Year: 1874

furnace so placed and surrounded as to pre-


vent the possibility of its firing the premises


Would he not avail himself Of every means t


introduce water into the building to be avail


able in case of any unforeseen accident i


short, would he leave any precaution unem


ployed to protect his property from fire iron


without, or to prevent fire occurring within


Would he not, if hs found it at all necessary


have watchman on the premises at night tt


guard against accidents and to take instan


action should one occur? To do all thi


would not cost, even in the first instance


onc-haf of six months extra insurance nov


paid because Of the want OF these precau
| tons. In city where the governmental au
thority was exercised as it ought to be, ant


these and other precautionary measures mad:
compulsory, there would be but few fires


and their spread would be very limited. But
| the Chicago policy is altogether different.


The ono class takes no possible precautions
against FIRE, having q supposed guarantee
| against loss by the insurance companies and
the other, with criminal obstinacy, refuses to
expend IN additional per cent on the first
| cost Of their buildings for permanent protec-
tion against fire, prcferring to pay per cent
per annum extra insurance for the want OF
these precautions, which, in any other part
Of the world, sensible men would provide
anyway.


The excessive insurance which these per-
sons pay is, We admit, a heavy burden and
to escape it these persons now propose that
the city shall tax itself to maintain Fire De-
paztment of imperial magnitude and of New
York cost. The man who refuses to run his
frc-wau or feet above the roof of his
warehouse at slight cost thinks the city
should keep steam-engine and q fre-con-
pany, at a cost of $4,000 year, to play on
his roof in case the adjoining building should
be on fire. The man who refuses to put iron
shutters on the back windows Of his ware
house, at total cost Of few hundred dol
lars, insists that tire-engine aud company
shall be stationed in that alley to keep
back any fire that may threaten his premises.
The old story Of depending upon somebody
else to do what you can do infinitely better
and cheaper yourself is written on every page
of our history in this matter of protection
against fire. When tho ruins of two hundred
millions of dollars of property were smoking
in 1871, the proposition to prohibit the erec-
ton Of any moro wooden buildings in the city
was voted down; and the argument wns then
freely usedt that, even # fires did sweep the city
thero would be no loss ssif tho owners would
keep the property well insured" Public
sentiment hns progressed since then to the
adoption of the measure rejected in 1871.
The ignorance-we may say the stolid stupid
ity-of to-day is not confined to the old advo-
Gates OF wooden buildings. tits peculiar to the
average $1,000 front foot in value, and
which contain stocks Of merchandise worth
ten times the value Of the building. These
men ignore the laws Of chemistry, and disre-
grrd the plainest laws Of cause and effect in
Z manner that would win the contempt of the
rude architects OF the berk lodges among the
Indians. Putting tar or shingle roof over
five or six-story building and stock Of goods
worth $3.50, 600, anddepending on q fire engine
100 feet below the roof to put out the buru-
ing brands, is peculiar to Chicago calling
on the city to extinguish blazing Mansard
roof constructed Of dry pine well soaked with
oil paint, when at a triaing cost the wood
might have been replaced with incombustiblo
material, these ere the propositions, not Of
the ignorant, hut Of tho wealthy, men,-the
men who carry 1ss1f- million stocks Of goods,
own marble palaces with shingle or tar roofs,
and place their faith in 1re-cngines, and fire
officers at balls or off shooting ducks.