Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-25
ALL WIRES 60 UNDER.
The Public Safety Committee Affirm
atiyely Recommends
DOING AWAY WITH THE NUISANCE.
A Fireboat, Water Tower and More Fire
men Also Agreed To.
PROVISION is MADE FOR A DIRECTOR


ant measures. The unanimous approval of
| the committee on the ordinance authorizing
underground wires, and also on the one pro-
viding for the improvement of the Bureau
| of Fire with a fireboat, water tower and
| several other features. Twenty-four men,
| bers were presenta and with those interested
| in the two measures there were 80 persons in
all. Only about two-thirds of them could find
seats in the little room, but they stuck to
business for two hours. One member sug
gested removing to Common Council Cham
Der where everybody could have seats but
the suggestion came too late. Hereafter all
large meetings will be held in one of the
| Council chambers.
| If the Councils agree with the committee
all telegraph, telephone and electric light
| wires in the section of the city below Grant
! street will be removed from the unsightly
| poles and buried under the street paving in
conduits before November 15, 1892 The great
network of wires will be removed, and not
one will be allowed to cross a street.
All the Wires Must Go Under.
The first ordinance taken up on this ques-
tion was one relating to the occupancy of
streets, lanes or alleys by telegraph, tele-
phone and electric light companies" 1t
provides for the placing underground of all
such wires lin the downtown section before
July /, 1892. Chief Brown suggested that
owing to the delay of the ordinance, which
was presented several months ago the time be
extended to November Is, 1892. This was
urged by General Manager Metzgar of the
telephone company, and was adopted.
Mr.. MetZgar-I would ask another amend
ment also. The ordinance provides for the
removal of all poles from the streets. 1t
will be simply impossible for our company
to furnish its customers if this is the case.
We need at least one pole for every block Of
houses. The wires could be run up this pole
from the conduit and distribute from it's top
to all the houses in that block. This will be
absolutely necessary in most cases. In one
or two 1t can be avoided by running the
wires up the elevator shafts of high build
ings and distributing them from the tops,
but ordinarily one pole to each block or
square will be needed.
Mr.. Russell-Will electric light and tele-
graph companies also require pole for
each square2
Mr. Metzgar-I can only speak formy own
company.
Chief fBrown-Companies that have failed
to send Representatives here will have to ap-
peal to Councils for anything they want,
provided the ordinance is recommended.
Superintendent Campbell, of the Postal
Telegraph Cable Company, had.been occupy
ing seat in the room and was then invited
to give his opinion of the ordinance.
Mr.. Campbell-There is q general impress
sion that this thing of putting telegraph
wires underground is very simple matter,
but that is wrong. So far as trunk lines are
when it comes to the district messenger
service, private wires and branches. it is
simply impossible. In the downtown part
OF this city there are over 1000 district mes
senger call boxes distributed through the
various offices and business houses.
IT Would Knock Out the Call Boxes.
The adoption of an ordinance of this kind
will simply make 1t impossible to have mes
senger calls. The reason is that compare
lively few messenger calls are permanent
Y m
want a call box for month, six months or a
year but the trade or custom generally is
only transient and it would not pay to run
underground wires to them. Another thing,
occupants of the downtown business houses
are all tenants. If they owned their proper
ties it would pay us to run line into their
buildings. But from these call boxes 80 per
cent of the kilograms of the Pittsburg offices
are sent If you pass this ordinance you
place US in the power of the telephone COM
panies. We will be compelled to pay them
ness people of your city who will be incon-
venienced. We can put our trunk wires un-
derground, but there are 100 local wires to
one trunk wire.
Chief Brown-Those hundreds of little
local wires are just the ones that interfere
with the work of the f1remen and
make the streets unsightly. They are what
we want to get rid of.
Mr. Campbell-It is not right to compel tel |
egraph, telephone and electric light wires to
be, put under ground and allow railway
wires to remain where they are. 1t looks
like discrimination against the people who
were first on the ground, and giving new
comWs unfair exemptions from the law.
You'll find that the courts will call this dis
elimination, and unless you make your law
general you might as well not make it at all. !
Mr.. Lambie-We are not considering the
convenience of any company, but the safety
of the public Electric railways will be COM
PEELED to put their wires down also as soon
as 1t is made practical. l would like to hear
from Superintendent Mead, of the Bureau of
Electricity.
Mr. Mead-Now is the proper time to have |
the wires put underground. Developments |
in electrical science have made such plan |
practical and preferable. 1t will cost more /
Mr.. Campbell has said, but it is much safer |
for the public. l have investigated the |
question thoroughly in cities where the un- |
derground system is in use, and find it per- |
fectly feasible.
Passed 1t Without Murmur.
The ordinance as amended was then affirm |
atively recommended. Another ordinance |
was then taken up which relates to the re-
moval of poles and restricts the construc- |
tion of the condu.ts or subways for under
ground wires to certain limits, provides that
detailed plans must be submitted to the ap-
proval of the Chief or Committee of Public |
Works. and fixes penalties for violations 1t
was amended to allow an extension of the
time limit until November Is, 1892 and also
be allowed place In the underground con-
duits of companies who enjoy such fran
chises. In this shape it was recommended
to Councils.
The ordinance relative to the flreboat and
water tower in the first section authorizes
Chief Brown as soon as practicable after |
February i, 1882; to purchase for the use of
the Bureau of Fire a water tower, q fireboat |
four first size steam fire engines, two hose
and lot of ground within the ter
ritory embraced in the first five wards for
In nHa r1o1
water tower house.
The second section provides for the ap-
pointment of Fire Director at
the third Sc section ion authorizes tho ii; the I an.
pointment of 50 additional men
to the fire department, as many as may be
required to be employed on the watertower,
fire boat and the four new steam fire
engines and the balance to be distributed
among the other existing companies accord
ing to the judgment of the chief, and all to
be paid at the same rates as all firemen are
now paid. In the final section OF the ordi-
nance the City Councils are required to pro-
vide in the next appropriation ordinance
for sufficient money to pay for the new ap-
paratus and salaries, and for the erection Of
an engine and water tower house on the lot
mentioned.
Mr.. l.. T. Brown-I move to affirmatively
recommend the ordinance. 1t is good one
and its provisions are demanded by the
people.
cost OF the new apparatus.
Chief Brown-The first-class fire engines
Will cost something near 5000 each. The
water tower will cost $500, two new hose
carriages s., 500, a fireboat $35,00O, and the 80
additional fremen S45 900 year. The whole
expense will be about $l0J, 900 additional for |
5he first year, exclusive of the lot of ground
lpon which l could not give anything like
accurate figures.
Fire Boats Can Work at Any Time.
In answer to question as to the impracti-
ability of a fireboat in the winter season,