Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-04-27
A BOSTON NOTION.


alarm. now in use in Boston:
Boston is a city of notions, everybody knows
America can show other city so full of matured
systems, useful contrivances and odd cenyeniences
as this same Boston. The city maxim seems to be-.
that :" there's best way of doing all things" In
public and IN domestic AFFAIRS the solid of
Boston are not content with simple achievement,
but they must have achievement by the best meth
DDS.
The latest illustration of this is their scientific way
OF giving fire alarm, and calling out and guiding
their fire department. A very simple tter one
would thing, to raise the window sash and shout fire
two three times, and leave the alarm to spread
Every vlliager knows how to pull bell rope, and
ring Till he's tired. Every New Yorker knows how
TO count the booming strokes of the big bells. as
they toll off the district number A very simple1
thing One way Just good as another, so Iono
as rousing alarm is startled.
by means. These Boston m en- have found on,
best way.
! fyour house takes fire, and gets past domestic
| control, and you feel 1t necessary to appeal 20 the
municipal authorities for help, do not be at all ex-
cited or alarmed. Do not make yourself red in the
| face, and hoarse with shouting. Put on vonr ha
and run 10 yonder corner where you see that little
iron box fastened up against the wall step into the
store ask quietly for the key, adding, My house
fire. by way of apology for the intrusion: now
unlock the little iron door, and remembering that the
| longest way rcpnd is sometimes the shortest way
home, obey the insert pon and turn six times slow
ly.' Your responsibility is ended. You have done
| all you need do. Boston will take care of vour
house. Shut to the little door. Hurry home or the
engines will be there before Won!
Every bell in the city, and several more across the
telling people where you live and that your
house is fire. In other parts of the city, men with
glazed hats and brass trumpets NAV be seen running
TO these same little iron boxes they seem to whis-
per moment, then they lsten and then they look
very knowing any slap the door 10; and here they
come all pe.mell TO your help. How much time
has elasPed since you needed help! Perhaps three
minutes. There is best way of giving an alarm,
that's fact.
But how it Gone9
That little iron box you opened was telepranh
station; you can see the wires where thew come
down through those two iron pipes into the box
The crank you turned is merely d continuance that
enables an experienced person TO send the only mess
age ever sent from this box-its own number Inst
so hand organ enables the grinder to pIay one tune
well, even though he be no organist You turned il
SIX times Once would have been enough but six
times over and every time the same humber, there
could be no mistake. The central Office knew in an
instant of your distress.
Yes, but how did that make the bells ring all over
the city, and East Boston TOO Do they keep seq
ton al every oeroPe all the time, ready pull when
any body elegraphs
No, that would be full as bad as the New York
plan OF Keeping wachnen up in the fire towers on
perpetual look out. That would not be scientific
enough tor best'' way. But you know church
clock strikes the hour without any helm from tho Gov
ton except to wind up. Just so the bells are runo
for fire; in every steeple there is machine like the
striking OF clock. These machines will strike sew
by being wound up once. When you sent off pour
despatch II went direct third story room on Gonr
Square, and was read oy whose business il is
to attend TO such messages. From this same room
he can, by touching key, send by another set of
wires, current of galyanism to everv steenIe in the
city. Ii you look, you these wires enterinr
every steepe that holds good bell. When his
gdlVanc current passes into the several steeples il
clrcuiates In each around bar of soft iron which
instantly becomes powerful magnet strong enouok
10 'it the detent that keeps the striking machines
from running Now these machines are made so thew
would sF'Ee one blow and stop, unless the magnet
keeps the detent back and leaves the wheels unlock
ed and free to run: So this man in the little third
story room by the Court House (he'lI show you how
1t Is done 1t you will call upon him. for he is 1erv
courteous 10 SlSors,) can by pressing the proper
KNOB or Key, make these heavy bell hammers strike
as many times as he chooses. And he made them
strike the number of your ward
But how happened the engines and fremeu to come |
straight TO my house There are two or tbree tbou
sand houses in the ward.
The foreman of every fire company has kew to |
those useful little IRON boxes and when he has rot
to the ward slgnlhed by the bells, he runs to The
nearest box, and sends private SIGNAL to the man in
Court Square, asking just where is the re and then
he listens while the answer back in little fans
one, two, three. four, &c. till he learns the numher
OF Inc very oox 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 teIe
graph taps whispered what box the alarm came from
see But is it worth all this trouble of wires and
and boxes and batteries1
Yes, indeed. Five minutes at the beoinnino IF .
ire are very precious. But oftentimes so rand js
this sysiem an alarm will be given, bells rung box
es consulted, fire found, hose procured and screwed
10 Cochlt ate fire plug, and the fire extinquisbed
ere the family In danger well awake Many |
time, the first thing man knows of his dancer hv
hre, is that his room is flooded with water
But this municipal telegraph is dsed for more mr..
poses than one. In of riot, the police CAPTAIN
can send tor help to headquarters. To catch an a6
Sconding thlef by setting guard every railroad and
can be done in FIVE minutes Then too
very soon all the city clocks will be hitched ether
Dy these wires, and all of them 90 by one central
second. ~
Go it. Boston! We shall soon hear of newer no. .
Ions STILL The next move will be TO introduce into E
avery frst-cass house city time as we'll as CITY water
IND city gas. Teegraphc wire will be introduced =
W hat a millennium of punctuaty Twenty thous
md clocks ticking together! Yes, and next we 9
shall hear of refinem mt of the fire system Phil.
IP's annihiiators will be built into the walls their
lozzles just peeping out into the room. Convenient h
wires will be arrangd so that man walked al mid
hight by The smell of fire or red light in his room
VIII only need reach out his to the ire knob :.
nd pull SIX times slow y, and instantly that wake
uI, Watchtu, handy man Court Square will touch
lis wires not 10 brighten sleep from all the CITY with
rs dIngIng bells, but quietly he'll touch the wire
nd smash go the acid bottles in the ambushed ami I
1tors ; pills. squiz, tush, shush, PUSHES ont the -
umld hre-destroyIng, lIfepreserving vapor The ii
nseasonable fire surrenders and goes out Bot lono
re this. the solid man has rolled himself back into 5
ca again, tucked the blanket snug about his chin l.