Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-05
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Chief Egan Wants Meter Placed
Where He Can See It.


 The business which called the board of public safety together last evening, it being the occasion of the regular meeting, was transacted in less than an hour. All the members of the board were present except Commis- sioner E. Foley. Commissioner Knox presided at the first part of the meet ing.
 Applications for positions on the fire call force were received from George Brown, 101 Burton street, and Michael Sullivan, Baldwin street. They were filed for further reference. Charles Gallagher, q callman at the Burton street house, applied for promotion to the regular force His application met the fate of the others, the file.
 At the request of Officer Cassin and upon recommendation of Chief-of-Po- lice Egan the officer was allowed pay for the twelve days he was laid up in consequence of falling one night into the we'll on the Prichard property on the corner of Bank and Grand streets.
 Officer Thomas O'Gorman applied to be promoted to grade c from B, with the attendant pay, he having passed through the fiery furnace that is neces- sary before the advance can be made. His request was granted, to take et- feet June 6.
 The usual bills and more of them, together with the pay rolls, were then approved. One of the bills. that star tied the board and will eventually make some one gray unless the matter is attended to is the bill for incan- descent lights at the polio station. The chief complained that the meter is hid- den under the attic and only q small sized man can get to 1t by means of small ladder. He complained to the lighting authorities and they practical ly told him that the meter was theirs and not to touch it. He therefore asked the board to see to it that the meter be placed so that an ordinary sized man can see it without the aid of ladder.
 But there was worse than that. The bill brought to the mind of one of the commissioners q sad tale of a gas meter that was evidently not made on this earth and consequently never intended to tell the plain truth. He watched this meter all night, and he watched the meter all day. Do what he would he never could get the meter to do a blessed or unblessed thing but call out in q creaking voice: Old man, you'll have to pay.' One day he got an axe and determined to end it's sin creating days. The salvation of his soul he knew was endangered every time he saw that meter working with a force equal to that of dozen able bodied meters. But then he recollect- ed the meter was not his and if he knocked out it's daylights he would. be arrested, just as if it were an honest and law abiding meter. Finally he took it apart one day unknown to the lighting people, and whether or not it was an optical delusion, but the inn pression has never been removed from his mind that he saw picture of man with cloyen hoofs pasted on the inside He had no more to do with that meter. He had it investigated" and found that his optical delusion was founded on fact, for it had complaint which the gas men said was the "Old Harry"
 A committee consisting of Chief-of- Police Egan and Commissioners Klein ecke and Hull was appointed to ascer- tain what was the trouble with this meter. The bill was for $45 odd. Un- der the coh ttact wht tth wasln existenee until May 1 the light was paid for by contract, $25 a month. <
 It was ordered to paint the roof of the Burton street engine house and to turn out Chlef SnaggS horse sam to pasture for a few months as he is getting worn out in the service.
 The final business of the board was the election of fireman to the va cancy made by Robert Wolff of the Scovill street house resigning. Of the four votes cast Fred " Moon, callman at the Burton street house got three and John NJ. Kelly one. Moon was backed by Commissioner Hull. The board then adjourned to the 18th.