The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-08-14
A KNOTTY QUESTION.
What to be Done with the wires OF tho
Fire Department?

on December ilth 1894. an ordnance
was approved by Mayor Taylor which
had been previously adopted by the CITY
Council. This ordinance is cnuNeu As
follows.
Repeating an ordinance apprcNeo 'uns
18th. 1855. concerning the soutneth br'
Telephone and Telegraph Company A.
Ieaos as follows:
BE IL ordained by the Counch OF inc
city Of Richmond
That the ordnance approved June
18th. 1854. granting the right OF way
throughout the city 10 the southern Ben
Telephone and eiegr$ph Company, be
and the same ia hereby repealed.
- That IN accordance with the afth sec
ton OF said ordinance. all privileges and
rights granted by said ordinance shall
cease and be determined AZ Tho expira-
ton Of twelve months from the approval
OF the ordinance by the Mayor
In reference 70 this ordinance Mr. VIM.
H. Thompson. superintendent OF the Fire
Alarm AL Police Telegraph Department
under July nth. 1896. presented spccia!
report 70 he Board OF Fire Commission.
CTS which was received and fled. In
this report. Mr.. Thompson says.
II again beg leave TO call your attention
% our outside construction. We ara
poles belonging to the Bell Telephone
Company. / enclose you an ordinance
approved December Hth.. 1884,. BY which
the city Council revoked an rights and
privileges enjoyed by this company. Now
these poles are IN A dangerous condition.
IN many PLACES ready TO fan. In other
places trees have grown around tho
wires. putting a great deal of slack IN
inc department. wires and giving MS an
endless amount OF trouble. while IN case
OF nigh winds or storms the oreakage
on our circuits is 80 great as TO make
IL extremely doubtful II the circui,a
would bring In an alarm correctly An
OF our ground circuits sre more or less
aUected by the return system OF tho
street railway
ine zen company have done uttle
OF hvining sine. their franchise was re-.
NoAea' ana l am powerless 70 reouire
mem 20 pnt their poles m proper condl-
No". l therefore ask that the following
,eSo,-''onS De adopted by YOU and sent
20 me Council with this letter.
Be Il resolved by the Council OF tho
CITY OF Richmond. The Board or Alaer.
men concuurns. That the sum OF IS 600
or SO much thereof as nay be necessary,
Dc appropriated. and the COMMITTEES on
flnshco Is hereby directed TO provide the
same 10 transfer all city wires now on
inc poles owned by the Southern Rol,
Ieiephone Company. to poles OF other
companies. and to clear al city wires OF
shade trees. etc. By laying cables ON
taller poles
You can see at a glance that Il would
DC useieas 10 put GU extra men, furnlsh
new fixtures and pull up probably ona
hundred miles OF these important wires
which stand between the FIRE department
and the lives and property Of our citizens
when the poles are liable at any moment
TO fall in the street or even II new poles
are allowed. the Council is liable at anv
moment 10 order the Bell poles or tho
street
I'm conclusion. ask tho Board 70 take
prompt action ia this matter"
The resolution embraced In this re.
port was promptly adopted BY the Board
OF Fire Commissioners. and transmitted
to the Common Council at the last meet
ing OF that body. where II was referred
to the Committee on Finance.
On next Tuesday afternoon President
Frischkorn, OF the Board OF Fire Com
missioners and Superintendent Thomp-
son are expected to appear before the
Council Committee on Finance 10 ady0-
cato favorable action on the resolution
in question. 10 is understood that the
Richmond Telephone Company has not
yet erected a sufficient number Of poles
70 allow a transfer Of all the wires Of
the Fire Department to the same Be
sides the wires of tho new company are
stretched In part over private property.
roofs of buildings. etc, whore the Fire
Department could not have access at any
hour Of the day or night TO make need
ed repairs. which have TO be attended
TO at once in order TO protect the prop
erty OF the citizens against fire.
The charter OF the Bell Telephone Com
pany has been revoked more than a year
ago. and the wires OF the city stun re-
main on their poles. Many OF the latter
are rotten and whenever the company APP
piled TO the City Engineers Department
for permission 10 replace them by new
poles, Colonel Cutshaw has declined 70
act i'm the premises. lie has Invariably
referred such applications 10 the Conn
mittee on Streets. and upon his suggos-
ton and that Of the City Attorney. that
body transmitted them 10 the Council
where they were laid on the table n is
claimed that eventually the city will
have 10 erect new poles where those OF
the Bell Telephone Company now stand.
which would involve am outlay Of money
OF about $1,000 or si5.UlO.