Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-09-07

same becomes menace 10 DOtn lllb
and property.
Capt. Brophy discussed the neces-
sary qualifications of men engaged in
some classes of tho electrical business,
and favored system Of licensing them.
In conclusion, he said:
Il charge those of you that are en-
trusted with the supervision of electro
cal construction, to make relentless
war ON material and devices whose
only recommendation is cheapness, and
keep close watch on those who would
make, sell or use them. To those in
charge of fire and police telegraphs, /
would say, bear this motto in mind at
all times, The best is none too good
for the systems in your charge.
The paper was discussed by Charles
| X. Pillsbury of Minneapolis, secretary
of the State Board of Electricity, who
| told of the three classes, master,
| journevman and special electrician
| licensed in Minnesota; Thomas Flood
| OF Boston; f. g. Mason of New York,
| who emphasized the need of good in
spectors. Mr.. Mason held that the
civil service examinations were not good
| tests of mans ability, for man
without experience might pass them.
Mr.. Woodruff, whose paper followed
CAPT. Brophy's. took occasion to say
that all that is called Civil Service
Reform is not Civil Service Reform,
and that the real article, which is
more aptly called the merit system, is
effective in operation.
B. Il. Macdonald of Ottawa, Canada,
gave a sketch OF the progress and de-
velopment of fire alarms and police
telegraph in the Dominion of Canada.
The first alarm and police telegraph in
| Canada was established in Montreal in
1868.
At business session, the association
| thanked the Wilmington City Railway
Co., the Western Union Telegraph Co.,
the Delaware & Atlantic Telegraph and
Telephone Co., the Wilmington City
Electric Co.. the Young Mems Chris
| tian Association and che Young Mems
Democratic Club for invitations and
| extensions nf courtesies.
| The report of the credential COM
mittee and the payment of dues were
laid over until today.
Clarence f. Stump of Brooklyn is
| the secretary of the association,
| A letter dated Orange, N. j., was
read from Thomas A. Edison, who re-
GREETED that he could not be present.
The Cincinnati League invited the
association to hold its next annual
meeting in Cincinnati.
The French Federation of Firemen
| invited the association to send repre-
sentatives to its meeting in Paris in
1900.
As Capt. Brophy had to leave town
last evening, he said some words of
| farewell to the convention.
| Adjournment was taken about 4
o'clock.
| At yesterday mornings session of the
| fourth annual convention of the Ma
| tional Association of Municipal Elec-
tricians of the United States and
Canada, the following papers were read:
History of the Police Telegraph
| SYSTEM by John Weigel, director of
police signal service of Boston.
Laws and Government of the Wire
| Department of Boston," by Thomas
W. Flood, commissioner of wires of
| Boston.
Overhead Construction, by W. H.
Thompson, Richmond, Va, read by
Clarence Stump.
1.-The ACCESSIBILITY of Concentrating
the Control of All Municipal Electrical
Interests Under One Head by Norris
w. Mead, superintendent of Bureau of
Electricity Of Pittsburg Pa.
Mr.. Weigel in his history CT the
police telegraph, said that the systems
date back to the early days of the fire
alarm system, for it was customary,
even in the first fire system introduced,
to have special call which could be
used by the police department in cases
of emergency, certain number of
blows on the fire alarm. indicating
that all officers must report Immediately
for orders.
The following were cited as the
benefits derived from an efficient police
telegraph system
Firstly means of the automatic
system of registration, causing patrol
man to indicate his presence at various
| points on his route, thereby showing
his attention to duty, and also placing
him directly under control of his COM
manding officer.
Second, BY facilitating the sup
preston of disorder through the ra-
pidity with which the force can be
concentrated at given point.
Third by aiding in the detection
of criminals, through the ease and ra-
pidity with which the force may be
notified of the commission of crime,
and placed ON the lookout for crimi-
nal.
Fourth-By bringing to the assist
anoe of the department large number
of citizens, who, being furnished with
keys to signal boxes, are enabled to call
for police assistance in case of trouble,
and thereby,in one sense, constitute an
auxiliary police force.
In addition to all this, ths system is
a protection TO the individual officer,
by enabling him to call for assistance
when in need; it does away with the
degrading and offensive spectacle of a
prisoner being dragged through the
streets to the stationhouse. and it
alleviates human suffering by providing
an expeditions way of summoning as
! sistance In accident cases, and convey
ing the injured to their homes or the
hopsitals.
In accident cases the system has
done much to alleviate suffering and
preserve life. The patrol wagon, pro-
vided with streteher and surgical ap-
chances as are of use in cases of
emergency, can be instantly summoned,
and the sufferer may be speedily con-
yeyed to the hospital, IL need be in
comfort and WITHOUT danger. Repeated
instances have occurred where death
would probably have ensued had it not
been for the prompt aid furnished by
means of the signal system.
J. o. Leary addressed the body In
the interests of the Telegrapbers'
Mutual Benefit Association.
President Jonathan w. Aydon pre-
sided for portion of the morning ses-
sion, aud Vice President George L.
Macdonald of Ottawa, Can, presided
for the remainder.