The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-23
WOODS FINDS POLICE
SLIPS ON NIGHT TRIP
Orders Capt. Ward Of Thirtictli
Street station TO Head
quarters.
NEW SIGNAL Bon TEST
Schmittbcrger's Plan to Elimi-
nate Peg Posts Has
Trial.
NEW SIGNAL BOX TEST

Police Commissioner Arthur Woods and
Commissioner OF Charities John a. Kings
bury motored to the West Thirtieth street
police station last night and made an UNI
heralded examination Of the place. One
result of the visit was the ordering of
Capt. william Ward to appear before the
Commissioner to-day.
They went first into the cells. from
which six prisoners had just been take,,
to night court When he appeared at the
desk again the Commissioner had a DO JS
of blank challenge aiiidavits such as ar
used at election time He asked Lieut..
Troy what the book was doing in the cell
room and why IL hadn't been returned TO
tho Board of Elections
The lieutenant said nc didn't know.
Tho Commissioner then said that Patrol
man Whitaker, who has charge OF the
cells. had told him the blanks were used
by prisoners in writing notes or by patrol
men in making out report slips. He told
Lieut.. Troy to tell Capt. Ward to come
down to-day and explain why the book
was In the cell room
He also told the lieutenant that the
cells were not properly ventilated. lie
said that although elk men had just left
not Il window had been opened to let in
fresh air Whitaker explained that he
thought 1t was too cold to open the VIM
dows The Commissioner said he guessed
Whitaker had been asleep since the first
of January.
Capt. Ward, who had come in mean
while, introduced the men going out on
patrol To the new Commissioner. Mr..
Woods made fifteen minute speech in
which he told the men that they might
expect the same treatment from him as
was accorded to any of their superior
officers.
chief Inspector SIax Sohmittbereer
tried out last night In the Twenty-nilth
and the Twenty-slXth police precincts the
new scheme OF signal box posts by which
I, is designed eventually to do away with
peg posts. Twenty-six men who haN,
been doing peg post duty in the Twenty
ninth precinct We're sent out of the pre-
cinct last night and assigned to patrol
duty elsewhere.
The chief inspector went TO the station
at \ 80 o'clock and as each man called
up he was told to remain at the signal
box until further orders. There are
twenty-ore boxes in the precinct and
when "A man had been stationed AZ each
Of them word was flashed from Police
Headquarters to the EGS Firty-iirst
street station that there was a riot at
.3O East Forty-seventh street.
The box nearest that address IL at
First avenue and Fifty-first street. Pa
trolrnan Sch.rb was on duty there. He
took the message and scooted for the
riot. Inspector Cahalane was at the ad-
dress when Scherb went to quoll the
supposed riot. The patroman was back
at his box and his report was Ia the
chief inspectors hands in seventeen min
utes from the time the call was sent out
From the Flfty-hrst street station ths
chief inspector went to the West Forty
seventh street station and there tried the
same scheme with slight variations. Here.
instead of having a man remain stationed
"a h, - n al h.N ~. 10
signed where Il H. practicable. These
posts Will not be longer than half u block
on either side OF the box. SO that the
patrolmsn can hear the bell easily.
In both precincts zones will be ostab-
lished and man will have a stationary
post only at the central sisnal box in the
zone. II is the plan TO test the scheme
for a month and to keep close watch of
the time that Il takes TO get reports bacl;
10 the station house. II 1t proves more
efficient than the present scheme IL viii
be extended gradually throughout the
city.
Chief Inspector Schmittbcrgcrs first
trials with the new scheme IN the West
forty-seNenth street station were salts
factory, but later in tho evening the sig
nal system went out OF gear and
Schmtthcrger. much angered. asserted
that the leutenants in the station house
would suffer. At midnight hc was try
ing to find Inspector Dwyer TO tell him
all about II.
Shortly after Schmlttherger left the
station with expressions ~ satisfaction
tho telephones began To ring. There was
"A stabblng here. u riot there. n fight In
another place Lieut.. Schugru,, in charge
of the signal system, tried Ia get the man
ON post nearest the supposed disturbance.
He got five men instead and the wires
wouldn't straIghtcn out so that he could
get the one he wanted He called on Desk