Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1922-03-27
$4,125 FIRE
LOSS IN county
State Fire Marshal Sends
out Annual Report
From Office for
Year 1921.
1859 FIRES IN IOWA
$43,5SS,0OO in Property In
vOlved in Fires During
Year.
1859 FIRES IN IOWA

Property valued at S93,275 was i'll
yolved in the IS fires reported in HAM
ilton county last year, according to the
eleventh annual report from the office
of the state fire marshal just made
public by J. A. Tracy. Damage done
totalled $34,125 Oh which $54.131 III
surance was carried. There was only
one fire in property which was not i'll
sured and the net loss for the year was
$50.
The number of fires in the state last
year numbered AGO, the report shows
and the total loss during the year
was s96OS, 145. Property involved in
the fires valued al $43,5SS,OOO on
which there was $25414,3OO insurance.
Some Not Insured.
Included. in the loss there were 80
fires with total loss Of $319,520 on
which there was no insurance carried.
The number of fires in 1921 was 80
more than in 1920. The fire loss for
the year was S567,7S greater than in
the preceding year. During this period
eleven fires occurred in each of which
the loss exceeded $4,000. The great
est fire loss of the year was at Sioux
City where single blaze cost S4G2Oo4.
There were 11j deaths caused by fires
Ta,.,o xl,,~;,,~v 1901
There is considerable interest TO be
cleaned from the report which, with
tables of various kinds, descriptions
of Investigations and other data, ex.
tends through 33 printed pages.
Most in January.
According to the report, January is
the month when the most fires occur,
741 being recorded during that month.
May was at the foot Of the list with
Dab.
The report shows that 1852 of the
fires occurred in dwelling houses.
Barns are next with 4S9, and stores
third with 1873. ,Sdhoolhouses are
least liable to burn, it seems, as only 43
of these edifices were threatened dur.
ing the year. This is doubtless sad
state of affairs When viewed from the
school boys standpoint.
Sparks Chief Cause.
AS to causes, sparks from the flue
resulted in 1881 fires during the year
Smokers carelesaness proved VI not
very common method Of beginning Il
blaze, 100 fires being caused by this
reason. Children and matches were
responsible for 81 fires. One thousand
and thirty-two of the fires during the
year were of unknown origin.
Of the deaths by fire. 81 of the vic
tins were women and IA children In
20 Of the cases where lives were lost,
gasoline or coal oil was involved. In
ten cases persons were burned to death
as result of bonfire carclessncss.
Twenty one persons lost their lives in
burning buildings. the origin of the
fire being unknown.
Investigate Fires.
The report further states that the
of suspicious fires have
doubled in the past two years and it
is impossible to respond TO all requests
promptly owing to the limited number
Of men available to make the investi-
cations. In 1921, there were 247 fires
in u different counties,
resulting i'll the arrest of 30 persons.
In 20 of these cases evidence was sent
to county attorneys.
Since the fire Iharshal's department
was established July 4. 1911, the re-
port says, 135 persons have been con-
victed for arson.
Educational Work.
The report tells something of the
work being done by the
office in bringing fire prevention be-
fore school children and others. and
says that 993 inspections were made in
III different towns resulting in the
removal Of hundreds Of fire hazards.
One Of these inspections. it says, was
made in Webster City.
In connection with the report. Mr..
Tracy sends out proposed chimney
ordinance which has been drafted and
nv n cOn1mittpe of tho
National Board of Fire Underwriters.
md which, he says. if adopted and en-
waste many thousands of dollars.
LOST-asltO tire and rim. 3ixl. be-
tween Webster CITY and Homer. Sat