Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 May 1907 — GOES UP IN SMOKE. [ARTICLE]

GOES UP IN SMOKE.

Many Millions Eaten Up by Actual Fires and by Fire Protection. In all this huge country of ours we built about $500,000,000 worth of new buildings a year; our fire losses, including cost of fire departments and insurance, exceeds that sum. Two hundred million dollars is actually burned up—gone into smoke; fire departments, high water pressure and all that sort of thing mean nearly $300,000,000 more; we annually pay out $195,000,000 to the gentlemen who condescend to gamble with us on the question of fire in insurance premiums. We get back, after considerable trouble and some litigation, about $95,000,000 from the insurance companies as a slight salve for our fire injuries! Surely not a profitable gamble. Now then, the above are normal losses, so called. One fire, like San Francisco’s, means $315,000,000 wasted in smoke, $1,000,000,000 in lost business to that city and the country generally, $12,000,000 to clean up the debris and $350,000,000 and 20 years’ time to get the city in the condition it was before the fire. To counterbalance all that vast total the people of San Francisco may, after long delays, much quibbling and tiring litigation and fussing, get $135,000,000 from the insurance companies!