The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-09-23
The Flre Alarm Tele rraph.

In6 Flf6 AihIm 10te Btupns
To the Editors Of the InteIigeneerl g s5s
The writer regrets that yourselves and
the Reoister as well, approved the action
oi the First Branch of Council reject ing
the proposition for d Fire Alarm Tele-
graph for this city, .fetr : a. , 81. Il
Believing that such approval was maae
without full consideration Of all inc iacta
In tho case, we venture 10 suggest mat
you publish the Report Of the Committee
on Fire Department upon this subject, 50
that the project may be fairly understood
by yourselves and the citizens Of Wheel
ing. u ~ ut qtsp "A, s'As :
In the meantime we would direct at.
tention to the following extract from an
Insurance paper, which In q general way,
points out the advantages realized from q
fire alarm telegraph. sTguisp yhle
'sThe amount Of loss at any given fire,
depends almost wholly upon the time con.
sumed In bringing themeans OF extinction
10 bear upon It. A reliable way should
therefore, always be. provided TO convey
the alarm TO The fire department In the
quickessa and clearest manner. The Ameri'
can Fire Alarm Telegraph is now largely
employed for this purpose with the best
results.ot h7a a faef2 @ ~. 80
The simplicity, accuracy and reliability
OF the fire alarm telegraph, renders II
most desirable for all towns and cities;
the experience Of every day shows, It's
importance 70 the community at large
and tits ID, be hoped, that local authori-
tiea will mt he deferred from puttipg III
In operation.
Against the cost Of carrying out an, eth7
Gent telegraphic arrangement for the pur,
pose oftfire alarms, must be set the loss
caused by each fire, and 1t will be found
that II only one oil these were prevented
by its means, the saving thereby attained
would be far more than enough to pay ior
| Il and It's maintenance for years togeth--
err fi1GtA 1t4ls ~ uns 1A4
To bring the subject home, let me ask,
\ what Is the result OF our present method
of giving analarmI From, careful OBJ
servation for more than two years, can
answer that It takes from ten to twenty.
five minutes to communicate antalarm TO
the department. s.,E0J1 :. i,
On the occasion Of the fire Of Bell s.
Cos foundry the alarm did not reach the
i southern part Of the city for fully twenty
minutes after the first alarm sounded in
i the 1st Ward.
Your paper reported the alarm on Sat.
utday night last as "ialse." am In.
formed that there was slight fire in the
Sth Ward, which was extinguished, how.
lever, by means at hand before the alarm
reached the United Engine House.
/ II the wind Ia favorable or the nigh,
still, an alarm may be carried from one
end OF this city 10 the other in ten min.
4 utes. If the wind is ,unfayorable, II will
take 10 much longer time I'M fact, The
writer knows Soi several instances In
which the alarm has been carried by mes
sehgers for several squares, the bells hay.
ing Jailed to carry it.
Furthermore, tho alarm given by the
bells 10 most instances does not give the
department the location Of the fire.. II
1.-TWO or more bells are striking at once, 1t Is
very difficult to locate the fire, even Il
[they are struck correctly. In e majority
Of cases the department start for a fire
without knowing its locality. gTh 2 4
1t may be urged that the system o!
alarm by bells, needs organization, and
may be improved. = . -.
i We claim that there are practical OBJ,
jections to the system which will permit
lis efficiency, no matter how well organ
1ized.. .5a;i 10y y y 49,, -
By'a fire alarm telegraph Tie entire
Fire Department will receive the alarm
at the same instant, andwith the addition
Of one or two men IN, the present force OF
duty at all hours, the Department will be
able to reach any fire in from ten to thir-
4 ty minutes sooner than is now possible
u Whatever systemSwe adopt Tor the ex'
! tinguishment Of fires we want something
that will give prompt alarm and an In
telhgent one. Nothing has yet been de:
yised which will do this aas 2swell as the
1 fire alarm telegraph.
4 This city has wonderfully escaped the
ravages of fire. Itmay not always hope
A fire-9cM started IN one Of our bust.
ness blocks and strong wind in the d.
rection OF other blocks-will give US
sensation. s~
Ourggreatest safety is ID keeping d fire
insidethe building In which 1t occurs, and
Ito accomplish this the Department must
lbe on thespot promptly. "a 4 HlAH
X The cost Of a! Fire Alarm Telegraph
would have been paid in property at the
| fire in Bell s. Co.'S, toundryif 1t had been
| In Operation,
iaA fire such as occurred some time since
Il ID @. q. Berry's rope store-with wind
| of any force blowing toward Main street
would leave US without much use Tor o
tFite Department. +&Eas"
4 70 In conclusion, VIC beg leavc, TO express
our sincere conviction that the report oil
'Ithe committee, recommending ahesffre
alarm telegraph and the employment oil
Ian engineer.to'be On duty az oil hours OF
each engine house, was q step in the right
direction, and wasa little as we can Of
ford 10 do In an effort tohmake our Fire
Department.more efficient aisersI tsts stSn
l. FIRE ALARM.
TIE place to find standard Pianos and
Organs is Messfa Adams q Lucas, 100
| 1Fsst.n, ...nok w., I'LL GA an -o a. n