The Washington times., 1901-08-14

this provision the men purchase thei
own wheels and keep them in repai
| throughout the year As their tours o
| duty are adjusted, with the limited mum
| per OF wheels at command, two men pa
troll during the day. and a relief of two
men during the night until u o'clock
when one man, making the fifth, com
pletes the day by operating through the
| precinct until morning. This detail mum
beers five men to each precinct, or fifty
men in the ten precincts
1t is advisable that this force be in
creased at least ten. which would re-
lulre further annual appropriation OF
$500 This would enable the assignment
tween midnight and morning as are en-
gagged in the work during the day time
and up to IL o'clock at night.
An increase of three drivers will be
made necessary by the opening of the
Tenleytown stationhouse one for day an6
one for night duty, and the assignment OF
the Major and Superintendent driver to
the Tenth precinct stationhouse. In ex-
PLANTATION of the latter clause the Major
and Superintendent is at this time de
prived of the use of driver and must
pay such expense from his own resources.
BY reason of the transfer of the am
bulance service from this department to
the Board of Charities, four drivers are
dropped from the police roll.
Two drivers are assigned to each of the
ten precincts and one to the Police Court
oners from the stationhouses to the court,
and from the court to the Jail or work.
house.
THE next item is that of police ma
tron. At the present time three matronS
are employed under the police appropria-
ton, two of whom do the searching and
care for the prisoners at the House of
Detention, and the third has supervision
OF women who are not proper subjects
for the latter institution and who may
be held at the stationhouse.
1T is at once apparent that single
matron cannot give twenty-four hours
service at the stationhouse; hence this
request for an additional employee in this
line of work
with the new Tenth precinct station
open and another station In Tenleytown
there must be an increased supply of
coal furnished the department, and for
this extra heating an estimate is made
for $3.50 in addition to the current appro-
priation- In this connection / might add
that the increased price of coal will at
once emphasize the fact that this is an
economical Recommendation.
Many of the patrol wagons. purchased
for the department over ten years ago,
have experienced their days of useful
ness, and 1t will be necessary to supplant
them by new ones. In order to do so the
contingent fund must be added to- This
consideration. the expenses involved in
an increased police force, by way of beds,
bedding, gas. ice, and, in fact the multi
plicity of needs, convince me that $4,000
Tor the ensuing year Will be small ana
close estimate.
Il am here reminded that for the past
two years Congress cut down the esti-
mates of your Superintendent in this re-
spect, which, for the first time, caused
the mourning of a deficiency. After a rec
ord for years without deficiency ii was
disappointing to the Major and Superin-
tendent to have to involve the depart
ment in debt at all, and it is to be hoped
that Congress will give the items stated
that consideration which will result In
ample provision being made in this re-
spect-
The detective bureau mas property re-
covered to secure, prisoners and wit
nesses to transfer from Headquarters to
other places. and to make prompt and
rapid conveyance of the same the trans
sary to hire, should be owned by the de-
partment. A patrol wagon might be call
ed from its legitimate use at a station.
but this would impair the precinct work
zens in front of whose premises such
might be stopped / have es-
timated for a motor vehicle for this and
other purposes.
ton building would result in its condem-
nation. Erected thrty-odd years ago, it
today presents but few features which
would indicate 1t to be q stationhouse in
the modern acceptation of the term
There is a fight of stairs to climb before
1t can be reached; dark rows of iron
cells encaSed in solid masonry, without
give it more the appearance
Of the Black Hole of Calcutta than any
thing else. The basement at times over
flows with water. and the rear yard ad-
Joining the sleeping rooms is continually
damp and covered with insanitary dis
The Anticipated closets are
to the se-called dormitory,
where members of the force must sleep,
The dreams of the siumberers to be dis
urbed by an intolerable degree of heat in
summer and the disgusting odors which
1t all times. The lot. which is owned by
he District is on corner and Is am
DE in extent for the erection of a suita-
Die station edifice and stable. The old
building should be torn down and a new
)ne erected in its stead, the cost of which
s included in the estimates at $4,000. The
ocation is in Southeast Washington, ad-
nirably situated for the purposes, in the
midst of a well populated district, en-
tracing the Library of Congress. the Capt.
oil, the navy yard. and hundreds of bust
less houses and private residences.
IF provision is made for the erection Of |
stationhouse and stable in Southeast
on the present site of the |
fifth precinct the housing of the COM
nand temporarily, or during the period |
when the house is under construction is
md ii is suggested that an appropriation |
f 5000 be made for the rental of build |
ng for such purposes
In support of tie propositions hereto |
ore presented, the Major and Superin-
endent will be prepared to furnish data |
rom other localities in the United States, |
wherein the reasonableness of the increase |
f pay recommended will be shown"