Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-10
DRINKS ON THE SLY,
Chief Brown Says Pittsburg
Has 500 Speak-Easies.
NO FAULT OF THE POLICE.
Otherwise Excellent Condition of the
City's Morals.
SECOND REPORT OF THE CHIEF

The second annual report OF CHIEF y. ".
Brown, of the Department of Public Safety,
10 be transmitted to Councils to-day, con.
tains much of importance and is of extra
ordinary interest to every citizen and tax.
payer in Pittsburg. 1t includes the reports
made to him by the heads of the bureaus In
his department, as previously published,
and his comments on them. The appropria-
tion OF his department was S654, 500. None
of this money, he says, WAS expended with
out first an order having been issued by the
proper department, countersigned by the
Chief of the Department of Public Safety
personally. This involved labor and per-
sonal supervision on his part of many thou
sands of orders, as well as of vast number
of nav rolls but he deemed it a wise and
proper regulation.
In the Bureau of Electricity the Chief ex-
poets greater facilities as improvements are
made. He proposes during the year to con-
tinue the electrical improvements. Coun-
ellis having placed electric roads in care of
his department, he has assigned the duty to
the Bureau of Electricity, which will greatly
augment the responsibility of this bureau.
EXTENSION OF FIRE LIMITS.
In speaking OF the work of the Building
inspectors Chief Brown is very pointed in
his remarks about the fire limits. He de-
sired to have them extended, but the Legis-
1ature re fused TO do so. Wooden buildings
are being erected indiscriminately, without
any control, and are great fire traps. He
objects, too, to the building permit fees,
which are a tax on men who are building
and thus betterlng the city, as well as
adding TO the taxable property.
The plumbing inspectors work is highly
praised but the Chief SAYS that to regulate
the plumbing and sewerage of great city
is entirely beyond the power of one man.
As it is now, he can only issue permits and
inspect a partial number of the same; and
no doubt much imperfect work is done. The
Chief advocates the passage of an ordinance
that would empower his department to
make the proper sewerage and gas connec-
tions with all property fronting on or sub
ject to drainage or gas connections with
sewers or gas mains at the time the same are
placed in the streets-the property benefited
to be charged with the same. This would
result in better system OF drainage, sewer
age and plumbing, and lower the death rate
l or per cent.
PENSIoNING OLD EMPLOYEES.
The Disability Board is commented on, and
the assertion made that some such arrange
ment should be made to benefit the Police
Bureau as this board has for the Fire
Bureau. Provision should also be made for
the worn-out employees of the city who have
during a lifetime served the city. The
neglect of the city to provide some moder-
ate financial provision for these worn-out
employees has resulted in finding a number
of them in various city departments draw
ing full pay, when they are physically un-
able to perform any duty commensurate
with the salaries; very bad system, as well
as an expensive one. to provide for worthy
worn-out servants of the city.
The Health Bureau is given considerable
space. Chief Brown says:
.-1he fact that the city has simply been fortu-
nate in having no general epidemic of con-
tagious diseases does not preclude the poss-
biity of such a thing occurring. We have a
cosmopolitan population the very ends of the
earth are part and parcel of our people: we
have all nationalities and classes mixed
together. The foreign element is settling and
centraliZiEg in certain sections of the city,
bringing with them all their habi's. customs
and unsanitary conditions.
A PRESSING NEED.
One of the needs of the city of Pittsburg to
promote and insure a low death rate in the
future, as well as prevent general epidemic
diseases, is the devising of some means for the
C
The backyards and cellars of tenement houses,
and the alleys and byways of the city of Pitts
burg, are the public receptacles of all manner
of garbage, filth and decomposed rubbish. The
question has in the past been treated as light
and unimportant one: but is nevertheless one
of a very serious nature and character. and
should not. in view of serious consequences
which may at any time result from inattention
to it, pass unnoticed by your honorable bodies
1t is question that affects all large cities, and
all 1ar
as well as elsewhere, have had much trouble to
properly solve. To my mind, from a careful
and somewhat extended observation during the
two years that l have been at the head of this
department, the only successfully way of
cleansing and keeping clean a city SO large and
populous as Pittsburg is by contract with some
well-organized and trustworthy sanitary com
pany for the removal of garbage and decom-
posed matter of every kind and character be-
yond the precincts of the city, and by them
treated as their commercial interest might
deem best
EAST END MORTALITY.
Another matter that the Chief calls atten-
tion to is the large death rate in the East
End wards. He attributes it to three causes;
Lack of proper sewerage; little or no proper
disposition of garbage; the opening of
large number of old and abandoned water
wells, thathad long been closed up, at the
time of the Johnstown food. notwithstand-
ing the public notice of the Bureau of
Health that the river water was infinitely
better.
Speaking of the Fire Bureau, Mr.. Brown
is pleased with the work during the wear
and calls attention to the fact that it re-
quired but "A cents per capita to run the
department. He further says:
During the year 1 recognized the Fire
Bureau somewhat upon the basis of the organ
ization of the Bureau of Police in the year
1SSS. making the standard for appointment one
of physical qualifications, as well as character
and TO some degree one OF general intelligence
/ am a firm believer that all ap-
pontments in the Department of Pub
lie Safety should be made solely upon the basis
of good moral character and general intelli-
gence, with sufficient physical force to main
tain said character as well as to perform the
duties incumbent upon the appointees, and
that the tenure of office should be based upon
fidelity TO trust and to duty.
A NEW OFFICE RECOMMENDED.
The appropriation for the year 1890 provides
for an appropriation of S. 600 as the salary of a
Fire Director, and 1 shall bring this matter
officially before your honorable bodies in the
near future in the nature of an ordinance
creating said Office. The city of Pittsburg, in
virtue OF its wonderful growth and develop
ment. has assumed such large proportions and
become so important that there should be
competent and efficient person appointed as
Fire Director. whose special duty would be to |
take command Of the various fire companies at |
fire, and assume full control of the same.
He should be person especially qualified for |
the place. being calm and courageous, having |
knowledge Of fire matters. chemical combus- |
tion. construction of buildings. and strength |
and character OF building material: in short in |
addition to natural heroic qualifications, he |
should have some special scientific training.
OF the Bureau Of Police, Mr.. Brown calls |
attention to the good work OF Superintendent /
Gamble Weir, also TO the fact that all the |
station houses in the CITY. with the excen.