The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-10-09
The lire Dsps re a~1t-A Telegraph
Needed.
Editors OF the Register:

! Needed.
Editors oft Register:
! The following facts are stated. Ga the
discovery of the fire in Belrs
foundry it took time to run
three squares beore any alarm
could be given ou fre bell. The hose
carriage OF No. 3 was out and on its
way 10 the FIRE 10 three minutes after
the bell was sounded, laid two lines
hose, and was then (being empty driven
to No. r. engine house iu the Fourth
wsrd, and the driver ran 10 and sound
ed the alarm on the Atlantic bell. This
was nearly half an hour after the
alarm was struck on the Vigilsnt bell.
Doctor T. II Logan was just leaving
his atore, bridge corner. when the Vigi-
liant bell was sounded He walked TO
the Postoffice. shc uting Are" at inter
walls, returned from the Postoffice, still
walking, sud WAS halt way between his
store and Bells foundry before the At
l.ntic bell struck. He consumed near
ly halt an hour in walking these dis
tauces. 10 ten minutes a"ter the bell
OF the Atlantic sounded the apparatus
o. that company was at the fire A
FIRE occurred three weeks ago in
daylight in the square bounded
by Fifth, Sixth, MAN and Market
streets The V giant bell rang long
and loud and was not heard At all a.
the other houses. Last week, at mid.
night, q FIRE was discovered 10 the
Window Glass Works; men had to ruu
Eve tqusrea, ssy FIVE minutes, to give
the alarm to the Vigilant In two
minutes after the bell struck the apps
rstus WAS going up street The fire
was eItipguished without an attach
m. ut, and the apparatus was returned
10 the house In twenty minutes ter
wards the Atlantic bell sounded and in
ten more that company arrived at the
Vigrlant house. Instances OF the same
kind are plenty. and prove that more
time s lost in communicating an alarm
than in getting the apparatus out and
at work. On last Sunday morning g
tlre was discovered in the Commercrsl
"a loon, near your Office. To make an
alarm some one would hsve to run to
the Atlantic house. which would take
tour or five minutes ln 80 long city
a. this. when an alarm is sounded in
one end, # the wind is against it, the
sound will not be heard at the Other
end o. the city The U.s. Of the Fire
Alarm TELEGRAPH would ohviate all
these deas. wnld at least
lessen them Every hotel, drug
store, and public Office would have
charge OF q kew, every policeman, fire.
man, private wstchmsu, and every res
pous BILE private citizen who desired it
would have key On the discovery
OF fire, it is only necessary to pro-
ceed to the nearest box, open it aud pull
a small lever, and the gopgs in every
engine house in the city are instantly
truck giving the location OF the fire,
and Immediately all the large bells will
be rung, not twenty minutes or hal
an hour afterwards. and apart, but all
at the same instant. My observation
shows that the apparatus is always out,
and at work very quickly alter the bell
Of The house containing it, is sounded
Let any citizen time any company. and
IN very few cases will the time exceed
four minutes, aud will be o'ten less than
TWO. l. a dozen men were kept con-
stantly in each house, they would be
perfectly useless unles they got an alarm
when q fire occurred, and with the de-
lays. as they at present exist 10 COM
municating aIarlns. would be no more
fficient than the present organization
The proposition ot cost Tor fire alarm
telegraph is SC 500. with an annual
cost hereafter OF $50 for atteudarce
and $50 for cups and blue
stone. Broken wires or poles
should accidents occur, would be costs
10 addition. The whole OF the expense
might be paid Tor by the saving effected
by a prompt alarm OF one fire, sud il ia
believed would have been in Belrs
case alone Some citizens think that
a rull paid Ere department would reme-
dy all the evils now complained OF
This Nth g fire telegraph would get
the apparatus out one or two minutes
quicker, and that is all. But l suggest
that the total revenue Of this city Is not
now too large and that it would be
wrong (snd the city is in no condition
10 do iU to expend a further sum OF
5000 annually hereafter, in addition
to $40 900 already paid out each year
and further that 1t is unnecessary 10 q
city where the average number Of fres
ia little over one in three montbs. II
be could believe that full paid de-
partment was necessary the writer
would advocate the adoption Of the
plan willingly, even to the prevention
Of street paving and other needed i'm
provements, because il we are 10 be
burnt up, streets wouId he no use to ua,
sRd il only q Iull paid FIRE department
will save us, we ought TO have it He
feels quite sure however that all will be
well with the present department. and
FIRE alarm telegraph, which
will only cost the first outlay
and slight annual expense noted above
Il IS we'll enough TO put one additional
man, an engineer, in Zach engine house
81 $50 increase, annually. over the
present cost Let the Council try this
plan. then il it is not satisfactory the
department Gao hereafter be readily 10
creased 10 full paid one. The Second
Branch OF the Council has adopted the
resolutions adding Ere alarm telegraph |
and one additional man, an engineer