The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-02-14
Mayor Sweeney's Message.
MAYORS OFFICE, WHEELING,'W VA.
E,obrporv 10Th 1857

To the members Of the First, and the Presi-
dent aud mem bers Of the Second branches
of Council:
GENTLEMEN Among the few subjects
to which your attention may now be
called, the most important, perhaps, Is
the preparation necessary. to procure
and preserve a good sanitary condition
of the city, during the current year.
Upon the recommendation of the resi-
dent physicians, energetic steps were
, taken last spring, to thoroughly cleanse
and purify the streets, alleys, and other
{ places within the corporate limits. An
. ordinance was adopted establishing,
during the pleasure of the Council, a
Health Officer, who was clothed with
the powers given by existing ordinances
to the sanitary committees or Board oil
Health, and we'll qualified gentleman,
DR.. r. Blum, elected to the office, who
faithfully and diligently discharged the
duties; and while there were still many
places requiring his attention, succeed
ed in placing the city generally in bet
ter sanitary condition than 1T had ex-
! hibited for many years, and to this TACT
undor an overruling Providence may be
attributed n wonderful decrease in sick
ness and death during the year, and an
almost entire exemption from pestl-
lence. The whole number of deaths re-
ported in 1864 was Az, in 1865 was 4iS,
while in 1866, with largely increased
population, the number was only I'll.
The fact of our having escaped vista
ton of cholera last year is no evidence
that the danger is past or that we will
have like immunity in the future.
On the contrary, that very fact IN
creases the possibility of its coming,
because many will become careless, and
permit their premises to resume former
filthiness, and will be less cautious III
diet and personal habits, and the expee-
rience of other localities shows that 1t
is not unusual that the city exempted
one year may be terribly scourged the
next. Even for times when no epidem-
ic is imminent, the old system Of one
Sanitary committee man for each ward,
the whole constituting the Board OF
Health, is inefficient and practically
useless, and could not have accom-
plished the results of last year, but the
Health Officer as established and oper-
ated by the late Council, or something
similar, can and will be effective. 1t
would be well to postpone the appoint
ment of Sanitary committees under tho
old plan until the Council shall decide
the policy to be pursued i'll the matter.
Your prompt and careful attention to
this subject is earnestly recommended,
that you may as soon as possible estab-
lsh that which in your wisdom you
NAV deem best for the interest OF the
city and the well-being of the citizens.
The present organization of the Fire
Department is very unsatisfactory, even
to the members themselves of the va
rious companies, and they have latterly
made some effort by the selection OF
chief, and by other means to increase
their efficiency and comfort. Exactly
what has been done, | am not prepared
to report, as no official communication
has been made to me. The hremen
labor under great disadvantage from
not having reliable apparatus. with
te exception of some nearly new hose
purchased last year there is scarcely
a section i'm the city that will GER
tainly stand the plug pressure
on the new 20 inch water pipe at
Monroe Street. This is no new discov-
ery, two years ago n contract was made
with parties in Cincinnati for $500 feet
of new hose, but as they failed to COM
ply on time, and rs the price had ma
terially declined, the contract was an
nulled, it being intended to renew 1t
elsewhere. For some reason no new
contract for n sufficient quantity was
made. 1t will be wise to instruct your
~ tnnnf ma lSp
Immediately thorough and careful ex-
animation of the kinds aud quantities
of hose now held among the various
companies and report to you, SO that
the, proper steps may be taken to supply
any want which may exist. The lack
of strong hose is a serious evil, anu
while this city has fortunately escaped
large fires, owing greatly TO the prompt
ness and energy of her tiremen, yet any
fire might prove destructive III conse-
uuence of the weakness and unreliable
ity of the present hose. Since the re-
ception of our Steam Fire Engine i'll the
city desire has been expressed by very
MANY of the citizens to have the hand
engines now used exchanged for steam
engines. There should be two more If
the change is effected, one placed some
where between Adams and Jefferson
streets. on Main, the other near 4th and
Quincy. To do this even under vol
unteer system would involve heavy eX-
pense, say two engines $40, 900, two en-
CINE houses and grounds sl4,OoO, two
hose carriages Sl,4Oo, six horses and
!. harness 81 500, 600 feet of hose $4,000,
in all $4,000, which may be reduced
by the sale of the engine houses, hand
engines, carriages and old hose now used
to saw S20, 900. Ifthis sula or the largest
part of it can be raised from insurance
companies, banks and property holders,
the steam engines might be purchased
and the system established. Under VOL
unteer companies the cost of main
tenance of all three steamers would be
the feed for 9 horses, $1,000, and the
salary for three engineers, S,25O, and
for three hostlers, 81 800, at the least,
less the sum of 81, 900 now annually ap-
propriated to the fire companies, max
ing the difference in cost of operating
about $4,000 per. annum. While IL
would bc very desirable to have two
more steam fire engines (and personally
| am in favor of it,) yet You should hes
itate to incur the expense, unless ma
jority of the citizens express in some
unmistakable manner their wish to pro-
cure them, even ut the costs above
stated. The United Steam Fire Engine
Company and the Guards Hook and
Ladder Company are acquiring skill
and proficiency in the management OF
their apparatus that is creditable to
them, and will enable each of them to
do good work in extinguishing fires. A
contract now on file in the Clerks
Office was made by the late Council
with G. w. Jeffers, Esq, to revise and
re-arrange the existing ordinances of
the city. The work is completed and
ready to be submitted to Council for
examination. So many of the ordi-
nances were found repeating and con-
flicting with others that a large num-
Der were necessarily entirely rewritten,
and action by Council will be required
to lecalize them. The examination and
comparison needed can be made by your
committees, and reported, or you can by
special meetings, act upon them IN
full Council. As it will take some time
10 do this, and then contract for the