Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1879 — Our Enormous Losses by Fire. [ARTICLE]

Our Enormous Losses by Fire.

The loss caused by fire still continues to be enormous in this country, the figures reaching a total which must surprise many people. During last year this loss amounted to $64,315,900, of which the insurance covered $36,575,000. For the four years from 1875 to 1878, inclusive, the total loss was $275,314,585, of which the insurance companies bore $147,674,700. The greatest destruction by fire of course occurred in this State, the leading one in population and in the number of its buildings. The loss last year was over $9,000,000, Pennsylvania coming next with over $6,000,000, then Massachusetts with about $5,500,000, Ohio $3,250,000, and Hlinois about $3,000,000. Of the establishments which are classed by the insurance companies as extra hazardous on account of their special liability to fire, due to the nature of the business carried on in them or to their construction of inflammable materials, the total number burned in IS'SB was 5,229, valued at $42,557,200, and insured for $23,970,990. Thus’ thpqgh these specials, gq called in im

surance parlance,were numerically a very dnmll minority of the Whole number of risks, the loss by them footed up to about two-thirds of the total losses of the year. The establishments of this character of which the largest number were burned in 1878 were the following; and the table is instructive as showing the sort of buildings most liable to fire: Hotels 407 Blacksmith shops St Grocery stores *76 Carriage factories 71 Liquor stores 281 Bakeries 68 Drag stores. .....191 fee houses 63 Gin houses 183 Carpenter shops 61 Saw-mills 173 Churches 68 Restaurants 152 Lumber yards 58 fivery stables 149 Newspaper offices 56 Flou.ringmills 115 School-houses 64 Furniture factories... 10: —New York Sun.