The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-08
AN ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR.
NEW OFFICIAL SUGGESTED WHO
MIGHT PROVE USEFUL.

Danger to Life and Property Now
From Careless Construction OF
Electric Wires and Appliances.
Many Fires believed to Be Due to
This Cause-EIectricians Advocate
the Appointment of IA City Inspee-
tor.
Some of the electrical supply people In
Savannah are anxious to have Council
appoint an officer, with duties relative
TO the inspection of electric appliances
ana wiring, analogous to those exercised
by the plumbing inspector relative TO
plumbing.
These gentlemen contend that an Off
cal of this kind is much needed here,
and that If one were appointed, he would
save the city many times his salary every
year
A Morning News reporter called yester-
day on Mr.. ]. s. Walker of the Electric
supply Company, who is apparent
ly the father of the move
ment. AN inspector of electrical appl-
ances, or some similar official" said Mr..
Walker would greatly benefit this city.
Savannah is one of few cities, of like i'm
portance, not having an inspector to pro-
tect property owners against defective
wiring or other careless electrical work In
their houses. Contractors, whose work
is not subject TO inspection, are likely to
adopt the cheapest method of construction,
and the cheapest is not always the safest"
Every year many fires are traceable di-
rectly to defective wiring. In the Palmer
Hardware Company fire a metal blind
scraping against the wire had removed the
insulation and a blaze was started in this
way Other fires, whose cause is designated
unknown, are more than probably the re-
suit of careless electrical work"
If an electrical inspector were appoint
ed" said Mr.. Walker, at should be his
duty to examine work in process of con-
structon and to see that in every part 1t
is separated from combustlble material by
effective insulation. The electric light
company now makes an inspection before
il will connect premises with It's plant, but
this inspection is usually made after the
wiring is concealed by the woodwork, and
therefore is necessarily not as effective as
it might be. Neither has it any relation to
the old work, which frequently needs TO be
inspected and condemned more often than
the new"
"One evil, which the electrical inspector
should be clothed with power to amend, is
the method adopted by the street railway
company of stringing their trolley wires.
In almost all other cities trolley wires are
required to be protected by an insulated
guard wire, running above it. This is to
prevent falling wires from coming in con-
tact with the un-insulated and powerfully
charged trolley wires. AS the latter are
now constructed they are a constant men
ace to life and limb"
1T is my belief that with an inspector
in charge of the work, the city could be
induced to discard the obsoete method
now used in the operation of the fire and
police telegraph aud replace it with mod
ern storage battery system. The city OF
Macon has adopted this course and with
in eight years the plant has paid for it.
self. Augusta has recently done the same
thing.
Supt. Mcguire of the fire department,
when seen about the matter agreed thor
oughly with what Mr. Walker had said
Il favor and should like to see the ap-
pointment of an electrical inspector, btIt
l am afraid that the policy of retrench-
ment the present Council is pursuing will
not permit II. Frequent fires are caused
by improper and defective e.ectrlo wiring
and if an inspector were appointed many
of these would be prevented"
An effort was made to see Mr. S P
Hamilton of the Brush Electric Light and
Power Company, but the inclement wealth
er had kept him at home and in bed
Mr.. Lester w. Walker agreed that if
an inspector could be selected who was
al the same time competent and free from
bias, his appointment would do great good.
He gravely doubted however, if this could
be DONE
An agitation similar to the one now in
progress was made some months ago. but
was abandoned without having produced
any result The one now on foot seems
to be prosecuted with more vigor, and il
is possible that something will come of it.