one; ele-
trio wires. four; exhaust pipe, one;
explosion of gasoline, one; explosion of
gasoline stove. two; explosion OF ker-
osene stove. one: explosion of lamp,
FIVE; explosion of oil. one: explosion
of oil stove, one: explosion of turpen-
tine, one; fireworks, Is; forest fire,
one: fumigating, one: grass fire, two;
hot box, one; hot exhaust, one; igni-
ton Of gasoline, two; ignition of
matches, two; lightning, 157; incen-
diary (suspected) FIVE: matches, Is;
match and gasoline, one; mice and
matches, one; overheated chimney
10; overheated kettle Of fat, one; over
heated lamp. one; overheated oven,
one; overheated stove, six; overturned
lamps and lanterns, 10; rats and
matches. five; smoking, A; sparks,
nine; sparks from chimneys, Is; sparks
from fireplace, one; sparks from loco
motive, six; sparks from match, six;
sparks from stove. three: sparks in
| picker, one: spontaneous combustion,
Is; trap, one; unknown, 121.
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