Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-02
CITY ELECTRIC SERVICE
Annual Report Of Superintendent Niles Of
Telegraph and Telephone Service.
Aggregate Of $4,000 Expended fer Re-
pairs nna ExtenslOns-EAtimat
Made for Ensuing Year.

The annual report Of Superintendent
Miles Of the District telegraph and tele-
phone service was submitted to the Com
missioners today. The superintendent says
in part:
In presenting the annual report Of the
transactions and operations of the tele-
graph and telephone service Of the District
of Columbia for the fiscal year ending June
20, 1897. have the pleasure Of announcing
that the new office instrument, put in SER
vice In August, 1895, at a cost of over
$4,000. continues to work in a most salts
factory manner. 1t is also gratifying to
be able to report that with the limited ap-
preparation which was made for renewing
city lines the fire alarm telegraph has been
greatly improved, and Notwithstanding the
destruction of poles and wires by the severe
storm of September o. 1896. which swept
over the city. tearing down fully 500 miles
of wire belonging TO the District, repairs
were made promptly and our lines are now
in far better condition than they were be
fore the storm. and. in fact, in better con-
dition than for several years previous. In
addition to the 5000 appropriated for re-
newing the lines, nearly $4,000 from the
regular appropriation was expended for
repairs and extension, that a total of
5000 was expended during the year for i'm
proving city lines.
Fire alarms received and transmitted
during the year were 5A. Regular alarms
are given through the fire alarm boxes
and transmitted direct. by telegraph, 10
the entire department automatically. Local
alarms are received and transmitted by
telephone to the company nearest the fire.
During the year there were 213 regular
32S local, second, I third, special and 2
general alarms for fire received and duly
transmitted. making a total of 554 alarms
DudinS the year 144.6O9 telephone mes
sages were sent and received, all of which
We're duly recorded.
Police Patrol Service.
The patrol system for want of money to
make necessary repairs. has not been up
to proper grade Of efficiency. but as Con-
gress made some provision for renewing
portions of the system for the year lust
begun and on the 9TH Of April by joint
resolution made 1t available at once the
work OF renewing in part is now well I'M
der way, so that 1 can safely predict that
by September l proximo the entire patrol
system will be working quite well. The ap-
preparation for this work should have
been much larger for the fiscal year end.
ing June 30. 1897. My estimate was 1880
for patrol repairs, but we got nothing.
For the year ending June 30, 1893 my
estimate for renewing the patrol service
was $4,000, and the sum of s. 600 only
was appropriated. With these explanations
l trust 1t will be apparent why the service
has not been up to the highest grade of
efficiency.
Too great a proportion of our wires, es-
pecially those of the patrol service, are
supported on poles of telegraph companies,
subjectfng our lines to frequent crosses
with foreign wires, and an ever present
disturbance from the unavoidable induc-
ton from the high-tension currents of
Morse lines, and to avoid that trouble it is
desirable to establish for suburban service
Independent pole lines, and in that way
avoid both crosses and induction. l shall
ask for an appropriation sufficient to do
that work, for in no other way can our
SUBURBAN service be made satisfactory.
When Constructed.
The patrol telegraph was erected and put
in operation in the several precincts as
follows: In the first October l. 1884: in
the sixth. March Ii. 1856; in the fourth,
November l, 1886; in the second, October
26, 1881; in the third November 1, 1sSS; in
the ninth, May l, 1889; in the seventh. Oc-
tober ]. 1880: in the fifth, June a, 1881: in
the eighth June a. 1891.
l respectfully recommend that provision
be made for two additional telephone oper-
ators. SO that from o'clock am. till II
O'Clock midnight two telephone operators
may be on duty, thus making it possible
to handle the constantly increasing tele-
phone business with greater promptness
than is now possible with the limited force.
Multitude of Calls.
In the handling of official business a
ieCoru - anu must De MADE at the time; 1t
happens hundreds of times a day that some
one calls over the line while the telephone
operator is recording a message, and hence
1t often occurs that short lime elapses
before the call can be answered
The expense of fitting up another switch
board for an additional operator would not
be great, while the advantage of the in
creased service would be large and greatly
appreciated by the public.
l also recommend appointment Of two adj
ditional repairmen at the regular salary
now paid the two We have provided for by
law. Four repairmen are necessity l
have also recommended an increase of sal
airy for each of the telephone operators as
matter of simple justice to honest and
incessant labor.
Estimates for fiscal year ending June 30,
1899: For salaries. $l4.94O; extension Of
service. $4,000; general expenses, $4,000:
total $3.50
GAVE A SILVER DOLLAR.