The Association of Chief Engineers.

The Association of Chief Engineers.

The insurance papers very generally have spoken in the highest terms of the proceedings of the Convention of Chief Engineers at Cleveland. From one of them we clip the following: "It is only of late years that Firemen, as such, have stepped outside of their own peculiar functions as fire extinguishers to help underwriters prevent fires from occurring, or limit their ravages when once started, This they have now undertaken to do, and with all the zeal and zest which are characteristic of the real fire-fighter. The Chief Engineers’ Association, formed a few years ago, has in this direction become a practical force for good. At the several annual Conventions which have been held the Chiefs have not otdy cultivated an esprit du corps calculated to uplift the character of Fire Departments everywhere, but they have brought their valuable experience to bear upon many practical questions such as underwriters have always had to grapple with alone. For helpers of this sort insurance men can afford to be thankful.

" When the disinterested and often endangered Fireman ranges himself alongside of the representative of insurance capital in demanding that buildings shall be safely, solidly constructed ; that facilities for saving life and property at fires shall be provided in advance; that plenty of water, trustworthy hose, and the best apparatus shall be supplied ; and finally, that a decent amount of care shall be shown by property-owners in protecting themselves from being burned out; when Firemen and underwriters unite in such demands as these, it is time for the general public and the legislator to give heed. In this aspect of the matter, the recent Convention of Chief Engineers at Cleveland takes on the form of a public benefit, and its recommendations are entitled to the more respectful consideration as coming from parties not pecuniarily interested in the kinds of reform they suggest. What they advise is the result of years of experience, and directly in the line of public policy. So far as it will diminish the wastes and fury of fires it is to be welcomed by the public, even if it does help save insurance capital from destruction."