The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-05
OFFICIALS SUBMIT
 MONTHLY REPORTS
PERMITS FOR BUILDlNGS-ELEC- TRlCIAN CALLS ATTENTION TO NETWORK OF WIRES IN THE MAIN STREETS.

City officials submitted their monthly reports to the Mayor yesterday as fol- lows:
 Building Inspector.
 Permits for repairs and alterations costing less than 5000, s12,15l
 Costing less than Sa00O0, S2i,121. Costing from 5000 to $lO,OOo, $So015. Permits for moving. sloo.
 Permits for electric lights S2S2. Total, S66 735.
 Estimated value of repairs, s12,2ol. Estimated value new buildings, soi.202. Electric signs, $2s2.
 Fees collected during month, s125. The report of the city electrician shows that during the month 134 permits were issued and fees collected to the amount of s2O2.
 Fire Chiefs Report. The fire department responded to fs alarms, ran POE blocks, laid out SS5o feet of hose used III gallons of chemicals and raised 337 feet of ladders.
 The Briston recording water guage in- dcated a variation of 71-S pounds daily and an average pressure of Sl pounds to the square inch.
 Alarms receved: By telephone, Il; by box. 3; by stlll alarm. 4 by automatic, 1; total 19.
 Style of buildings where fire occurred: Frame, 10; brick g.
 Causes of fire: Sparks from fue (; carelessness. !; unknown, 3; gasoline stove l. electric wires. 4 lamp expls- .fa .1. f.T~ |. Htla afNxra explosion. 1; falling elevator, 1.
 Total value of buildings and contents where fires occurred. s176,7Oo; insurance on same SlO6,55o; total insurance loss s15,- 269 No loss not covered by insurance.
 Electricians Report.
 Tn reference to the fire caused by elec- trc wiring the following letter has been written by City Electrician Abernathy:
 October l. 1906. To the Honorable Board of Mayor and Aldermen, City Gentlemen-During the past month l Investigated four fires caused by electric current. The fires occurred at the follow ing places: Bank saloon, Hobson cafe, Me- Way Trading company and Hillman nos- pital All of the above fires caused by high voltage current, the Bank saloon by  by high voltage wire falling across lines that supplied current to the hospital. This building was on fire on two or three floors The wiring in this building is ap- proved iron conduit. all of the wiring be- ing In pipes, under other conditions no doubt but this would have been very serious fire.
 The city has an ordinance requiring all wiring in theatres to be wired in con duits and I recommend that this ordi- nance be made to include all buildings to be erected after January 1. 1907, in the fire limits. This ordinance to be applied to concealed wiring only.
 I also wish to call your attention to the network of wires on the main streets and alleys. Some of these wires carry a current as high as 2300 volts, and inyari- ably cause trouble during rain and wind storms Instead of the quantity of these wires decreasing they are steadily increas- ing
 All the wires on the main streets and avenues should be included in the con- duit ordinance with the exception of troll ley wires Respectfully submitted,
 w. H. ABERNATHY,
 City Electrician On addition, the city electrician reporfed that he had issued l34 fixtures and that his collections amounted to $2O2.