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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1918)
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: MARCH 10, 1918. 5 C Great American Bonfire Some Startling Figures Graphically Expressed by Underwriters Bureau tM uut p.' i wmmmB.t!tw?iitituuii MMlta U WKKmkWLUtUltUftlUtll I V mm m i - Oaercjt J rm I I , m - ' us ft.. ;tt imHmrrrrrTr1 irtaMA in wmmmeniuittiiu 1 j 1 Jl .OT, ' s ta a km. in Tzzzuiiiiittijuza oa . nt iimiMt .im tj77t77777,-, i ... 1 Kt. Tort jUI mmmrmhi li Or. IM , kTJHHBSSZZZ2ZZC3 HikDM l KZZZSS2ZCZ Helms LB mamr?yr'jjj'j'Jim j rr u at it - j ! t j tUrytui I IN nKZZZZZCD . wiMeaate MMK222Z&E3?32j3 1 ' M M Jl IiiMih U MKZZSZZC3 M A ' j " J M kvttu. US GZZ&C3 - . . . JwttMi !U4 nMK&Sacj Vkftatt Ul BI2BSC3 I H J Jl ou. us to; i j I i OktUooa Itt I I a. wf Y m I I I . Bmtekj' Lit raHBSSZ3 Mr saftCmlta LM CZSCZ3 at w : (in BBBBZZES ja j jr WaaVbitali 1J ggZZZOC MonkOuBlka LI WBTZEE Maria rfCohabb LM Jyofflhj LM toMaijM M WBXOB Fire Loss Figures for 1916 Now Made Public for the First Time Their Compilation and Analysis Has Required Thirteen Months of Steady Labor. Total. Many times daily, the postman brings to the sixth floor of 76 Wil- . liam street, New York City, an arm ful of mail of an unusual character. Interesting things forthwith begin to happen to this daily influx. It is swiftly opened, examined and classi fied by trained inspectors. Then it passes into the hands of an army of typists and filing clerks, who reduce its information to the form of card record. From these, in turn, the data is taken to other rooms, where busy operatives, with strange ma chines, fill ruled cards with appar ently meaningless perforations. Still later, these perforated cards ytre run at high speed through com plicated mechanisms that throw them into different compartments accord ing to some mysterious principle of classification, or that sends rows of figures in indicators ; into rapidly changing arrangement. Last of all, the various cards produced in these processes join millions of similar cards in the extensive files which line the rooms. It would be obvious to any visitor that these rooms contained a large or ganization, working constantly at top speed, with an almost incredible vol ume of detail; but the nature of all this activity would be far from obvi ous. Let us explain. Fires in Forty-Eight States. The fire bells are ringing in a Minnesota town. The engines, dash up to a dwelling, from which come smoke and flames. An overheated furnace pipe, in last night's zero weather, has caused th? outbreak of a fire, and before it can be extinguished several thousand dollars worth of damage is done. Fortunately, the residents are carrying fire insurance, j DeUwlVo"! ana one 01 ineir nrsi actions is to Dist. of Col tile a claim with their company. The adjuster soon arrives and arranges a settlement, and immediately the com pany fills out a blank record of the fire, giving name, location, amount of loss, value of the property, insurance carried, construction of building, and many other details, and posts it to the actuarial bureau of the National Board of Fire Underwriters a 76 William street, New York City. It arrives in company with the re ports of fires caused by a careless smoker in San Diego, Cal.; a defec tive chimney in Bangor, Me.; an elec tric smoothing iron in Philadelphia; n overturned lamp in Memphis; a "boiler explosion in Seattle, and so many other different fire records, from so many other causes, that one might think the chief occupation of Americans to be that of watching fires. ... , . Suffice it to say that an average of 2,500 in surance . claim reports, resulting from approxi mately 1,500 separate fires, are daily received. These offices, therefore, with their army of typ ists and clerks, and their battery of ma chines, constitute the statistical center of fire destruction an obser vation point upon that shocking piece of na tional extravagance "the great American bonfire." Detail, raised nearly to the nth power this is the work of the act uarial bureau. The fire loss of 1916 stopped necessarily upon mid night of December 31 in that year; and yet it was not until January, 191$, that the final an alysis of the vast ac rtimulation of statis tic hart been comN pleted. Some phases of this analysis are herein presented, by means of diagram and tarole, and it is believed that they will repay the most careful study. In the first place, it must be admitted that 1916 was not a good year. It shewed a change in the wrong di rection. The per capita fire loss for the United States was about $2.10, as against $1.71 for 1915. This difference of 39 cents per capita means an aggregate of more than $40,000,000 increase during the year and $40,000,000 is a good deal ot money when it measures an increase m unnecessary destruction. How unnecessary is this destruction appears from a consideration of fire causes. For the purpose of this discussion, fire causes have been classified roughly into three groups Strictlv nreventable. partly orevetita ble and unknown (probably largely oreventable) . The "strictly prevent able" causes and their loss figures, so far ascertained, are as follows: Cause. Total. Pet Defective chlmneyi and flue ...S1J,T!U1T .l Firework!, firecrackers, etc. 275,401 0.1 Gas, natural and artificial.. 1,815,697 O.t Hot ashes and coals....... 1,140,194 0.5 Ienltlon of hot srease. oil. tar. wax. etc ' 562,130 0.S Hot or molten metal 167,183 0.1 Matches .' 7,135,181 3.4 Open fires 1.1U.963 O.i Ooen lights 2,142,168 1.0 Petroleum and Its products. 6,070,100 2.4 Rubbish and Utter 717,651 0.4 Smokinr (clears, clgarets, Dines) .; 8,588,375 4.1 Sparks on roofs 7,355,047 3.5 Steam and hot water pipes. 413,175 0.2 Stoves, furnaces, boilers and their pipes 11,204,875 LABOR IN HUGE MEET PROTESTS MOONEY'S FATE New York, March 9. Organized labor in New York City rnd vicinity called a mass meeting in Union Square this afternoon to protest against the execution of Thomas T. Mooney of San Francisco for his al leged part in a bomb explosion in a "preparedness day" parade. "This demonstration was called," according to Ernest Bohm, secretary of the Centra! Federated union, "be cause we uelieye the Mooney trial was a framiup. It's a deliberate at tempt to destroy organized labor on the coast and it s the fight of all or ganized labor to prevent that." Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, wrote that he approved the purpose of the meeting. The principal speakers an nounced were W. Bourke Cockran, James P. Holland, president of the New York State Federation of Labor, and Anton Johannsen of San Fran tisco. Persistent Advertising Is the Road to Success. . Connors Ordered to Close Place Near Carter Lake Pat Connors has been notified bv Sheriff Clark to close his place north of Carter Lake under penalty of DrOSeCUtion for cnntmnt of rnnrt The place was ordered closed under tne proniouion law by the district 1..-. A .. . f11 .... luu.v iasi i-iugusi louowing an injunc tion suit brpught by Sheriff Clark. James Says He Is 0. K. Pitcher Bill James, the old Braves' star, says nis wing is again O. K., and hopes that Boss Stallings will give him an opportunity to prove it. The 1916 n Lost fitoree bers shewn art in aoQartand csnts. Thsy wmutl toon thaa 7 of the total Una k tht United Statsa, The fifnn far aemra! state would be somewhat fa. at a If ha statistic war anflabl. 6.4 Total $60,466,054 28.1 "Partly preventable" causes contain the following items and amounts Cause. '. v " Total. Pet. Electricity .t $16,651,433 7.1 Explosions 1,281,303 0.6 Exposure (conflagrations)... 41,237,168 19.8 Sparks from machinery (friction) 7,413,348 Incendiarism 8,121,816 Lightning 8,092,623 Miscellaneous, cause known but not claesifled 2,646,441 Sparks from fires 3,304,896 Spontaneous combustion ... 10,941,266 ..199,606,293 47.8 The Average Losses by State. One of the interesting facts brought to light in the actuarial bureaus analysis is that the fires in the United States for the year 1916 show an aver age loss per fire of $583.56, although the losses in the separate states vary from an average of $311.40 in Colorado to $1,543.44 in Georgia, the total of average losses for the states being as follows: Alabama,...! 693.10Nebraska .... 465.36 86b.l7Nevada 1.082.76 l,043.2New Hamp ONLY ONE PERSON IN FIVE IN OMAHA OWNS WAR BOND Only one family in five in Omaha has purchased Liberty bonds to date, according to the estimates made by some of the workers who are can vassing the city with cards for in formation as to the amount and character of war work done by the citizens of Omaha. This is looked upon as evidence of how large a field is yet untouched for the sale of bonds. It was dis covered, according to canvassers, that some of Omaha's citizens who are rated as wealthy have purchased only erne $100 Liberty bond to date. Many have expressed upon their cards their intention of taking Liberty bonds in large amounts when the next Issue is made. In answer to the question of na tionality, one man answered "Ameri can since 1620." Maine Man, in His Will, . Gives Horse $5,000 Year r The will of the late Horace A. Stone of Bangor, Me., sets aside $5,000 for the upkeep of his favorite driving mare during her life. Arkansas Arizona . California Colorado 617, 195.96 431.65! Florida 814.40 Georgia .... 1,543.44 Idaho Illinois Indiana .... Iowa Kansas Kentucky .. Louisiana ... Maine ...... Maryland 634.20 606 14New Jersey.. 832.00 SU.40New Mexico.. 644.61 New York... 449.76 N. Carolina.. 898.49 N. Dakota... 708.71 Ohio 376.44 Oklahoma, ... 602.88 759.74 Oregon 1,239.66 430.11Pennsylvania 655.46 117.81 Rhode .Island 808.65 411.11 8. Carolina... 794.32 39J.06 8. Dakota .... 427.04 611.07 Tennessee .... 705.83 771.00 Texas 1,162.96 620.69IUtah 431.86 611.64 Vermont ..... 742.30 Mass. 4!7.76 Virginia ..... 802.38 Washington . 761.43 W. Virginia.. 803.01 Wisconsin , ... 614.16 Wyoming . . . 607.86 Michigan .... 348.33 Minnesota .. . 588.72 Missouri .... 587.85 Montana ... 1,048.85 Mississippi .. .736.44 A study of the economics of fire de struction' leads more and more in evitably to the conclusion thatAmer ican .carelessness is the chief , fire cause. There never has been a year when this fact was so condemnatory. as at present. Engaged in the might iest struggle of all history, when na? tonal efficiency is called upon to 'an unprecedented degree, the folly of maintaining our traditional rate of unnecessary fire destruction becomes almost tragic. Not to speak of the several thousand fatalities which are usually caused by fire each year, there is a very real sense in which our fire losses, if continued in 1918, may lead inaireciiy 10 mousanas ot oti.er deaths. A great" army of our cwn young men is preparing to enter the battle line in r ranee, the huge forces of our allies are becoming more and more dependent upon our resources, and the very populations of European countries are threatened with starva tion unless we can send them food. American fires destroy our supplies, imperil our resources, and weaken our energies to an appalling degree, while back of American fire losses always stands that greatest contribut ing factor American carelessness. The subject, then, is no longer one of mere economics it concerns the fu ture of humanity itself. Every American must cease to think of the war as an occurrence 3, 000 miles away. He must realize that it includes his country, his commun ity, his place of business, and his home. Failure to recognize this fact can no longer be ascribed to ignor ance. Failure to apply a prompt cor rective to his old-time habit of in difference to fire hazard, to his con genital, ingrained American careless ness, will discredit his claim longer to be considered a patriotic citizen of America. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniaii u.. i I'wrrrnmnvwmassi Dill worn Bethlehem Motor Trucks M DEPENDABLE DELIVERY DETHIEHEM ttOTORHTRUCKS Axles-Ignition-Engine Units-Cooling System Bearings Transmission Oiling System Brakes Springs Steering Gear Tires every detail that goes into every Bethlehem Truck is as near perfect as science and money can make it Examine die Bethlehem. $1245 llToo F. O. K, AULENTOWK PA $1775 ChtMi! BETHLEHEM DUMP TRUCKS Writ for Catalogue BETHLEHEM TRACTORS J. T. STEWART MOTOR CO., 2048 Farnam St., Omaha, Nab. Distributors Nebraska. Western Iowa, South Dakota. 13 m S3 '"3 . jsmeaj 53 lllillfll illMillllllllllllllM An engine that runs with soft ness, due to the now noted "Hot-Spot" and "Ram's-Horn" Manifold Chalmers features A THE mere knowledge that any part of motor car construction can be improved leads the West cott Builders to. improve it. Cost or precedent is not considered. This is why the Westcott is perfectly lubricated by a system of wick-fed oil cups, why it is equipped with a "self-acting" top, why it has thermostatic control of engine temperature. This is why the Westcott is always foremost in design, construe tion, and performance. Seven Model, $1890 to $2790 f . o. b. Spring-field, Ohio , Let u demonstrate all the Westcott uperioritle to jrou. STANDARD MOTOR CAR CO. CARL CHANGSTROM, PRES. Distributor 2020-22 Farnam St. Douglas 1708 OMAHA, NEB. CARL CHANGSTROM, PRES. -lo 99.6 Perfect is the Service Rec prds Verdict on the 6600 Maxwell trucks now in use In the days of yesterday, "roar and "wallop" were the terms used to define an engine's power. ; Today, it is the softness of power, the controllability of it that fascinated. It is a new kind of power to many, brought to public attention through the famous MHot-Spot and "Ram's-Horn" Manifold of the Chalmers. For here the gas is heated, and "cracked-up" at the throat of the carburetor by the "Hot-Spot" and then rushed quickly via the "Ram's-Horn" Manifold into the combus tion chambers. t It is " toasted " so nicely, "pulverized " so fine, that the instant after sparking there is well-nigh no waste of gas. Little of power comes out of the exhaust. All the power comes out of the rear wheels and such pleasing, well harnessed power, that your enthusiasm for driving reaches a new peak. TOURING CAR, 7-PASSENGER $1535 TOURING SEDAN - . '. TOWN CAR LANDATJLFT ttax Sar5r5St?rncer.! TfPMSENCER-' 2!S5!5S:S STANDARD ROADSTER . . $l5 TOWN CAR. 7-PASSENGER . tJ5 LIMOUSINE LANDAULET $M3f ALL PRICES F. O. B. DETROIT SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE WESTERN MOTOR CAR COMPANY Western Distributors Omaha, Neb. Branch at Wichita, Ka. 2047-49 Farnam St Phone Douglas 4904. 99.6 is a figure that no vehicle of the day has surpassed. It is based on what the 6600 Max well trucks have done. TWnk; what it means 6600 trucks all identically alike (except the bodies) travelling over every known kind of road in and about 500 cities, used in every climate where the American flag flies, every altitude, and driven by 6600 different drivers who have 6600 dif ferent ideas on how to drive a truck. And yet of air this number the serv ice records show 99.6 ?6 perfect. Quantity production has brought the price down within the reach of every - oner $400 less than any other truck of similar capacity in the world. $ 1 085, chassis only, f . o. b. Detroit. Elec tric lights. Electric generator. Worm drive. 10-foot loading space. 2500 pounds. Mid-City Motor Supply Company . DISTRIBUTORS 2216-18 Farnam St. Omaha. Phone Tyler 2462. i I 1 Business is Boosted by Use of Bee Want Ads