This is taken from “Annual Report of the Police Department of the City of St. Paul,” an 1898 publication of the Saint Paul Police Department.

TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF
POLICE PATROL TELEGRAPH,
FOR YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1898.

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ST. PAUL, MINN., Jan. 1, 1899.

M. N. Goss, Esq., Chief of Police,

DEAR SIR: I hereby submit for your consideration the thirteenth annual report, being for the year ending Dec. 31, 1898, showing in detail the work performed by this branch of the police department, embracing alterations, improvements and extensions; also, the number of calls from patrol boxes, special calls, orders for chief, captains, and lieutenants, calls by city telephones, by patrolmen and citizens where arrests were made and trouble occurred, reports from patrol boxes; also, fire alarms attended, number of sick or injured taken to hospitals or home, lost children found and returned to parents, accidents attended, number of miles traveled by patrol wagons, and number of persons brought to station.

The system on Dec. 31, 1898, embraces and in use 78 miles of overhead lines, 22 miles of underground lines, working through the telephone company's underground system, making a total of 100 miles of line in use; also, 89 police signal boxes, 49 police sentry boxes, 150 telegraph poles, 275 cells of gravity batteries on main lines, 25 cells of gravity batteries in use as a local at Central office, 16 cells salammoniac batteries in locals at sub-stations, 15 cells Edison telephone batteries and 35 cells dry telephone batteries in street boxes, 41 wood battery boxes for street batteries, 75 two-pin cross arms, 72 iron circuit brakes, 475 side brackets, 85 porcelain knobs and 965 glass insulators.

I submit tabulated statements from central and sub-stations, showing the number of box, special and fire calls, miles traveled and arrests made; also, such other information taken from records kept by operators at central station as may be of interest to you.

The extensions and alterations have been as follows: Installing new patrol box No. 219, at the corner of Arcade and Lawson streets, for which 1,200 feet of wire was used; also, installing new patrol box No. 316, at the corner of Rice and Geranium streets, for which 3,000 feet of wire was used; making a total of 4,200 feet of wire used. Transferring Box 34 from the corner of Rice and Como, to the corner of Dale and University avenue; also, Box 124 from the corner of Third and Locust to the corner of Fifth and Neill streets, for which 1,800 feet of wire was strung on fifth street from John to Neill.

A new 'sentry box was placed on Third and Sibley in place of the old one.

I would recommend that fifty boxes and telephones be brought to the attention of the honorable common council as in report of 1895. I submit the following statement showing why I ask for the fifty boxes and telephones: The Margaret district has about nine and one-half square miles of territory, in which they have seventeen boxes, five telephones and eighteen miles of line. The Rondo district has about seven square miles of territory, in which they have, fourteen boxes, four telephones and nine and three-quarter miles of line. The Ducas district has about four and one-half square miles of territory, in which they have fourteen boxes, six telephones and seven miles of line. The Prior avenue district has about twelve square miles of territory, in which they have four boxes, three telephones and sixteen miles of line. The central district has about five square miles of territory, in which they have thirty-nine boxes, twenty-five telephones and twenty-eight miles of line. You can readily see by the above statement why I ask for the fifty boxes and telephones. They are needed in the sub-station districts more than in the central, as it is almost impossible to do efficient service with the small number of boxes and telephones now in service.

I would also recommend the Margaret and Rondo substations be furnished with an electrical mechanical gong and door opener for horse stalls.

I would recommend that the city buy the telephones used by the police patrol telegraph outright. The city now pays a yearly rental of $249.96, and they can buy them outright for $375. You can see that it would be the least expense by buying them. As the city now owns all of the property used by it, they should own their own telephones.

There have been during the year of 1898 253,234 box calls to and from officers and patrolmen over the police lines, and 31,057 messages from citizens over the city telephones, making a total of 284,291 messages received and sent during the year.

Following find tabulated statements from records at central and substations, showing the number of box, special fire calls, miles traveled, arrests made, etc.

In closing this report, I respectfully extend my thanks to the common council, to the committee on police; also, to yourself for the interest taken to promote this branch of the police department; also, to your secretary, to the officers and patrolmen, operators at central station and lineman, officers in charge of wagons and drivers of same. I desire to extend to them my acknowledgment for their hearty cooperation to promote the efficiency of this branch of the police department and many courtesies extended to me.

Yours respectfully,

JOS. KING,
Superintendent of Police Patrol Telegraph.