The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-02-14
BIG IMPROVEMENTS
CONTEMPLATED BY CRY DoAnps,
The Increase of the Police Force, a new
CITY Prison. and a Higher Water Rs.or.
VOir to be Recommended to Council
this EVORipE.-No Patrol Service.

ably be one Of unusual interest and s.
portance. Among the papers and ID
that will be presented aTeD- reports
prepared last evening lee that were
to be brought ~ Ind which are likely
Tba aour.1 =, for consideration early.
.rs .es from which they will come
- the matters treated are rs follows:
From the Board OF Police and Fire Com.
missioners, regarding an increase in the
police force; from the Committee on City
Prison, about a sadly needed prison, and
from the Board Of Water Trustees and the
Committee on Water Works, jointly, In
relation to long nesded high water ser.
vice.
THE POLICE MATTER.
The Board Of Police and Fire Commits.
sioneEs met with all It's members present,
and resumed It's consideration Of that part
of the special message recently sent to
Council recommending an increase Of the
police force 10 SO men and the purchase
Of 0 patrol wagon, and which was referred
by Council to this Board. Clerk Stanley,
who had been instructed to Gecure police
statistics from cities Of about WheeliuR's
aize situated all over the country, report.
ton Of $4,000 to 100000, and the average
police protection wha about one officer to
every 1880 population. In only very
few OF the larger places given in the list
was the patrol wagon system in operation.
The Board proceeded to figure frat on
the cost OF patrol system, and after max
ing the very closest estimates arrived at
the conclusion that II could not be main-
tanned for !es5 than $4,000 per year, and
$500 would probably be nearer the
figure. Having ascertaiHsd this 1t was
unanimously resolved that the city g..as
not yet metropolitan enough f.. such a
feature. The people who Lave been fsur-
ing, on rstrol system aud
urging 1t hs the proper thing have
8. a rule gone about It in this way: A
wagon would cost, say about $3.50; q horse
q hundred or 90, and possibly an extra
man ct salary Of $65 per month. Then
the horse and wagon could be kept at the
Atlantic engine house end called by tele.
phone whenever necessary. By this crude
and imprscticable plan the cost was less
than 81 200 to start with.
The Board reasoned properly, that q
patrol system unless complete was OF 60
little account as to be valueless, and that
wagon without regular police tele-
graph system Wonld be mere plaything.
4 telephone service would BIO OF use only
during the day, when all places are open,
and even then 1t would seldom be found
to work satisfactorily.
THE boards RECOMMENDATIONS.
The Board will, therefore, report ad-
versely in relation to the maintenance OF
patrol system. Aa to the increase in the
police force, after careful study OF the
matter it decided to recommend that ak
additional uniformed men and two detsC-
tives be employed. This would make
force composed Of chief, % uniformed
men and two detectives-equRl in size to
that Of almost every city in the country OF
the size OF Wheeling and larger than that
employed in many cities that are larger
than this. The detectives are to be paid
sixty.fve dollars per month each,
the same ss uniformed men are paid. OF
the uniformed men eight would, It is con-
templated, be on day duty and the bal
auce on night duty, while the detectives,
or policemen In citizens clothes, would |
be on duty all the time, so to speak. These
latter would be expected to keep track OF |
all the crooked people here and elsewhere, |
and keep the police posted about them
and in othe2 ways make themselves use. !
tul-in other words they would be sdyis.
ers and dIrsctoru.
It Is very probable that this recommen.
doHnn will hn oAaNka1 u,
that the Board has already made out a list |
OF sppointees TO fill these places, and that |
as soon 90 Council actB ON the increase
question, II that action Is favorable, the
list will be presented. 1t is also Tumored
that on this list are the names OF some
former policemen who were very popular
in their time.
NEW CITY PRISON.
It was come two or three months ago
that the Committee on City Prison got
Council to paps resolution authorizing
it to visit other points for the purpose OF
inspecting city ptisous and warehouses
and getting pointers for something new
TO replace the old, rotten, tumble
down shed on tho hill called by cour.
teey workhouse, and designed
to serve as & house OF retention. Alter
the passage Of that resolution nothing
more was heard from the committee and
nearly everyone forgot all about the mat.
ter. In the meantime prisoners firing OF
the prison fare and accommodations would
break out eGaily and skip ont over
the hills and far away. II was impossible
to prevent this 80 rotten and weak have
the timbers Of the old concern become.
Tonight the committee will present to
Council the plans for neat, strong, COM
modious and complete prison to be erected
at cost Of $40, 900 or $4,000. The com.
mtttee, consisting OF Messra. B. s. Allison,
Alex Young and John Gavin has not been
idle, but 1t has been doing Its work very
quietly. These gentlemen have visited the
famous workhouss at Pittaburgh and the
model one recently built at Zlneeville.
Their plans call for bElCk building, the
front Of which Is sixty feet in width. On
the first floor are the Office, the cook
room and the boiler room from which the
place is to be heated. In the second story
Ia big room for laundry purposes with
stationary tubs and three large cells for
women. The attic IL large one and !
could be used for drying purposes.
Running back from the sides OF this
building are high brick walls that extend
back some 1850 feet; the top Of this wall is
guarded by iron spikes. Inside this yard I
30 formed Is long brick building tho |
same height as the Office building. Be. {
tween the walls land this building is an 8
1l.foot passage way. The long building
Is to be used as cell building. In the 1
center are thirty.two cells, sixteen {
on eide and on the top Of
these are thirty.tWo more calls, while d '
third tier Of cells can be put in when nee. /
essary. Extending all around the cell y
block 10 q corridor s feet wide. The cells !
are to be built Of brick with grated iron 4
doors. Each cell will be feet high, 7 | i