The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-08-30
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
10 BE Thoroughly Reconstructed ID -Four
Circuits Covering ths Entire clii.
A HIGHER STANDARD OF EFFICIENCY,
Fhe value of Fire Departments sss.
pends ON Its Ability 10 Resoo,,ds +
10 Alarms proL.psly which fs aasI
Not Always Sure te no wAh i
Single Circuit Alarm.

Ihe city fire alarm telegram .y.ta,,,
anu police patrol telephone circuit viii
po'n very shortly be entirely modernJz-
w anu surrounded with safe guards sfo
t.sneht the breaks which in time mast
cia.no pfoSeh serious mcnaces to the eff
ciemcV OF the Fire Department"
The speaker was Mr.. r.. Henry Iorsa
1,ie n.,. progressive member of. the Councils
hlre Committee. who, together with Nbis
enterprtsing colleagues, is laborinsr Cae 6,
siuuousiN to secure the various appli-
al anees Needed to put Norfolk on a firsS-
ciass pass as regards fire protection s
MIR. ones went on to eulogize1 Tho
sneral efficiency of the perconnel of the
uepaftment. The appartus he said, In
tue Deer or any in the South, but the
princiDal factor as regards the efficiency
,,.,,i -. any Hlre department Is the dispatch
alarm. :" al al
Con;ininp the Councilman said: 'erill
now the lire alarm system has been In {
one circuit. which. becoming broken in
any one place, tied up the entire svs5s
.ein uh I'll the inspector could locate the
break In order to do this he rnnst
Immediately inspect every portion or
the line from terminus to terminus.
ne new system will be In four cir
cults one of which will take in the
business portion of the city; another the
west END. including Client and Atlan-
the boxes In the central and northern
portions and the fourth win include
the cas- tern portion and Brambleton.
bV the terms of Its franchise the
southern Sattes Telephone Company
agreed to furnish for the city's use one
duct In Its subway system, and the Ton
cross bar on their poles Is also set aaitfs
Tor the city's wires. We shall purchase
a. l2-str and cable for use In oud duot iti
Inc en- uduits, The city has already
more than seventeen miles of wire
string and this will be entirely suffIss
Client for overhead connection.
When these arrangements are COM
nleted our fire alarm system will be
thorouEhly modern. More boxes will be
installed in the unprotected districts
as fast as the Councils can be induced
to purchase them.
Anot ther thing is the police patrol
phones which form an important aux
liiarS TO the telegraph system, The
CITY now pays $500 per year for thn
service. For this amount ] find that
one OF these phones can be purchased
outright for each one ofs the twenty
heats in the city. If this is done they
caA be operated from the ci.y's cable
ut small txDcnse." Fl
CHIEF Ryan Is still hopeful that the
scheme for a Third Ward engine-house
has not fallen entirely through. He
thinks that the $4,000 annual cost OF
maintaining the new house would be
money well spent In considera ton OF
the $4,000 which would be saved to the
insurers of the city every year by rea-
son of the reduction of insurance rates
the companies would put into effect, &c
the Th ird Ward house existed.
1t is confidently expected however
that the standard of efficiency of the de-
partment will be raised when the new
alarm system is In operation.