The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-12-02
For A FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.
a Meeting Of the Fire Depart
ment Last Night
TO Bring tho Attention of tho City Council
to the Necessity of an Electric Fire,
Alarm System = A Committee Ap-
pointed to Act with Chief Knepp--The
Matter Thoroughly Discussed.

Tho thrco companies constituting
Roanokes fire department held a we'll
attended and enthu siastic meeting in
the hall of tho Vigilant Company last
night.
They mot for the purpose of urging
tho City Council to adopt the electric
fire alarm system, and to put the Same
into speedy operation.
Chief Knepp was elected president of
the meeting, and Il. d. Ehrhart score
tary, and tho assembly proceeded to get
right down to business.
Mr.. Shade thought committee
should be appointed to wait upon mem
bers of the Council and attend the
meeting of that body, as tho nero Sas-
sage of a recommendation world be of
no avail unless backed up by personal
argument.
MIR. Lookabill stated that great ifli-
Guilty existed at present in establishing
the location Of fire, and that much val
uablc time was lost in finding whore the
blaze was. lie said tho case needed ar
gument before the Council.
Mr.. Engleby suggested that the mat
ter might he submitted to the people if
tho Council hesitatcd to act. lie pro-
posed that the Council be told that if it
(tho CounciD hesitatcd to spend the sum
necessary to put the system into opcr-
alton, and also hcsitatcd TO 20 to the
expense Of polling the frccholdcrs on
as to the ACCESSIBILITY of such Il disburse-
ment, then tho fire companies would
agree to reimburse the city for the cost
of tho election if the freeholdcrs did
vote to establish the system.
James McFall said that it was the
duty of the citizens and property owners
to agitate this subject, as we'll as of the
fire department. The necessity of the
establishment Of the electric alarm sys-
TEN was apparent to every one. 1t
should not be made to appear that this
agitation, on the part Of the frcmcn,
was to further their convenience. 1t
was the safety OF the city they had at
heart, and not whether they should run
eight or ten blocks In the wrong direc-
ton trying to locate fire.
Mr.. knepp thought that all the COM
panies need do was to show tho
necessity Of the system. lie said tho
Council had done much in the past for
the department, and that when it be-
came convinced of the necessity for
speedy action they would take it.
On motion of Llcwcllyn Lookabill
committee of three, one from each COM
pany, together with Chief Knepp was
appointed by the meeting to lay before
the Council such propositions as were
adopted at the meeting, and also to ex-
press the sentiments Of the different
companies on the subject.
Messrs. Engleby, of No. i Lookabill,
of No. 2, and Ehrhart, of No. B, were
appointed.
On motion Of Mr.. Shade the commit
tee was instructed to go before the
Council at once and urge the speedy
adoption of the electric iirc-alarm sys-
tenn.
Some little discussion followed as to
tho detail and scope Of the work OF the
committee, but it was wisely decided to
leave that to the committee itself.
After the meeting a promint n tircma n
suggested to THE TIMES reporter that
much good cruld DC accomplished if the
citizens who had encouraged in their
endeavor to secure this system were to
wait upon the individual councilmcn to-
day and show them how great is the
need OF it,
a YOUNG MAN IN TROUBLE.