The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-13

the topography of the ground and the lay
ing out OF the streets will allow, on regu-
lar system of alternate blocks. In this way
every part of the city will in time receive
| the same share OF Illumination at night
| time
The numbering of the electric lights also
answers another purpose 1t gives the city
electrician an opportunity of keeping tab
on the electric light contractor. Some
times an electric light will get out of order,
! and the neighborhood will remain in dark
! ness through part or through all of the
| night.
Before Carleton invented a check the
street,hghting contractor got the benefit OF
| these light del1nquencies, and the Council
had to stand the growing of complaining
citizens. That is all done away with now.
If any light goes out now before the moon
| rises or the dawn breaks the street-hght
| contractors pay the penalty, pro rata
being deducted from their monthly bill.
| Tab is kept on the electric lights by the
police patrolman. Every patrolman on
| the police force is served each month with
small memorandum book in which he
enters the delinquencies of the electric
lights on his beat during each night of the
month, In accordance with the printed in
structions contained therein. These in
structions are issued by the Chief of Police.
They direct the patrolman to familiarize
Hllhoch Win oue lIBnI SCneuule VI tHo
month, which Is also printed on another
page. This schedule shows the hour at
which the arc lights are to be turned on
and the time set for their extinguishment.
The patrolman must record the time when
any light on his beat goes out when it
ought to be burning, and the length of the
schedule time during which it remains
extinguished.
These patrolmen's reports are all sent to
electrician az
month and he computes the number of
hours In the aggregate, and that is in due
season charged against the street-lght
contractor and deducted from his bill. The
lights are reported by numbe and the
record on the city electricians map shows
the location at glance. There can be no
disputing such tab, and the electric light
company accepts it without challenge
1t is the means of saving many hundreds
of dollars annually to the city.
Everything about the various electrical
systems serving the municipality has been
arranged so methodically that the expense
of running the department of the city
electrician, which includes the care and
repair of the fire alarm and police patrol
systems as we'll as the supervision of the
street lighting, is very trifing. The total
annual cost for maintenance is under $4,000.
The working force consists of only four
men-the city electrician, one battery
man and two linemen. All of the APP
paratus in the central station of the fire
alarm system, as well as that of the police
patrol telegraph at the central police
station, is automatic and self-registering.
The apparatus needs no attention, there
fore, except to test from time to time for
the detection of faults and to avoid de-
rangements. Most of the time of the work
ing force is employed in ordinary line
repairing and in the extension of the cir
cults, which is coincident of course with
the growth of the city. The perfection and
efficiency of both the police patrol and fire
alarm systems are best illustrated, per-
haps, by the infrequency amounting to
practically the total absence of false alarms.