Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-19
FLAMES AND FIGURES.
Radical Changes Now Being Made in
the FiA Department.
CHANGING ALL THE BOX NUMBERS
More Protection in the Thickly Built-Up
Downtown District.
MANY NEW FIRE PLUGS TO BE LOCATED

Some radical changes in the Pittsburg
Fire Department were decided upon yester-
dav by Chief Brown, Superintendent Hum
phries and Assistant tSuperintendents Evans,
Coates, Steele and Stewart. 1t was the first
day OF Chief Browns general inspection of
the Fire Bureau. A start was made with
the Bureau OF Electricity, but the subjects
called up there were of such Importance that
the balance of the day was devoted to their
discussion and arrangement
Superintendent Humphries has been at
work for several months devising means of
increasing the efficiency of the fire service.
card which will SO into effect when the
two new engines are placed in the First
district. 1t was on the investigation and
approval of this card the time was spent
yesterday. 1t is almost completed and will
go to the printers next Monday.
Changing All the Box Numbers.
In order to put it into effect the number
of every fire alarm box in the city is to be
changed. After the change each district of
the city will have series of numbers, so
that when an alarm is sounded an idea of
the location of the fire NAV be had BY any
one understanding the schedule. All boxes
from No. 2 to 800 will be in the First
district The numbers from 300 to 500 will
be on the Southside, and from 500 to 800 in
tine East End At the beginning the num-
bers will not be run above the figure six be-
tween tens. For instance, there will be no
higher number in the twenties than 26, no
higher in the thir.ies than 36
and SO on, except in few cases, the object
being to save time in striking alarms The
numbers being thus arranged, it will be
possible to put up 30 new boxes to each 100
numbers, if necessity requires, without dis
arranging the scheme OF numbers. Super
intendent Humphries, in speaking Of the
proposed changes last evening, said:
PittsDurg Grew Too Rapidly.
A system OF arranging the alarm box num-
bers in districts was attempted when the
paid fire department was organized in 1872,
but those who planned it were not calculat-
ing on the grow til of the city to its present
proportions and too little scope was allowed
.or additional boxes. As a result, some of
the high figure boxes are down in the first
district. For example box 5l5 is at the Ex-
position building and box is at Penn ave-
nue. and Second street.
Fifty new alarm boxes are to be put
in q once, increasing the total number to
30S Twenty of the new ones will be placed
in the lower part OF the city, west OF
Eleventh and Grant streets. Three of them
will be placed on Liberty street, two OH Du-
quesne way above Fourth street, four. on
Water street. one at Fourth and one at Sixth
avenues and Smitbfeld street, one ut Fifth
avenue and Wood street, and one at Third
and Wood.
will be at the Point on Water street. The
numbers will thence run up Water street to
Marke along Market to Liberty and up
Liberty to Eleventh street, reaching ~ the
low that figure vest of Market street and
north Of Liberty. From Market to the east
side of Smfthfield street the numbers will
run from ~ to 60 From the east side Of
High street 70 to so. The hill
district will got the ,oo 80 ooo and md, 80
out Penn avenue to the intersection OF But
Ter street. Those from 200 to 300 will run out
Second avenue and include the Oakland
district. The Southsfde and East End dis
tricts will be grouped in the same way, that
being the only point to cover in completing
the card. 1t will be finished next Monday
and sent to the printer.
Won't Depend on . Single Wire.
As soon as the card is completed the work
OF numbering the alarm boxes will be COM
menced. This work will fall on the Bureau
u
e1al change in the system of wiring the
alarm boxes. At present there is but one
main wire from City Hall to the city line,
to which all alarm boxes on its route out
Fifth avenue are connected. A similar line
runs out Penn avenue, another out Wyle
avenue, each being connected with from so
to 80 alarm boxes. 1t anything should hap
pen to one of these main wires the whole
district through which they pass would be
practically without fire protection until the
break was discovered. To meet this
defect in the system, Chief Brown has AZ
ranged the boxes in groups of l5 all over the
CITY, and a separate or main will connect the
central office at City Hall with each group.
have already been made with
the Central Telephone Company to run the
fire and police wires in the downtown
district through that company's UNDER
ground conduits. and superintendent Mead,
OF the Bureau of Elec ,ricity is perfecting
the plans for putting the group system into
effect.
Prepared for Big Winter Fires.
The business portion OF the city will then
be well prepared for big fires which usually
come during the winter months. By that
time it is expected Chief Bigelow will have
erected the 80 fire pings he contracted to
place west OF Grant street. A lew have been
placed already.
When these changes have been made five
n uT~TC o