The Glenwood post., 1912-03-09
ABOUT THAT IN
SPECT|ON FARCE
A Dissertation on the Dishon.
est Schemes to Invade
Private Property
BY WHOSE AUTHORITY?
(Contributed)

One of the most refreshing news
items was sandwiched in between two
equally interesting paragraphs in the
report on the last meeting of the town
council in the Avalanche of Tuesday.
5th inst.
In sort of shamefaced manner. as
if afraid of the consequences, it makes
the casual and few readers of the
Eighth Street Etfusion aware that some
nondescript has undertaken to "exam-
ine' the wiring of buildings in this
town, and mentions report which
states that there is no house in Glen
wood Springs wired according to speci-
fications of the Fire Insurance Under
writer's
The examiner-person signs the Gray
poort" with his own name, which is
comforting to those who have not
heard it before, but know now that a
great Telsa or Edison Junior has
''arose" to light up their path
No one seems to know by whose an
thority said examination was
made. No one knows what jurisdiction
could be vested in any authority what
soever to allow the examiner to in
wade the privacy of Glenwood Springs
dwellings. No one has any idea that
the examiner person had any idea
how to examine: because, Judging
from the nature of the "examna-
tion," which consisted in the casual
looking at the fixtures and lamps, to
which was added the cute question:
sNiHre ycti satisfied with the light serv-
ice?" NO EXAMINATION WHAT
EVER WAS MADE!
In some instances, the youngster,
who did not know that he constantly
ran the risk of being booted into the
street for entering houses on his entire
ly illegitimate errand, was actually in
vited by good natured citizens to look
into the meter closet, or to go in1o
the attic where the wiring is exposed,
for the purpose of satisfying himself
as to the nature of the work; but no
instance is known where he availsd him
self of the proffered privilege.
With what occult gifts the WORTH
investigator is blessed to enable him to
see through lath and plaster, brick and
wood or stone, and determine in what
manner the wires behind these materi-
ais are run, and whether they are cased
or insulated or not, deponent doth not
say.
But it is really pitable farce to
state-as the Avalanche does that
''the report of Arthur Haley regarding
the safety of the electric wiring of the
city was read. It showed that there Is
not house in the city which complies
with the requirements of the Fire In
surance Underwriters
To fully appreciate the full strength
of this monumental statement, we
should remember that the first wiring
for lights in this city was done in
1887, and that the mode of wiring as
then employed is icntical with the one
now in use.
"Lil' Ahtha' was borned some five
years later, and it appears that for
twenty-five years-as one should con
clude from that maverick report-we
have been, with all structures, includ-
ing the Colorado Hotel, the bath
houses, many business blocks, churches,
the court house and hundreds of dwell
ings in constant danger of all kinds
of confagrations. Now, however, it's
all past: the Avalanche has discovered
real live electrician (?) who, backed
by an experience too numerous to men
tion, shows that we are really in a
Stygan Dark Purple state of intellect.
No wonder many of us sport such rich
brown tastes.
The real fact is, that, save and ex-
cept by actual shearing off or wearing
away of the wire casing, or short cir
cult, the danger from fire by uncon-
duited wire is extremely remote, which
is clearly shown by the figures OF our
insurance rates, which are the same for
wired and unwired houses; and there
is only one single instance known to the
local FIRE department where a fire was
'ssuspected" to have been caused by
unprotected wire-and this in twenty
i've long years.
The explanation ~ to the origin Of