Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-16
ELECTRICAL SERVICE
ENGINEER ALIENS ANNUAL RE-
PORT TO COMMISSIONERS.
Number of Arc Lamps in Use in the
District-The Telephone
System.

Walter c. Allen the electrical engineer.
has submitted his annual report TO the
commissioners. 1t Is stated the greatest
Improvement in the public lighting during
the year was the substitution of arc lamps
or the inclosed type for the old style open
lamps. Within the area bounded by 18th
street west, Massa chusetts avenue, LIST
street west and B street north the inclosed
lamps were connected to the low-tenson
direct-current three-wire system; outside
that area the series-inclosed lamps were
installed. The entire number of lamps
have not yet been changed, but the work
will be completed within a few months.
The number of arc lamps Of each kind N
service July 1. 1902 was as follows:
Series inclosed, 90; series Open 2S2: 10 W
tension direct-current inclosed 3d. This
change has resulted in a considerable re-
duction in the number of outages, besides
enabling the company to furnish a steadier
and more uniform light.
The report shows that during the year
1913 additional gas lamps We're erected, and
also large number of naphtha lamps
where the sas mains have not been ex-
tended. Wherever The extension of the Sas
piping has made it possible naphtha lamps
have been changed to gas.
The Telephone System
Speaking of the District telephone sys-
spare ffty-circuit switchboard was re-
equipped and the circuits of the fire de-
partmcnt connected thereto. This relieved
the 20o-circuit board to great extent and
enabled the operators to give quicker serv-
Ice During the busy hours of the day
from $50 a. m. to 80 p.m.-there are Two
operators on the larger board and one at
the smaller. At other times there is one
operator to each board.
The Lincoln and Business High School
lines were made metallic in the early part
OF the year. These were the only remain
ing grounded circuits.
During the year fifty fire alarm boxes
were purchased with the special appropria-
ton made for that purpose and forty-elght
of them placed in service. In addition 10
these eight boxes were purchased and in
stalled at cost of private parties
Additional Patrol Boxes.
Twelve additional police patrol boxes were
erected. Mr.. Allen calls attention to the
special report made by MIN with regard
to this service some time ago and says it is
estimated that it will require seventy-five
new wall boxes at s135 each (slo125) and
10000 for rebuilding the lines before the
patrol service can be placed in proper
shape 1t will be possible to fix up tenn
porarl!y one or two of the worst circuits
with the funds available for the present
fiscal year, but | would recommend that the
Commissioners include $4,000 in their esti-
mates for the year 1904 for placing all
the circuits and boxes in good condition
Engineer Allen details the work carried
out in compliance with the order of the
board of Commissioners dated March &
l!U2. directing this department to visit the
hotels apartment houses. places of public
amusement, educational and charitable in
situations. and other buildings of like char
acter in the District of Columbia, and ex-
anime and report upon the electrical wiring
of said buildings
Unsafe Wiring.
This inspection, he says has been ac-
compished by Inspectors Bleo and Thorn
ton, without additional assistance, but the
demands of the regular work of the de-
partment required that it be suspended in
June, 1892, since which time no new places
have been visited. Those already reported
upon nave been visited often up to the date
OF this writing to see that the changes recon-
mended by the department were being made
rms inspection has shown that in MANY
places the wiring is worn out and unsafe
that many of the additions to the original
installations have been made in an I'M
sklIi1ul manner. 1t emphasizes most strong
~ the need of municipal supervision and
control of electric wiring in all buildings
Several attempts have been made to OBJ
tain authority from Congress to inspect
all premises, both public and private and
to employ two additional inspectors Thus
FAR these efforts have been unsuccessful
l would recommend that the Commission
ers urge upon Congress the passage of
Senate bill 1865. as modified in the Com
missioner's report thereon. This bill is
now upon the calendar of the Senate Dis
trict committee