Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-23
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Results of Recent Investigation Of
District Service.
MADBQUACY and UNRBLIABILIFY
Congress Petitioned to Make a
Special Appropriation.
n L E ID S OF THE CITY

The District Commissioners today adj
dressed letter to Representative C.,n-
non. chairman OF the House committee on
appropriations. calling the attention of The
committee 10 the results of a recent inves-
t.gation of the District fire alarm. tele-
graph and police patrol systems, which in
vestigation, the Commissioners explain,
developed very Unexpectedly TO them such
inadequacy and uhreliability of the fire
alarm service to make it appear absolutely
essential, in order TO protect the property
CT the District, and even life Itself that
there should be q thorough reconstruction
of The system. Therefore, the Commits
sioners submitted estimates for the inser-
ton in the deficiency bill of $4,000 for an
extension and reconstruction of the sys-
tenn, and 5000 for additional story to
the engine house now building on sth
street between ID and Il for use as a per-
manent fire alarm Headquarters
Commissioner Wight, who has imme-
date charge OF The lire and police depart
nents, as stated in The Star several days
ego. made thorough investigation, in con-
nection with an expert electrician. of the
hre alarm and police patrol systems: and
while he found that there Were many cases
OF IAlscounting of fire alarms by the va
rious companies of the fire department vet
there We're evidences of numerous alarms
having been Incorrectly struck IN the va
rtous houses OF the department. The Dis
trlct, he also found. has in use 232 signal
boxes, about GO of which were introduced
here over twenty-five years ago lie reach
ed the conclusion that at least 1888 more
boxes are needed to adequately protect To-
calities now without fire alarm boxes. and
that the p old boxes should be replaced
with modern ones, and ~ more should be
equipped with more modern appliances.
Visual Indicators Needed
Another conclusion reached by Mr. Wight
was that the nineteen companies Of the fire
de partment should be equipped with visual
indicators. so that the companies could re-
ceiye all fire alarms both on the house
scngs and on the indicators, which would
result in doing away with the miscounting
OF the boxes found to exist at the present
time. Another improvement which he
found could be made is the refining of
The signal boxes; that Is, he believes that.
the two seconds between each stroke OF
the house gong should be reduced to one
second, four or five second between each
figure. and from fifteen TO twenty seconds
between each round of the box. The pres
ent appliances at the central ofhce were
found to be entirely outgrown, the circuits
hesng overloaded and of too great length.
The wires and the police patrol system were
found TO be in fairly good condition.
Washington Poorly Equipped.
one of the poorest equipped cities in the
country in the number Of fire alarm boxes.
The letter addressed to the House COM
nittee en- appropriations by the Commits
sfoners was follows:
"A recent Investigation Of the FIRE alarm
system OF this city has developed very I'M
eNpecte lily to the Commissioners its inad-
equacy and unreliabilty to such an extent
TO make it appear absolutely essential,
in order to protect the property OF the city.
and even life itself, that IL should be thor
Cughly reconstructed
1T having been brought to the attention
OF the Commissioner in charge of this de-
partment of public safety that alarms OF
fire were incorrectly received at the engine
houses, an investigation developed the fact
that during the year 1s97, out of 2Jj alarms
transmitted. as were Incorrectly received.
or about 80 per cent of all alarms received
were SO Incorrect to make the actual
location of the fire uncertain, causing de-
lay and serious consequences.
This defect is largely due to the fact
that the apparatus in the central Office is
Old and not at all commensurate with the
growth of the system and the city. and in
order that the Commissioners might be
more intelligently informed on the subject
a representative of the largest and most
reliable house in New York, the Gamewell
Company, came to Washington and made
a thorough inspection of the entire system,
and has submitted his report, copy of
which is herewith attached.
The Provision Required.
SIN order to give to this city what 1t ac-
tually needs and deserves in the matter of
fire protection and police appliances the
Commissioners must earnestly beg that
there may be inserted in the deficiency bill
an item making provision for such equip
ment of $4,000, and in order that this
Office may be properly housed, the small
space allowed it in the small rented build
ing now occupied by the District office be-
ing entirely inadequate, and seeing no pro-
vision for municipal building in the near
future. it is proposed to add an additional
story to the engine house now being CONF
pieted on Sth street northwest between d
and l. streets, which will give ample ac-
co:nmodationS for this important branch of
the service, and afford permanent mead
quarters for the same, and for this the
Commissioners ask an appropriation Of
S6.oo0.
"If Congress should grant this appropria-
tion the city will be as thoroughly equipped
for police and fire Geographic communion
ton as any other city in the country. or as
ii can well be with the exception of having
its wires under ground instead Of overhead,
as they now are; but the Commissioners,
believing that in the near future the extern
sion Of the electric and telephone wires
will provide conduits which may be made
use of without any expense to the District
government, are Of the opinion that it viii
be wise to wait until such conduits are
laid, rather than to ask for an appropria-
ton at this time for that particular pur-
pose.
1.-The Commissioners beg TO call the at
tention of the committee to the COMPARE
lively small appropriations which have
been made each year for the support of this
important department of public safety and
its extension, and submit herewith a state
ment showing the amount expended in a,
number of other cities about the size of
Washington. from which it will be seen
that we have appropriated for the city less
than one-half of the annual appropriations
for other cities of corresponding and SIM
liar size"
NECESSITY FOR GOLD.