Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-10

ANIMAL Report OF the superintendent OF
the Fire and Police Teleg graph.


the Fire and Police Telegraph.
| IMPROVEMENTS MADE IN THE FIRE ALARM
| sERF1cE-ITs EXTENSION TO THE SUBURBS
: hECoAaESDED-THE TELEGRAPH VERSUS THE
| TELEPHONE FOR POLICE sERvIcE-A STRONG
! RECOMMENDATION IN FAVOR OF UNDER
GROUND CABLES.
Mr. III. r. Miles, superintendent of the District
telegraph and telephone service. has submitted
10 the District Commissioners his report of the
transactions OF his department during the fiscal
year ending June 30th last. He states that 40
new fire alarm signal boxes, OF the latest i'm.
provements in the Gamewen system, were
added to the fire alarm service during the year,
ana all the circuits considerably enlarged and
| improved. These additions to the service,
/ amounting TO 53 per cent, were accomplished
at a total cost of S7,953.65. Nearly sixty
miles of wire were up during the year. He
SUGGESTS that Gamewell electro-mechanical
gong,strlkers, such as has been placed in No.
every engine-house in the District. There were
80 alarms OF fire transmitted through the
between midnight and o'clock a. m, Al be-
tween d a. IN. and noon, q between noon and
p. m, ana % between y. m. and midnight
The total number of hours during which the
1lre department was In service or absent from
me houses In active work fighting fire was
1913 2o-60. or, counting eight hours for q days
work, "a days hours and 20 minutes The
| greatest number Of alarms from any single box
was Z, struck from box 131, corner 9th and F
streets. Inere were from box 213, corner of
| lth and X streets northwest, and each from
boxes IL and 81, and each from boxes 1913,
were 40 boxes from which no alarm was re-
| ceived.
TIE TELEPHONE SERVICE.
Including the police patrol service, the re-
port says the District has in constant use III
sets of telephones, all of which are rented by
| the year from the Chesapeake and Potomac
telephone company. During the year ISL OF
recorded messages, pertaining to police BUSH
phone to and from police headquarters-an in
crease OF 81 COS over the previous year. AS
no. more than one-half of the messages are re-
coIded IL Is safe, the report says to assume that
hoi less than 100000 messages were transmit
ted during the year.
1.-THE telephone" Mr. Miles says "has become
necessity In all the departments OF the Dis
tr1ct government, answering far better for most
purposes than the telegraph. But for police
business good printing telegraph would, in my
Judgment, be far better, tor the reason that &C
curi i printed copies at both ends of the line
cations could be sent without any danger OF
leakage or disclosure en- route"
THE PATROL SYSTEM.
Ine patrol telegraph and telephone system"
the report says, first introduced in the fifth
police precinct, has worked in q very satisfactory
manner During February last five of the sem
try-box stations-oc the twenty-in that pre-
eInet were removed to and put up in the sew
r.
chased for the same precinct, so that the Nth
anu seventh precincts each have fifteen sentry
s,at0ns; all Il Of c Which in both precincts
funds appropriated for that specific purpose.
The patrol telegraph and telephone system for
In my Judgment, be extended as rapidly as
possible into and throughout all the several
precincts
UNDERGROUND CABLES.
I'm my last annual report" Mr. Miles contin- |
rrnc
Cable company had put down certain lines of
the waving Cable for trial use by this DEPART
ment, and that so far as these cables had then !
been tried they had been satisfactory
IL now supplement that report by the further
statement that we have been using the same |
cables continuously since my last report for |
both fire-alarm telegraph and Telephone bnsi
ness with the best possible results In TACT we |
have had no trouble in the use OF the cOnduc.
tors, nor has there been any expense incurred |
IN keeping the cables In order. see no practi- |
cal reason why all the wires used for fire-alarm
telegraph, as we'll as for general telephone pur-
able and frst-class cables be selected for the |
purpose.
II am aware that it will cost large sum Of !
money to put all the wires of the telegraph and |
telephone service OF the District underground. |
and would not recommend that 1t should all be |
done in one, or even in two or three wears. Bnt
am so fully satisfied of the practicabiIiiv1 as
well as OF the desirabiIi;y of having them put |
In underground cables at an early date, that |
preparation be made OF S25, 900 to begin the |
work, and that all the wires now in the trunk
INES running along u street, between 5th and |
18th streets; along 18th street. from ID to i.
along l. from 18th to 18th, and along nth |
street from to NJ streets northwest iuciudinn
such loops running out from the main lines as |
may be necessary to reach the signal boxes and
other instruments within two or three squares
on either side of the proposed route The
laying OF good cables on the route pro-
posed, the report continues, would be good |
beginning In the right direction-would re- |
move nj fha
poles which, II not dispensed with in the way
proposed, will soon have to be replaced by new
and larger poles-not desirable thing to do II
cables can be substituted
Inc report mentions the success obtained In
using a No. IA hard drawn copper wire-a new
thing in the way OF telegraph wire. The ex-
pendltures of the Office during the year. includ-
Ing salaries amounted to S2O,3SS SO.
THE FIRE ALARM SERVICE IN THE SUBURBS
"fhe rapid growth of the suburban villages
surrounding the city, the report |
says. suggests the necessity of extending the
IRE alarm telegraph to Uniontown Nount !
Pleasant. lie Droit Park, and to q point on Tth
street road near Howard University Each of |
the places named should, in my Judgment have |
4 Hre-aiaTm station us soon the revenues of |
the District VIII warrant the expense
Il also recommend that provisions be made !
FOR the employment Oh one additional ren;tir- |
man ami one additional laborer as orr present |
force Is TOO small for the prompt DISPATCH OF !
necessary repairs and other labors incident to
the service"