Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-07-02


| medical education. sanitary science and
the promotion of our own public health.
THE SALEM FIRE AND ITS LESSONS.
| The people of Burlington and other
cities in Vermont, who are accustomed
to slate or other non-combustible roof
| ing as rule, can not readily under
stand the part which shingle roofs
played In connection with the Salem
largely responsible for the almost mex
plicable spread of the flames in the fated
| city. We have an ordinance which pre-
vents the use of shingles for roofing in
| this city whenever new structures are
erected and while in some instances this
regulation may work apparent hardship,
long run. and affords "A large degree of
safety from flying embers in case of fire,
ESPECIALLY during a high wind.
Experiences in connection with the
Salem fire will inevitably result in the
adoption of more stringent and effective
precautions against fire in Massachusetts,
and in so live and progressive a city as
Boston the mayor as well as the press
are urging greater precautions against
connagration in the light of the terrib' g
and costly confagration in the witch
City" These measures for better pro-
lection against fire will not serve, how
ever, to make good the wiping out of
property to the estimated aggregate
,of $2,O0O,O0o. People are accustomed to
say the loss is total. if not insured, but
we must never overlook the fact that
the loss is total no matter whether
insured or not. If all the property is de-
stroyed it means the humiliation of that
value, which must come out of some
body. either the owner or the insur-
ance company.
So far as the community is concerned,
moreover property destroyed by fire is
always a total loss, and if it comes out
of the mutual insurance company, for
example, which is not a money making
concern, but as the name implies for mu-
tual protection, the company is sure
to he forced to draw the lines closer, ex-
ercising greater care in avoiding poor
risks. as we'll as to increase assessments
to meet the heavy loss. If a good care
full company refuses a risk because not
regarded as a good risk, then insurance
must he sought elsewhere and sooner
rates
The Massachusetts insurance authori
ties and companies are largely rcspon
sble for the extent of the Salem fire
In the first place while slate costs NOR,
there than near the slate quarries II
Vermont this consideration did not ex
cuse the long delay in insisting upoi
better conditions as to roofs and $4,000,
000 loss in this single instance would roo
over large part of the Bay State
The Massachusetts insurance compan
les are talking now of increasing rate
as a result of the Salem fire, but th
will make the innocent suffer with tn
guilty If the insurance companies ha'
united in refusing to take poor risks ex
cept at greatly increased premiums, the,
would long ago have forced propert
owners in Massa chusetts and elsewher
not only to look better to roofing, bu
also to exercise greater care as to con
struction as well as to surroundings.
When an insurance company become
large and strong 1t is liable to becom
less careful to the nature of its risks
and also in relation to conditions main
tanned about the property insured
The time is sure to come, if indeed
is not already here, when property-own
ers can no longer rely wholly upon In
surance companies for protection, bu
will be forced to carry larger share G
the risk themselves so they will be force
by sclf-interest to take better care c
their property as we'll as to adopt BET
ter methods of construction as a guar
against conflagration. People will the
have a greater realization of the fac
that fire waste is one of the heavies
burdens the property-owner carries eithe
directly or by proxy and that propert
burned is a loss to the commonwealth
which can never be made good,
THE CURSE OF THE HAPSBURGS
The provcrb, Uneasy lies the hea
lt1nt n Shpnl1 ne pXtpp1Q