芝加哥火警服务中心。
约翰·p·巴雷特先生，芝加哥火警电报局高效的主管，将于本月向市政委员会提交他的年度报告。它将表明，在改进该部的机械和其他设备方面已经取得了巨大的进步，以便使该部目前几乎达到它所能达到的近乎完美的程度。火灾报警系统有八名员工，包括一名主管，一名操作员，三名其他操作员和三名修理工。这些又被划分为救济，因此总有一支力量在中央车站工作，随时准备处理所有可能发出的警报。
在过去的一年中，巴雷特警司已经安装了一千五百多根新的电线杆;重建50英里的旧线路;修建了一百英里的新铁路线;更换了所有旧的火灾报警盒，以适应新的卡片;在名单上增加了175个盒子，使得现在总共有480个盒子在使用，使消防报警站的总数比世界上任何其他城市都大;在二十六个发动机室里安装了一种叫做"小丑"的新的"自动转发器"，通过它，所有的发动机室都能收到警报，并使消防局在第一次吹响铜锣之前就能离家出走。覆盖在屋顶上的大约50英里的电线已经变成了电线杆，所以现在属于城市的每一英寸电线都连接在电线杆上。该部现在在全国各方面都是最完备的。- - - - - -
消防员演示。- - - - - -The members of Crocker Fire Engine Company, recognizing the splendid abilities of Chief Engineer Charles W. Hazel ton, as displayed at the recent fire and on other occasions, and also the abilities of their Foreman, John Jameson, planned a pleasant surprise one evening last week. A meeting was called for the ostensible purpose of discussing the hook and ladder question, as explained by the chairman, Win. J. Malley, who called upon ’Squire Barton for an expression of his views upon the subject Mr. Barton took the floor and made an exceedingly clever speech, paying a just tribute to the perilous work of the noble Firemen, and ended by calling up Chief Engineer Ilazelton and Foreman Jameson, and telling them if they were not satisfied with what he had to say, they could in future “ blow their own horns,” and suiting the action to the phrase, Mr. Barton reached behind a screen, and brought to view two magnificent silver speaking trumpets, which he presented on behalf of the Fire Company as tokens of the esteem in which the recipients were held by citizens, and as efficient officers of the F ire Department. Messrs. Hazelton and Jameson, although campletely taken by surprise, made neat and appropriate responsive speeches, and the meeting dispersed without another thought of “hooksand ladders.”—特纳瀑布记者。
葬礼上的火灾。- - - - - -During the progress of the funeral of MissMollie Winindgcr, the young lady who was murdered by her lover, at Cumberland Street Methodist Church, at Norfolk, Va., last week, while Rev, Mr, Christian was preaching, the cry of fire was sounded in the vestibule. Immediately a terrible panic ensued. Flverybody rushed frantically to the main entrance to escape. The confusion and terror were indescribable. Women and children were knocked down and trampled upon ; some jumped over the galleries ; doors were broken in, and many leaped from the lower windows to the ground. Thousands of people immediately surrounded the church, including the Fire Department, in anticipation of some dreadful horror, but fortunately no deaths occurred pn the grounds. Many were injured and carried home in a bleeding and insensible condition. The alarm was caused by the profuse escape of smoke from a defective flue. Nearly 1,500 people were in the building.
凯特·克拉克斯顿的迷信。- - - - - -Kate Claxton played at the Columbus Opera House the other night. About nine o’clock a vigor-, ous alarm of fire was sounded, and a lively scene of excitement was produced in an instant. The attention of every body was turned toward the Opera House, as if they expected to see that building in flames. Women rushed out of doors, some of them explaining, “ I told you so ! ” at the first tap of the alarm, and evidently fearing a repetition of the fearful scenes of the late conflagrations in New York and St. Louis. But a repetition of the alarm showed that the fire was in another part of the city, and it was only a chimney burning out. So the people of a great city calmed their fears, and quietly re-entered their mansions. And this all because Kate Claxton was in town. Yet some people say there is not much superstition in the world.
新港的新水厂。-新港的新水厂即将完工，被认为是工程的典范。他们是波士顿富有的工程师乔治·诺曼(George H. Norman)的志愿工作，以400美元的价格换取lay的排他性权利。五十年来，纽波特市都可以免费使用管道和供水。
这项工作很快就完成了，因为它把伊斯顿池塘这条海的一臂吊进了一个水库。诺曼先生对大部分作品都倾注了个人的心血。他是自己的工程师，不愿签合同，但决心按天施工。他如此积极地推动建设，15英里的管道，委员会要求他在一年内铺设，在不到4个月的时间里就完成了，现在，提议的30英里管道铺设了20英里。它被认为是美国最具独创性的供水系统之一。
煤气总管爆炸。- - - - - -A late explosion in 6th avenue, near 34th street, was followed by a burst of flame twenty feet high. A blast in an excavation for the foundation of the elevated railroad, had cracked a gas main and fired the escaping gas. A large quantity of earth was shoveled upon the break, but the gas bubbled up through it, and still burned briskly in small jets, instead of a column. A small hole was drilled in the main on each side of the break. Into each hole was forced a rubber bag compressed into a small ball. F orce pumps were then set at work, and the bags inflated until the pipes were effectually plugged on each side of the leak, and the flames subsided. The workmen proceeded to replace the broken length of pipe at their leisure. The damage was slight.
一个马萨诸塞州的爱尔兰人对最重要的神学问题有他诚实的怀疑。他的妻子最近去世了，在街上遇见一个朋友，他沮丧地说:“噢，那个老妇人走了。”“在哪儿?”他那位同情她的朋友问道，她还没有听到她去世的消息。“我不知道，但她反正已经死了，”帕特里克说。
