Chicago Fire Loss.

Chicago Fire Loss.

“Losses by fire in Chicago last year were $8,560,000, the largest since the great ‘Chicago fire’ of 1872. Half of this could have been saved had there been proper inspection,” said H. H. Glidden, manager of the Chicago board of underwriters, addressing the monthly meeting of the Chicago Association of Credit Men recently. He made a hearty plea for better protection because of the enormous losses by fire in men and dollars that marked 1910. “There arc at least 100 men on the pension list of the fire department who are capable of finding our firetraps,” he went on. “They are too old to be in the department. but they would make the l>est inspectors the insurance men could ask. Furthermore, if they were on the job, no such catastrophe as we had last month could occur again. As it is, one is liable to occur at any minute. Out of every $100 tire insurance premium $2 goes to the city. Half of this amount goes into the firemen’s pension fund, but it seems to me that if the other half were used to bring these old heroes of the rubber coats into active service again, we wouldn’t have to charge up so much to loss on our profit and loss column. Our lire loss here is $3.24 per capita against $3.10 in 252 other American cities and against 61 cents in thirty foreign cities. Counting loss of lives, loss of business, loss of rents, loss of credit and the loss occasioned by the general demoralization occasioned by a tire, the loss per capita to Chicago may easily reach $6.50."

“Losses by fire in Chicago last year were $8,560,000, the largest since the great ‘Chicago fire’ of 1872. Half of this could have been saved had there been proper inspection,” said H. H. Glidden, manager of the Chicago board of underwriters, addressing the monthly meeting of the Chicago Association of Credit Men recently. He made a hearty plea for better protection because of the enormous losses by fire in men and dollars that marked 1910. “There arc at least 100 men on the pension list of the fire department who are capable of finding our firetraps,” he went on. “They are too old to be in the department. but they would make the l>est inspectors the insurance men could ask. Furthermore, if they were on the job, no such catastrophe as we had last month could occur again. As it is, one is liable to occur at any minute. Out of every $100 tire insurance premium $2 goes to the city. Half of this amount goes into the firemen’s pension fund, but it seems to me that if the other half were used to bring these old heroes of the rubber coats into active service again, we wouldn’t have to charge up so much to loss on our profit and loss column. Our lire loss here is $3.24 per capita against $3.10 in 252 other American cities and against 61 cents in thirty foreign cities. Counting loss of lives, loss of business, loss of rents, loss of credit and the loss occasioned by the general demoralization occasioned by a tire, the loss per capita to Chicago may easily reach $6.50."