Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-03
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE.
Miles Submits His Annual
Report to the District Commissioners.

TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE
Superintendent Miles Submits His Annual
Report to the District Commissioners.
GREAT NEED OF EXTENSION OF THE SERVICE AND
RENEWAL OF THE LrNEs-As TO PUTTING THE
WIRES uNDERaRoUND-FIRE ALARM AND Po-
LICE sERvICE-EsTIMArEs AND EXPENDITURES.
Superintendent Henry r. Miles, in charge Of
the telegraph and telephone service of the Dis
trict Of Columbia, today submitted to the Com
missioners his twenty-seventh annual report Of
the operations Of his department for the year
ending June 80. 1891.
Referring to the fire alarm telegraph, he says
it consists in part Of seven signal and four
alarm circuits, all metallic, connected with an
automatic repeater and other necessary instru-
ments at the central Office. Most of the instru-
ments are good, but the lines are not in good
condition, and cannot be put in good
condition without expanding large
amount Of money, and since no adequate
appropriation has been made for this purpose
he says it has been impossible to keep them up
to proper standard. At present there are
l5O alarm boxes distributed on the seven signal
circuits, just twice the number he started in
with in 1875. Although the number Of boxes
have doubled the circuits have not been in
creased. Continuing he says:
GREAT NEED OF EXTENSION.
I'm my report last year. as well as in several
speciareports on the same subject, called atten-
ton to the great need of extending the fire alarm
telegraph. as well as the bad condition of the
lines. The much needed renewal of the lines
has been held lin allegiance awaiting the report
and adoption thereof of some plan to be for
mulated by an electrical commission for put
ting all wires within city limits under ground.
For the purposes OF this report, will assume
that said commission will report a good plan,
and that it will be adopted and that Congress
will provide for putting the plan in execution.
Hence venture the following recommends
tons: Increase the number of fire alarm boxes
23O making the total 400. Distribute these 400
boxes as nearly equal as practicable over forty
metallic signal circuits. Increase the alarm
circuits to ten for connecting with the neces-
sary number of fire companies. Provide
shall connect only with such number Of
church bells as may be requisite for Civ
ing the time signals to every section
of the two cities. These signals to
be struck through the four-circuit manual
repeater now in use. Procure for the central
office four ffteen-circuit automatic reporters
and one tifteen-clrcuit manual repeater,
together with the necessary switch boards and
other central Office outfits to meet the enlarged
capacity of such plant / feel justified in urging
growth of the city demands it, and unless some
such plan is adopted it will be literally impos-
slble to maintain efficient fire alarm, and
without an efficient fire alarm there cannot be
any great degree Of efficiency in the fire depart
ment.
ground or not the lines must be rebuilt very
soon. 1t is absolutely hazardous to further
postpone their reconstruction. Nearly all the
overhead part of the fire alarm wires were put
up sixteen years ago and were supported In
part on house-top fastenings and the remainder
on small pOles which are now in an advanced
state of decay. OF course the lines in q
very bad condition, and state the mildly
when l inform you that nearly all the wires of
the department are in an unsatisfactory con-
dition. The superintendent has been and is
quite helpless in the matter, but having fire.
quently called attention to the subject he
could only wait and hope for relief
PUTTING THE WIRES UNDERGROUND.
If the wires are to be put under ground the
work should be commenced as soon as posi-
BILE and even should that work be undertaken
as early next spring it will become necessary
to put in many new poles along the old exist
ing lines. l called very earnest attention to
this necessity in my last annual report and in
a subsequent communication on the same sub
ject, but Congress made no provision for such
repairs.
Should ample provision be made for placing
all the wires Underground and should the work
be commenced in the near future, even then it
Will be necessary to secure an appropriation
for keeping the present lines in reasonably
good condition while the cables are being laid.
This, in my judgment, cannot be done without
an expenditure of at least $500 for new
poles. OF course the overhead system must be
maintained until the underground shall have
been fully completed.
TELEPHONE SERVICE.
There are forty-two telephone earth-return
circuits, exclusive Of the patrol, on which are
distributed sixty-two sets of telephones for the
transaction of business connected with the
various departments Of the District govern
ment. including portion of the public schools
in Washington and Georgetown. In addition to
the telephone service above. there are in
by various offices and institutions under the
control of the Commissioners nineteen sets of
telephones on the lines and under the control
of the Chesapeake and Ohio Telephone Com
pany. independently Of the police patrol serv-
ice this department uses and pays rem. for
eighty-one sets of telephones. Those on the
exchange are used at the following places:
Residences Of Commissioner Douglass, Col
Robert, Capt. Rossell, Capt. Lusk. Secretary
Tindall, Coroner Patterson, Superintendent of
Sewers McComb. In the District building
four. and one each at sand-yard stables
Office of District attorney. School trustee Thayer,
health department. Washington Asylum, Police
Court Franklin School. telephone room. These
are at an annual rental of $50 each, equal to
$3.50 year. The sixty-two sets on the wires
belonging to this department. are located as
follows: The fire alarm Office, Office chief of fire
department, residences of superintendent: of
telegraph and telephone service, Repairman
Parker, Fire Marshal Drew. one; each of the
ten fire companies one. In the District build
ing, three. The two pump houses, one each.
Water Taper Fitzgerald, residence of health
officer, the health department. District pound,
st. Elizabeth Asylum. Washington Asylum and
Dispensary. each one. Emergency Hospital. Po-
lice Court Maj. Moore, police headquarters.
four; residences of Police Surgeons Henderson,
Kleinschmidt. Strckler and McKim. At the
following schools each one: Abbott, Blair,
Curtis. Cook. Dennison. Franklin, Force, Gales,
Garnett, Grant, High, Henry. Industrial. Jeffer-
son, Lincoln, Lovejoy, Maury, Peabody, Ran
DALI Sumner, Seaton, Webster, Wormley and
Walach. For these an annual rental Of els is
paid for each set. In addition there is paid a
gross sum of $500 for general exchange bust
ness.
POLICE PATROL SERVICE.
The police patrol and telephone system now
covers all Of Washington and Georgetown and
was erected and put in operation in the various
precincts as follows: In the first October 1,
1854; in the SIXTH March 16. 1885: in the fourth,
November l, 1886; in the second, October 26.
1897: in the third, November 1, 1888; in the
ninth. May l. 1889; in the seventh, October.
1890 in the fifth June "a, 1891; in the eighth