Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05

/ OF the electrical department the removal
/ of poles and overhead wires from the streets
| has been steadily carried on. The Chesa-
| peake and Potomac Telephone Company
| has not confined itself in this good work
| to the area prescribed by Congress within
which poles and overhead wires were to be
| removed from the streets. The telegraph
companies are preparing to put their wires
| underground. and the electric lighting COM
pany is gradually decreasing the amount of
overhead wires The Commissioners are
gratified by the steady progress toward the
entire removal of all poles and wires from
| the streets of Washington.
The electrical department has taken down
11S poles. in all parts of the District.
This department placed underground the
wires connecting ~ fre-alarm boxes, 81
patrol boxes, 3 schoolhouses, engine
houses, and police stations. It drew into
conduits 1853 miles of cables containing
041 .93 miles of wire, and built 2.a2 miles OF
conduit and 10 manhoies.
| Five fire-alarm boxes were erected on the
streets and 8 in private and Government
| buildings.
| Sixteen miscellaneous telephones were
installed. connected to the District system,
| besides 40 additional ones in the various
public schools.
| Seventeen patrol boxes were added to the
| system and all the defective circuits re-
wired ard placed in good condition.
The net increase in street lamps was:
| Naphtha, 135; Welshach. 35I; inca ndescent
| electric, us; ares. 8; street designation
| lamps on fire-alarm posts. 80: on patrol
| posts, II, and on plain gas posts, G1. making
| a total of I'll. The number of gas lamps
| was reduced by 153 making the net in
| crease i'll street lamps 5G4.
| The total number of lamps of all kinds In
| service July ]. 1895, was 1l,24I
Protection From Fire.
| No extraordinary demand for the services
| OF the fire department occurred during the
| year. but it showed by what 1t did 1t was
useful as ever. It's inspection work, in con-
| nection with that of the electrical depart
| ment, carrying out the policy of the Com
missioners 10 do everything possible 10 pre-
| vent fires, has been diligently DONE The
| chief engineer of the department, who must
! personally make many inspections besides
| those made by the fire marshal and his as
| sistant, has a constantly increasing burden
| of duty and should be relieved as promptly
| as possible from all responsibility for the
| business administration of the department,
| SO that he can eonfine his attention to the
direct work of inspection and fire fighting-
The Commissioners renew their recon-
menda ton that the fire department be given
a superintendent to perform its administra-
| tive duties, corresponding in his functions
| to the superintendent of the police depart
ment and to similar officers elsewhere. 1t
! is impossible to administer the business af-
fairs of this constantly growing department,
with property valued at over S1coo,oco IN
| thirty companies, scattered throughout the
District, in systematic and thorough man
ner, except by man WHO has nothing else
officer, together with the reorganization of
the entire force OF the fire department. in
Il bill which the Commissioners will submit
to Congress and which they nope will be en-
acted. since it would secure better admin
istration for the fire department and more
adequate compensation for its members
OF late years no very large fires have oc-
Cured in the District of Columbia, but this
fortunate condition can not be expected to
! last The Commissioners arS very DESTROYS
that the fire department " so increased
and equipped as to be ready for any ener-
gency. The spreading of the population
over the higher ground outside Of the city
of Washington greatly increases the DAN
ger that two more large fires may occur
at the same time and far apart, and IL Will
be found that the department is not strong
enough to cope with them. 1t is able 10 do
as much as any other department OF It's size,
but no more, and its territory is peculiar
in It's extent and in the importance. OF Inc
buildings 1t contains.
Therefore the Commissioners would have
been glad 10 approve all the recon-
mendations of the chief engineer for the
increase of buildings and apparatus, and
confined their approval to the most press
ing only because of circumstances. They
put first. as most important, the PROPOSE
ton to install special water mains IN Or
der to provide a high-pressure gravity fire
protection service for the heart of the city
of Washington, at an estimated cost or
S15oOo0 according to the recommendations
which they have heretofore made. This
would greatly strengthen the fire depart
ment in the city of Washington and would
release apparatus for the protection OF the
outside territory.
The protection of the river front, includ-
ing the navy yard and the buildings of the
War College and engineer barracks, mas
been improved by the addition OF the nfe
boat named the Firefghter, and by the IN
stallation of No. IL and No. Is engine COM
panies in southwest ana southeast WASH
ington. respectively, which also serves 70
increase the safeguards of the rest OF the
District. ..
The older buildings of the department
make increasing demands upon the mace
m1ate repairs fund, and several or them
are in such a condition that they ought 70
he rebuilt while the repairs fund shouia
be increa sed for the benefit OF others.
The general conduct of the men OF tne
danartment has been excellent, although
the maintenance of discipline mas requif t
the punishment of small proportion by
dismissal or otherwise chiefly because OF
intamnerance in the use of liquors. An
Improvement in the training OF recruits -
made possible by the erection or io-ioot
Harris training tower, lone oesi,eu, III
for which means were not petore aNaii-
able upon which all kinds of practice work
can be shown. - %
During the fiscal year ending June 3o:
1905 according to the report or the chle.
engineer there were 5Gf bell alarms ana
Al6 local alarms. The total estimated loss
amounted to SOL ,132, or 10 per cent OF me
tool Insurance a decrease as compared
;tb the fiscal wear 1904. when the total
estimated loss was $25o,92i. me nig sst
amount in the estimated loss IN the nscai
,aar 1908 was $4,000. in the case OF DOW
news livery stable Ia. 49, ,,x,
The preventive work was chleny zone py
CONSTANT inspection of theaters notes
apartment houses, mercantile ana manu- MANI
featuring establishments, and other piaces
,,bere large numbers of people gather anu
~ nlaces for the storage and safe OF IN, m
eapmsbIe oils and other commissioners
SneciaI inspections were also made OF pup
liz huildings and charitable institutions. IN
III ases where it was necessary ihstIu
lions were given as to the employment lei ,, Oh
methods and apparatus necessary TO I'M
nrove the fire protection In the case y.
w. theaters on the recommendation u
the chief engineer in addition TO All the
ottar means taken for their improvement
-, this respect special requirement was
II, AZ dn thai they should install standplpes
sufcient to provide all the wafer Ter n eens-
Say for fire-hghting purposes. me Sonl-
aissioners believe that much or the I'M
munity from large fires enjoyed % ou r;nis
the mast Ave years is due to the more rlgld
IND sIG thorough preventive work OF that
period. ,,s haa,, made for
the protection Of public. school ouliaings
aud The buildings of the District municlpai
~ ,,ties nv means of telephones connect