The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-03-11

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in this city, will doubtless be discontinued
at the expiration Of the season for which
It was contracted for, and there is hardly
owaremote possibility that it will be again
contracted for. The question now arises
what will be done in the matter2 Our ex-
perience OF January last, demonstrates the
necessity for an alarm in this city
and good one; but as the private
subscribers have declined to do anything
in the way Of renewing their subscrip-
tons to the present one it deyolves on the
city, as 1t properly should, to take some
prompt and effective measures to put US
In posture OF defense 30 far as this mat
ter is concerned. The present system
could be continued at Q rental OF from
81 200 TO 81 500 per annum, but investiga-
ton shows thatwe can purchase one OF our
own Of . satisiactorypna nature at a cost not
very much exceeding those figures.
The 1STELIlaENcER has not been in
favor OF this movement up to this time from
the very obvious reason that the city was
only paying about 1915 per annum for the
privilege OF operating the system now in
use, as the remaining 5000 were made up
by private subscription, but when the
proposition Is made TO increase this TO
81 200, the cheaper aud better plan would
be to avail ourselves OF the other plan.
Mr.. W. 0. Handlan, Chairman OF the
Committee on Fire Department, has given
the subject Of the alarm system his exclu-
sive attention for some time back, and in
the interest OF the department has written
many places and even visited the city OF
GAINESVILLE, and with the Chief OF the Fire
Department OF that city made thorough
and critical examination Of the system
now In use there, which was most
satisfactory 10 him. The result OF his
experiments in the matter we give be
low. The majority OF the Committee were
in favor OF continuing the old system un.
der the former rates and so recommended
TO Council, but the withdrawal OF the
offer Tuesday night necessitated the re.
ference Of the matter 70 the committee
again. 1t Is now very likely that the sys
tenn recommended by Mr.. Handlan will
be adopted.
To de Hon. Mayor and Council Of 1e City o.
| Wheeling:
GENTLEMEN: Differing with q majority
OF the Committee on Fire Department In
regard to fire alarm for the city oil
Wheeling, respectfully present the fol.
lowing minority report:
During the prevalence Of the incend;ary
fires in the month Of January, the Chiel
Marshal and myself endeavored to estab.
lish system Of signals by which the en-.
gines could be moved as desired. The
wear and tear Of machinery, and Injury
to the horses belonging 10 the department,
resulting from long trips made through
rough streets to fires, and the fear that
two or more fires might occur in different
localities at the same time, make 1t very
desirable To be able to control the move
ments OF the steamers. After week OF
ten days spent In the effort, we were
: obliged to abandon the project, as the
Western Union District Messenger Com
pany required more obligations on the
part oil the Mayor and committee than we
: were able to perform.
| Ithen wrote to GAINESVILLE for information
regarding the FIRE alarm in that city. The
! result OF this correspondence was q letter
from the Chief Marshall OF the Fire De
partment Of GAINESVILLE, highly recon.
mending the system there in use, and the
appearance here OF Mr.. @. II. Pond, rep
resentative OF the Union Fire Alarm Tele
graph Company OF the city OF New York
which company had furnished the Fire
Alarm for the city Of GAINESVILLE. :.
I invited the Mayor and all OF the mem
bers OF the committee I could reach, and
q conference was had with Mr.. Pond in
regard to putting up an alarm in this city
similar to the one In use In GAINESVILLE.
MIR. Pond offered to put up ready FOL
} operation, o system OF alarm comprising 6
! bell striker Of nearly three times the powel
OF the one In use at GAINESVILLE, attaching
the same to the capital bell, five six.
teen and one half inch engine house
gongs, and thirty OF their signal boxes, fol
the sum OF 8, 900, and the necessary poles
and wire TO complete the system for Sl0(
per mile.
For the information OF Council, the
Chief Marshall and myself have located
thirty-seven signal boxes, and have made
measurements showing the length OF wire
required TO make the connections.
4 The Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Com
pany offer the free use OF their poles
where they can be made available, and We
find that about four miles OF wire can BIZ
90 placed. 1t will require about four miles
additional, with necessary poles to com
plete the connections, making tota
length OF wire OF about eight milea.
This arrangement would locate boxes as
follows: Top Mill, corner Third and
Main, corner Fifth and Main, Vigilant
corner Ninth and Main, corner Tenth and
Market, City Building, Alley 7 and Main
corner Twelfth and Main, corner -Four.
tenth and Market, Arcade saloon, At
lantio, corner Fourteenth and Eotf, corner
Twelfth and Jacob, corner Sixteenth and
Wood, Central Glass Company, corner
Twelfth and Mccullough, corner Nine.
tenth and Jacob, Guard Hose, corner
Twenty.second and Eo6, corner Twenty.
Second and Market, United, Twenty-sixth
and Main, Twenty.fifth and Chapline,
Riverside Forge, Twenty.seYenth and
Chaplina, La Belle store, La Belle Mill,
Thirty-third and Eoff, Hobbs, Brockunier
< Co. Glass Company, Eighth ward hose,
Fortieth and Jacob, Fritz's store, Chas. T.
Cowan's store, corner Ohio and Broad
way, Luken's store store, corner Kentucky
and North Front, making total number
OF thirty.seyen signal boxes.
am Of the opinion thatthe system thus
eomprehended can be put in operation
for about $4,000.
This system Of alarm being automatic in
It's operation, no skilled electrician is
required 10 work It. In fact all
the attention required to operate IL APP
pears to be, to periodically add small
quantity Of material to the contents OF the
jars, and mend wire In case OF q break.
It Is SO constructed that break in the
wire Is Immediately signalled by stroke
on the large bell. The system in use in
GAINESVILLE comprises twenty-one boxes,
en-, engine house goPPss and and bell striker
Of wire. Mr.. shrimpton, the Chief Mar
shall, informs me that the entire cost for
furnishing and repairing their alarm for
the year Just closed Is less than $50, and
that not n false signal has been given since