The Woodville Republican., 1853-01-25

4
Boston is a city OF notions, every body
knows. America can show no other city
SO full of matured systems, useful oontn.
vanees and odd eonyeniences as tins same
Boston. The city maxim seems to be that
. there's best way OF doing all things.
In public aud IN domestic affairs, the SO
lad men Of Boston are not conteni with
simple achievement, but they must have
achievement by the best methods. fals,7
The latest illustration of this is their sci.
entihc way of giving fire alarm. aud cali
ing out and guiding their fire department.
Ii your house takes fire aud gets past tlo-
mestic control, and you feel It necessary
TO appeal TO the municipal authorities for
help, do not lhe at all excited or alarmed
Do not make yourself red in the iace. aud
hoarse with shouting. Put on your hat
and run to yonder corner where you see
thar little iron box fastened against the wall;
step into the store, ask quietly fof the key,
adding, "my house is on fire. by way OF
apology for the intrusion; now unlock the
little iron door, and, remembering. that the
longest way round is. sometimes, the short
est way home. obey the inscription aud
"turn six times slowly" Your responsi.
biIity is ended, You have done all YOU
need do, Boston will take care Of your
house. Shut too the little door. Hurry
home or the engines will be there before
! YOU! at Hta5 sa ..ur.za Hra.gI
Every bell in the city, and several more
across the water are telling people where
| Inn I'D baf g. .
In other parts OF the city, men with glazed I
hats and brass trumpets may be seen rum.
ming to thesessame little iron boxes they
seem TO whisper moment, then they lis.
ten, then they look very knowing, and slap
tile door to; and here they come, all pells
NELL, to your help, How much time has
elapsed since you needed help Perhaps
three minutes. There is best way Of
4 giving an alarm, that's fact. suaal
4 But how was it done? haG O.
That little iron box you opened was
telegraph station; you can see the wires
where they come down through those Two
iron pipes into the box The crank you
turned is merely a contrvance thai enables
an inexperienced person TO send the only
message ever sent from this box--its- own
number. Just SO hand-organ enables the
grinder, to play one tune well, even though
he be no organist You turned il six times,
Once would have been enough, but, six
times over ana every Tune .ue same num-
Der, there could be no mistake, The cen.
trail Office knew in an Instant of your dis
/ tress. .s.DH - tutE a tts HsW 4
I Yes, but how did that make the bells
| ring all over the city, and East Boston,
too? DO they keep a sexton at every bell
rope all the time, ready to pull when any
body teIegraphs? !" D2'a'' 4H1'
No, that would be full as bad as the N
York plan of keeping watchmen up in the
fire towers, on perpetual, lookout. a That
would not be scientific enough for best
/ way. But you know church clock strikes
the hour without any help fiom the sexton
except to wind it up. just SO the bells
are rung for fire + in every steeple these
machines will strike several hundred blows
each, with their heavy hammers, by being
wound up once. When you sent off your
despatch, it went direct 10 a third.story
room on Court Square, and was read by
man whose business il is TO attend TO such
mess ages. From this same room he can,
by touching key, send by another SET OF
i wires, current Of galvansm to every
steeple in the city, II you look you can
see those wires entering every steeple that
holds good bell When this galvanie
current passes into the several steepes it
crcuIates in each around bar of soft iron,
which instantly becomes a powerful mag
net strong enough TO lft the detent that
keeps the striking machine from running.
;. Now these machines are made SO that
, they would strike one blow and stop, un-
less the magnet keeps the detent back, and
leaves the wheels unlocked and free to run
SO this man in the little third-story room,
by the Court House (he'll show you how
it is done if you call upon him, for he is
, very courteous to visitors. can, by pressing
the proper knob or key, make these heavy
bell-hammers strike any number he chooses.
And he made them strike the number Of
your ward. .g. sa..ui) fs.
But how happened the engines and fire.
men to come straight to my house? There
are two or three thousand houses in the
D ward.
3 The foreman Of every fle company has
key to those useful little iron boxes, and
SO when he has got to the ward signlfed
by the balls, he runs to the nearest box,
;, and sends private signal TO The man In
Court Square, asking "just where is the
FIRE :" and then he listens while the an.
q swer comes back in little taps, one, two,
2 three, four, ETC., ill he learns the number
: of the very box you opened when You gave
!, the alarm in the first place. Every box
" has its own number. The bells tolled the
firemen what ward, and the Telegraph tap'
whispered what station box the alarm came
:, from. esq
Yes, indeed. Five minutes at the be
;. ginning Of FIRE are very precious. Blu
6 olleusimes 50 rapid is this system. an alarm