Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-11-04
KANSAS CITY.
THE MID-CoNTINENT ME-
TROPOLIS.
Public Buildings, Fire Department, Lii
brary And Schools.

UIdkJ Auu oCuOOlSs
special Correspondence to the Evening Capital
Kansas City. like all other Western
cities, has large number of handsome
public buildings. Many of these are
built afrer the fashion of the Chicago sky
scrapers.
One OF the larges, and handsomest OF
Kansas City's business blocks is the New
York Life Insurance building. This
building is seventeen stories high and
cost over million dollars. II is built of
red brick and brown sandstone, with
marble trimmings.
The interior on the lower floor is ele-
gantly finished in marble tiling and mo-
saic work, highly polished. The ceiling
and side walls are artistically decorated
in floral designs in gilt. Beside being
the headquarters for the New York Life,
the building is occupied by offices and
banks. the fidelity Trust Company being
located in commodious quarters on the
first floor.
Few have the privilege OF visiting the
tower at the top of the building. Fortu-
nately we are among the few, and after
securing passes. were lifted above the
common herd" and had fine view of
the city from the tower at the top of the
seventeen-story New York Life Building.
There is no fire department in the United
States whose system has attained such a
degree of perfection as the one in Kansas
City.
1t was our pleasure to visit the head
quarters of this famous Fire Department,
and to witness several FIRE drills here.
The Kansas City Fire Department in
1895 carried of first honors in London.
Eng land, in competitive exhibition over
all comers. This department will be
represented at the Paris Exposition in
1900. In its management and efficiency
the fire department is the pride OF Kan
sas City. and to this is due the low
loss by fires here. Its present status is
seven steam engines, nineteen hose reels,
one water tower, hve hook and ladders,
two insurance patrols, one reporter.
There are twenty -one fire engine hous-
es in Kansas City. and seventy-seven
head OF horses in use in the service of
the fire department. The force consists
of 100 men, I8 watch boys, secretary,
I master mechanic, chief and assist
ants. The chief is George c. Hale. an
inventor of several useful machines used
by the department. Among Chief Hale S
| invaluable inventions is the water tower.
Ii is IS feet in height and throws an inch
| of water to the foot. Another invention
OF the Chiefs is the double and single
set OF swinging harness, and the combi-
nation automatic telephone, telegraph
and graphophone, which is set in motion
by the heat in burning building, ,arouses
those who are asleep. and tells them ex-
actly where the fire is. The arrangement
is most complete and unique. The assist
ant chief showed US how it worked. but
to do SO. he had first to light a piece OF
paper and hold the fame to the wire at
tached to the machine, as only heat Of
this sort will set it going.
All the public buildings. stores and
business houses of Kansas City have this
wonderful invention of Chief Hale's and
think it invaluable. II there is a FIRE at
Armour's packing house in the middle Of
the night, this combination machine will
awaken Mr.. Armour at his home in the
city, and tell him distinctly, "a fire in
the Armour Company packing house.
naming the exact floor or part OF the
building burning. 1t is impossible to
describe the mechanism OF this machine,
to appreciate it, one must see it work.
The dispatch with which the horses are
hooked to the engine and hose carriage
or hook and ladder here, takes one S
breath. There was an exhibition given
for our benefit. In one and a-half Sec
onds from the time the alarm is sounded
the double horse team was il he street,
and within three seconds the four-horse
truck. AS the gong sounds each horse
is in his place, the swinging harness
drops. the men clasp it and all is done
and the horses and truck are out in the
street before one has time to take his
breath.
During the year there has been added
to the service new fire alarm system.
The new system was installed July Ist,
1893, and consists of metallic circuit
the switch board being placed at Fire
Department Headquarters, where all
alarms are received and transferred
Each engine house is provided with a
long distance telephone. The system is
divided into six circuits, which are so ar
ranged that by throwing switch all en-
CINE houses on the different circuits can
be instantly connected into one circuit.
When an alarm of fire is given from
subscribers telephone, it comes direct to
the Central Telephone Office; the oper-
ator there transfers the same over trunk
line to the operator at Fire Headquart-
ers. thus putting him in instant commu-
nication with the subscriber who is Civ
ing the location Of the fire; the operator
at Fire Headquarters, on receiving the
location of the FIRE Immediately transfers
the same, by throwing a switch and Civ
ing the location of the alarm to all the
engine houses at the same time. THIS
system is also connected with the Fire
and Police Signal boxes. located on the
street corners in different parts of the
city. There are in service 40 signal
boxes which are connected direct with
the switchboard at Fire Headquarters
When the boxes are used for FIRE alarm
purposes, the number OF each box is re-
corded through relay, and the number
appears on tape; in addition to having
the location thus recorded, the operator
is placed in direct communication with
the police officer or citizen giving the To-
cotton Of the FIRE, thus enabling the Fire
Department to ascertain the exact loca-
ton of the FIRE which often proves of
great value in locating fires in large
buildings and unfamiliar places. The
use of the telephone in connection with
the fire alarm boxes very often enables