Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-21
District Electrical Engineers Annual
Statement to Commissioners.
SUMOF 100000 FOR STREET LIGHTING
Recommends Appropriation fo'
Placing Wires Under Ground.
FIRE ALARM SY S I e NJ

| concentrations for work to be done and es-
| Inmates of cost for running the electrical
department of the District government for
the fiscal year ending June 80 1903.
The total amount asked for by Mr.. Allen
for the year is 1857 $50 He strongly urges
that all of the per diem employees In his
department be placed on the annual roll,
| and in this is done he says $4,000 may
be deducted from the total amount re-
qured. Mr. Allen lays special stress on
the necessity of doing away with the over
head wire system for the police and fire de-
| partments, and asks for $4,000 to continue
the work of putting these wires under
ground.
| summary of the estimates is fol-
lows: Salaries so, $780, general expenses.
$4,000: wires under ground, $4,000; build
ing conduits, etc, $500: extension of fire
alarm, $3.50: erection of poles. etc, 5000;
! manual transmitter, $3.50; raising roof,
etc. 81. coo; extension patrol system. 5000;
street lighting, $4,000; electric lighting,
| $4,000; total, 1857 $50.
| SaIaried Positions.
"In the item for salaries" says Mr.. AL
len, 'all Of the positions mentioned are al
ready filled by men either on the regular
roll or paid for from the various appropria-
tons for the department. I can but re-
new my recommendations of previous years
| that all per diem men be placed upon. the
| regular roll. In changing the salaries or
| these employees from per diem to annual
| slight increases have been made in order TO
| bring the annual amount TO round figures.
| The total increase, however, over the
| amount now paid is only $5S9.25, or an av-
erage of S39. IS for the fifteen employees af-
fected by the change. No other increases
or additional positions are asked for.
IAN increase of $1,000 is asked for in the
appropriation for general supplies for the
department. There has been a deficiency
in this appropriation for the past three
| years. and 1t is absolutely impossible to
| maintain the present service and provide
for the extensions and repairs incidental
| thereto. which are demanded each year,
mand for the extension of the telephone
| service in the schools, in the police depart
| ment and in the general offices Of the Dis
| trict
AN increase from $4,000 to $4,000 was
| granted last year In the appropriation for
| placing the District wires under ground, al
| though $4,000 was asked for 1 renew my
| recommendation that this latter amount
| be included in the Commissioners esti-
| mates. The opposition to poles and over
| head wires increases daily, and it is adj
| visable that the District system be placed
| under ground as soon as possible.
Extension of Conduits.
Several attempts have been made to Sc
cure legislation by Congress permitting
the extension of the conduits of the Chesa-
|
but so far all efforts in that direction have
been fruitless. The underground system of
| this department is almost exclusively in
| the conduitS of this company, the electric
| lighting ducts being used only in few In
stances on account of the unadvisability
of the joint occupancy of cOnduits contain
! ing both high and low potential systems
| This department is therefore limited in its
| underground extension to the present sys-
| tenn of the telephone company which has
| not been extended for several years Many
| important and extensively improved sec
| tons are not reached by conduits, among
which are Columbia Heights. Mount Pleas
| ant Washington Heights, Capitol Hill (be-
yond LIST street easD and Southwest Wash
| ington. AS there Seems to be no prospect
| of the telephone company securing the
| Quits to these sections, l have asked for
money and authority to build conduits to
| the first of the subdivisions mentioned
| above.
Fire Alarm Boxes.
Fifty of the 100 fire alarm boxes asked
| for last year were provided for by Con-
| gress. I renew my recommendation that
| the balance be appropriated for during the
coming year, including the S., 600 necessary
| for their erection.
| with the establishment of these 100
| boxes the available three-figure numbers in
at least one of the fire alarm districts will
| be exhausted, necessitating the use Of
boxes with four figures in the numbers
Our present manual transmitter is an old
one, from which only numbers containing
three figures can be sent to the various en-
CINE houses. Besides, there is no reserve
instrument at headquarters, that the
! large gongs cannot be sounded if an acct
dent crfpples our present transmitter. The
Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Company
from whom all our apparatus at headquar-
tiers was purchased and whose system we
! use exclusively, states that $3.50 is the
lowest price at which this instrument can
t furnished. figure being hoy
uniformly charge other cities.
Health and Comfort of Employees.
Il cannot urge too strongly the neces-
sity for making some provision for the
| health and comfort of the operators at fire
| alarm headquarters whose days and nights
and Sundays are constantly spent In the
| operating ROOM The ceiling of this room
is exceedingly low, 1t is directly under
tin roof and fresh air Is excluded by the
high cabinet work that lines three sides
| OF 1t. In the summer months the heat ts
| overpowerng, the poor ventilation adding
| to the discomfort OF the men.
The original architect of the building
| has drawn up plans tfor which he has re-
ceived no compensation for raising the
| roof, his estimate being $1,000 for that
| part of the work; another 81 600 will be
| needed for remodeling the cabinet work.
laying parquetry flooring, architects fees,
| &c
Patrol Circuits.
1.-The expense of remodeling the patrol
| circuits in the county incident to the OPEN
| ing Of the new tenth precinct station has
! curtaiied the extension of the patrol sys-
TEN in other sections of the District, and
| / therefore renew my recommendation for
5000 to carry on this very necessary
| work
| THE increased amount for gas naphtha
| and incandescent lighting is based upon
the actual necessary extensions required to
cover the improved sections Of the District
| and to continue the extension of the SER
vice on the important suburban highways
THE Weisbach system of lighting is so
very satisfactory that recommend an in
crease of from $4,000 to $4,000
THE increase In The amount for electric
lighting is to cover the extension of the
| system on Pennsylvania avenue from nth
street east to the bridge over the Eastern
| branch, and on nth street east from Penn
sylvania avenue to the Navy Yard bridge
The increase Is also sufficient to maintain
the twenty-three lamps now lighted, but
not paid for on account of lack of sufficient
funds in the present appropriation"
Friday and Saturday SeashOre Excur-
sions via Pennsylvania Railroad