The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-08


work, but am informed that the whole
subject WIS laid over in-view of pos
4 sible reduction in the cost of iron
Il What may occur in prices no one can
tell; bnt do not think that any fall in
prices Is probable, which might save
ten0ugh money TO justify longer neg
1ect 10 prosecute so necessary an I'M
provement as the laying of this pipe
appears TO be- II is absolutely needed
both to supply the hremen and the or
4 Urinary consumers, many OF whom pay
for water they never received The pr1-
ces for pig metal OF the pest qnal L.;y
cannot change much, and 1t now sells
at but little over the cost of productions
and metal of an inferior Kind, and
therefore cheap, would not have at all.
/ You may be told that anything Is good
enough for pipes; but it is not true.
The very best iron, that which will
make solid and strong casting, should
1 be used; such iron sells at about $50 per
ton, while inferior iron may be had for
/ SIS per ton; so that casting from the lat
4 ter can bemade for so per ton, or one
cent per pound cheaper than from the
former iron; but when madei IT Will 3e
nearly worthless. This subject should
receive immediate attention and action,
lest serious loss by fire might occur in
the city which could Lave been prevent
ed by an adequate supply of water; and
| it will not be much justification to say
that it was not provided because there
was possible saving of a few thousand
dollars by a possible fall in the price OF
IRON
again call your attention to section
IS of the charter which gives 10 the city,
authority to establish "City Prison.
The Jail OF this county, now used for
| CITY prisoners, is also used by the State
as penitentiary, and is generally full
TO its capacity. Last year the city paid
to the Tailor, for fees and boarding of
prisoners, more than fifteen hundred
dollars. and perhaps as much more TO
Alderman and Clerk of Municipal Court
and the Sergeant, in the same cases, say
three thousand dollars in all, for which
the city gets little, il any, return; but
certainly a saving of money and posi-
bly, an income would result from the
adoption of the plan suggested in my
communication of last year, which was
that a suitable building should be cree
ted on some parcel of ground belong
/ ing to, or to be acquired by the city,
that sufficient space be enclosed for
labor at breaking stone, and that the
ordinance relating to "labor without
compensation" be SO amended that
male offenders may be sentenced to
work out the payment of fines, costs
and boarding while at work, by break
| ing stone at given rate per perch, and
that they be discharged as soon as they
have accomplished 1t. The same plan
with other employment would work
well for female prisoners. u.
Asteam fire engine has been purchas-
ed and new supply of hose has been
contracted for. In relation-to the steam
l engine some misapprehensions exist,
as TO ownership and control. 1t belongs
\ to the city, the gin by subscription OF
| her citizens. but with the express I'M
Outstanding that it is to be in the
| charge, for the benefit of the whole city,
\ of the United Fire Company, which is
fully competent, from the number of
| engineers and mechanics among its
members, TO properly undertake and
discharge the trust. The engine, after
/ unexpected delay, will, 1 am informed,
i soon be here, and as yet no house mas
been provided for it. a lot in a suit
able location was purchased and paid
for by council last year, plans and'spe-
| cifications were obtained for building
to be erected thereon, proposals were
/ asked for, received, opened in council,
| and Il resolution directing contract with
the lowest bidder was passed in the
| Second Branch, but laid on the table in
the First Branch. I recommend that
| action be taken for the speedy erection
| OF the house contemplated as necessary
| for the reception of the engine.
| There has been in the past year
yery small amount of money expended
| for repairs on the wharf. Only an ex-
animation by the proper committee
| can determine the amount of repairs
| actually needed. That tits considerable,
| is evident. Much of the Madam bed
is washed away, and the paved wharf
is, in many places, torn up. This has
| occurred sometimes by accident, butl
| am informed that boatmen have delib-
erately dug up the bouiders SO ms to
make n secure hold for spar. There
should be more stringent ordinance
passed, assessing fine against any per-
son doing so, and also to cause pay
| ment of the actual damage.
nortier of council was passed last
year authorizing "the Mayor and Fres-
/ ident of the Second Branch to employ
Mr.. Lamb or some other competent per-
| SOM to revise and arrange the city or
dinances for publication. Mr.. Lamb
1 could not undertake it Mt all having
| fully engaged his time, and the only
| proposition we could obtain from any
| person whom we considered competent
was for one thousand dollars, al sum
i which we were not willing to give, and
so the matter rested The arrangement
and style of the present edition made
us very cautious in employing per-
son to prepare the new one, and fearing
a similar production, we declined prop
ositions which were mnde at much
lower figures. AS the old edition is
4 exhausted, another is needed; and be-
/ sides many acts of the Legislature af-
fecting the city exist which should be
Unpublished, and exceptsa few newspaper
scraps all the ordinances passed during
the last eleven years are found only in
writing and are not generally known.
Z During the last year, an afternoon
Market was established for two days,
Tuesday and Friday of each week, and
on the whole perhaps 1t has been bene-
fetal, although many of the citizens are
not better satisfied than before. This
II market is much overcrowded, and it
has been suggested that to fix the time
of opening one hour earlier would re-
lieve the difficulty. 1 think no remedy
would be had by tho change. That
there is enough time now given to do
business is evident from the fact that
Ilong before the hour of closing in the
evening, nearly NIL, both buyers and
sellers, have left the market space. The
principal rush and crowd is at theopen-
Ing aud would be the same If the time
of commencement were one, two or
three hours earlier, and is caused by
persons who anticipate the opening of
market to select and secure such arti-
cles rs they desire, to be paid for alter
market does open. This is clearly fore
Il stnlling, and have Instructed the Mar
ket Master and the Policemen that they
report all cases which come TO their
4 knowledge, that the offenders may be
punished. / recommend the adaptation
of the Old City Hall to. the purposes of
the market; great increase OF room and
convenience would result to both buy
! ers and sellers, and n large revenue be
realized by the city.
Many ofthe farmers who attend com.
plain that, particularly in summer,
they do not find room for their wagons
/ at the Market House, and nre compelled
TO take stands either above or below it,
on the street, while large portion of