Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-03
AERIAL WIRES
A DEADLY PERIL.
SAYS FIRE BOARD
Chief Moore and Superintendent
Bosch Also Declare They Are
a Constant Menace.

There has been no let-up in the
work of the fire department in the
efforts to get the telegraph alarm sys-
tenn in operation. repair the damage
wrought to overhead wires by the
storm and in patrolling the city to de-
tect fires in their incipiency and send
word to the central office in the City
Hall to telephone No. 1926 Market.
Up to noon today about 100 boxes
of approximately $50 affected by the
storm had been restored to serVicea-
BILE working condition, and Superin-
tendent Bosch reported that, while the
progress made under adverse cirrunl-
Etanaes was gratifying, the danger
point .t1N not be passed for some
DAYS To come.
Chief Engineer Paul J. Moore and
his entire force kept up their vigil
and tours of inspection during the
night and day, and. according to the
chief, will continue operations on
these lines for at least a week.
"the boys are on their toes and per-
forming this extraordinary duty
cheerfully and enthusiastically" said
the chief today. "They are true blue
all right But the danger is far from
being a thing of the past. Let the
people bear in mind that they must
telephone Market 1926, fire department.
headquarters, in case of fire, | Will
not feel that we will be out of the
woods for a week or ten days, and
then only if weather conditions are
favorable. So the people should not
be permitted to labor under any false
sense of security. I have added
number of teams to the force of horse
help from outside sources to tide over
the present grave situation. But
those overhead wiresl May the good
Lord spare Newark and Newarkers
from them. They are a deadly men
ace"
This overhead wire problem has
stirred the fire department people as
few propositions could possibly stir
them They see, as others see, moth
ing but constant danger from these
wires in weather characterized by
severe storms, whether heavy wind
and rain storms in the summer
months or the naturally more disas-
trous ones in nwinter.
And what is the more surprising
and will certainly be news to most
Newarkers, the city itself is bereft
of power to act in the matter. At
least, the city has never provided it,
self with facilities in preparation for
conducting the work of placing wires
underground on a large scale. Until
plans are effected for the officials of
the city to take up this proposition
and remove all overhead wires car
rying electric currents, and bury
such wires, Newark will be obliged
to deal with an outside corporation
to bring about desired results.
That the New York and New Jer-
sey Telephone Company is master of
the situation, as 1t applies to the
placing of wires underground in New
ark is concerned, 1t quite evident.
This corporation appears to be the
contented possessor of a franchise, or
something equally as potent, whereby
II may determine what wires shall go
underground, when they shall go un-
derground and where. The company
has all the construction parapherna-
liza with which to do this class Of
work and controls the cGnduits
through which telephone, fire and
telegraph wires go.
Chief Moore, Superintendent of Fire
Alarm Telegraph Bosch and Fire
Commissioners Matthias Stratton, r.
u. Burke, w. A. Weber and Frank
Lagay declared today that nothing
appealed to them as being more de-
sirable or a greater need, from the
standpoint of public safety, particu-
larly fire protection, than the placing
of all electric current bearing wires
underground,
"I cannot express myself forcibly
enough on this point" said Chief
Moore. Bury the wires and bury
them safe and fast. They are a
source Of deadly peril whenever we
| have a fire. Our men risk dangers
enough under ordinary circumstances,
not to be in momentary peril of death
| from live wire falling from the net
work that we must pass our ladders
through almost at every fire. There
is too little attention paid to this fea-
! ture of danger by the corporations
controlling wires. Their men are
never too prompt to cut or detach
disentangled live wires, with which
| they are familiar, at any stage of the
game. Is it any wonder that thought
| less pedestrians are killed on the
streets by this hidden menace?