The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-06
GUS SAUR==G. VAN WERDEN

tionsl with the water company whether
or not they will send them.
FIRE ALARM SERVICE.
During the year the electric box alarm
circuit has given excellent service. Forty
alarms have been received from street
boxes and in one case only was there
any delay. and that was caused by the
! person who turned in the alarm not
knowing how il should be turned in. A
large number of our citizens who live
close to an alarm box have not taken the
trouble to acquaint themselves with the
| way to turn in an alarm. This is very
| important matter, and every citizen
| should be familiar with how to intelli-
gently turn in an alarm from a street
box. Two new boxes Were placed in
service the past year, making total of
IS alarm boxes throughout the city. Some
| trouble was experienced by the depart
ment by reason of the NJ X & T. Tele-
phone company removing their phones
! from the fire stations, but il was only OF
short duration, and no fires occurred in
the interval. We have now complete
| telephone fire circuit, and our alarm
! system is as good as in any city of our
! size II the country.
/ The report of the city electrician, show
ing the expenses. additions ana improve
q
! follows:
Wichita Kan, Jan. / 1903
To the Honorable Fire Marshal of the
City of Wichita:
Sir: | have the honor herewith to sub
IA to you the following report for the
MONS of April, May, June July, August.
September. October. November and De-
cember 1902
Permits issued. 262: inspections, 257;
buildings overhauled and repaired. S: col
lections on permits, s163.5o: electrical fires.
Sources of electrical fires: Ground on
gas pipe. .; defective motor, /; overcharge
entering house, l; ground on trees, l.
FIRE ALARM INVOICE.
New wire, 20 miles.
Additional wire. miles: additional
poles, 10; street boxes in use IS; addi-
tional alarm boxes. .; electro-mecha meal
gongs. 3; mechanical gongs. 3; Leclanch
batteries, "a; dry batteries. 10; gravity
batteries, 80; telegraph relays. s; ink reg
listers, 5.
RUNNING EXPENSES OF ALARM
Labor. $3.50: zines s3i.25; blue vitroiI. s32
paraphine oil, SOS; salamoniac. s.. 10. mis-
cellaneoUs. 1924. Total. sl9l76.
IMPROVEMENTS IN ALARM
Labor. s162.75; horse and wagon. $3.50:
wire, $50; telephone Instruments. s24.0o:
insulators 1880; oak pins. 75c: break
arms. $500; pole hauling. s2.75; miscella-
neous. S55.75; alarm boxes, s24.O0 Total,
S4506s.
During these months 1 have made a
number of improvements on the fire
alarm, which are not yet completed ow-
ing TO the fact that / have been com
PEELED TO wait until such time as the
Wichita Telephone company will be able
to give me pins on their poles
l have also installed for the police de-
partment, a telephone system consisting
Of ten phones and street boxes. an OPP
orators set and one 20-drop switchboard
c. E. NORRIS. City Electrician.
BUILDING PERMITS.
During the past year there have been
issued 23l permits to build. Thirty-nine
of above number were for business
buildings, and 1872 were for residence
buildings, showing a cost of s429, 525 90
The Dold Packing company's building
at a cost of $3.50 900 90; ST. Francis hos
pital, s26.10000: Unitarian church, s., 10000;
engine house No. 3, $4,000, for which
no permits were issued. In addition to
the above. there were issued 81 moving
permits for the relocation of buildings.
A large number of these buildings were
moved to suitable residence sites and re-
modelled into nice appearing and COM
modious residences. These improvements,
together with a number of buildings the
owners of which failed to take out their
permits, would increase the above amount
to slOo.0O0oo making a total of build
ings and improvements during the past
year OF sS15,625cO.
Since May. 1900. when the council or
dered the issuance of building permits.
until December 81. 1902. there have been
issued 4i9 building permits. OF the above
number, IS were for business buildings
and 81 were Tor residences and barns
showing an amount of 1851 5000 OF
the number of permits issued there has
been collected and turned into the city
treasury a total of $1,000. as follows:
% permits at $500 each ....s 219 90
202 permits at 500 each ............ 404 %
la permits at 90 cents each .......... 500
Atldl y. lb.0J
In connection with this report, 1 wish
to recommend some changes in the or
dinsnce relative to the specified rate
charged for permits. The ordinance re-
quires that all buildings costing less
than 800. a charge Of 90 cents for each
permit; and for any building costing
more than $500 and less than 5000.
charge of SEQ; and for any building over
1900 in cost, a charge of see Under
ing 500 costs as much as a permit for
a building costing $500. which to the
person procuring the permit seems IN
fair There has never been complaint
on the part OF any person building within
the fire limits about the cost OF the per-
nit. from the fact that they get favors
from the city in the way Of street space.
where their material is kept during the !
time OF the construction % their build |
ing; but on the other hand persons com
PEELED 10 take out permits for building |
residences very frequently complain. be- /
cause as they claim. they receive no /
benefits. their material being placed on /
their own property. and they arc charged 1
q same as persons building in fire lin /
its. and in many instances owners Of .
buildings in course of construction in 1
residence portions OF the city refuse. or !
fail, 70 procure permits. and in order /
that the city may be able 10 get a rec
ord Of all buildings erected, recon- 1
mend the following:
mat the cost Of permit for any build I
ing outside Of fire limits. costing less 1
than Si.o1o. a charge OF 70 cents: for build \
ings costing more than a.ooo and less |
than S-.es. = charge Of S.59: for build 4
ings within the IRE limits. costing less
than Sl."o. a charge OF SI-oo: for build
ings costing more than sl.oo and less
tnan SOa, charge or see: for build I
ings costing more than sa.ees and less
Ian $500. = charge OF SSap: for build i
inss costing more than SEQ charge !
a. So And / further recommend that
a suitable building ordinance Be passed.
regulating The construction OF all build (
mss within the ire limits. and TO revu-
late the construction OF chiuaneys. aues.
furnace plants and hearthS. in all resi-
T-s~S