Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-23
In BAD SHAPE.
TIN FRI ALARM TELEGRAPH HiiDS
RIPAIRs.
ovr Six Nilu Of New Wire and Aor' man
ops Hundred Poles Nscsssuy-0Ouncll WIZ
DO Asked for Money.

II has been discovered, since the ias'
meeting of the Council Fire Commi''ee'
that extensive repairs will have TO Do
made Immediately to the city ire alarm
,eleoranb and at the coming session OIL
Council. next Tuesday night, an appro-
priation of from seven hundred TO one
thousand dollars will be asked, from the
contingent fund of the city, for the pur-
nose of making repairs and restoring
that norton of the public service 10 us
old time efficiency.
Most of the trouble seems to De on
tho Island. a section of the city when
was. in a measure, neglected, wnen .ne
lines were rebuilt with copper wire'
two or three years ago. The oia iron
wire has rusted out so badly tnat
child can twist it in two at almost any
nojnt. and the wire will hardly bear its
own weight. Then considerable num-
her of poles have rotted almost In two'
in the ground, and some of them are on
the point of falling down, and are iiaoie
to 90 at the next high wind. Some OF
the poles in the city side OF the river
are in the same condition, and 1T was
stated Yesterday, by gentleman In d
position to know what he Is taking
about, that about one hundred ne"
poles would have to be erected, In
addition to a good many miles OF cop
per wire. =,
It is. of course, a matter OF vital I'M
portance that these repairs should De
made at as early date as possible anu
as stated, Council will be called upon 10
make the necessary appropriation at the
coming session.
The matter of strengthening the de-
partment generally is beginning 10 OK,
cite the attention OF Counclimen, anu
present indications are that next years
municipal budget will contain some
items of appropriation having for their
object the Increased efficiency OF thls
branch of the city service.
Chief Healy was seen last evening oy
a REGISTER reporter, and when asked
about the condition of the fre-alarm
wires, he said:
"a portion of the system is in pretty
bad shape. A good many people make
the mistake of supposing that the de-
partment was in prime shape when L
took hold of it. The reverse was the
case. When the telegraph system was
replaced with copper wire, few years
ago, the department ran the copper
wire over the suspension bridge, and
ended it on South Front street, near the
corner of Ohio, leaving all the rest OF
the Island connected with the old iron
wire. There is also o good deal OF iron
wire in the Eighth ward. That wire
has now been up thirteen years, and
anyone conversant with telegraph or
electrical appliances will tell you that
the life of an iron wire Is not over nine
years. Then a great many OF the poles
are in bad shape, having almost rotted
away where they are stuck In Ehe
ground. l would say that over one
hundred new poles and at least six mile:
of new copper wire would be needed.
In addition to replacing the copper wire
now I'D, we want to run new line
from the Whitaker mill up Twentieth
street to Chapline and down Chapline
to about Twenty-third street. Our
horses have also been in bad shape,
most of the old stock being on their
last legs when took hold of the depart.
ment. We have bought quite number
of new horses. The apparatus needs
strengthening, also, and it ought to be
done before we have a big fire. 1t is a
a dood deal better to put the depart
ment In shape while we are on the safe
side, than to have big fire loss and
be scared into doing it by sense OF
our weakness"