New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-05-26
FIRE ALARM AND POLICE rELEeRArH

FIRE ALARM AND POLICE TELEGRAPH
The American Fire Alarm and Police Telegraph
system is undoubtedly one Of the most useful and i'm
portant applications Of the principle Of electrical
communication as has been demonstrated BY its sue.
cessfnl operation in many Of tho chief cities Of the
continent. Il il the application Of mysterious ops-
tive cause to the preservation OF life and property
in Cities and is Of interest to all who have either
at stake. It Is thus practical ever reliable benefit,
and not the high priced appliance Of luxury, or the
agency 10 the demonstrations Of mere science. It is
not the minister Of speculative investment, means
Of money getting, but matter for the good Of the
public at hrge-a measure for the general benefit,
and y such, We advocate its adoption.
Its history shows that it lessons the liability to
loss BY fire some seveAtydve per cent that it great
y decreases the risks Of fire insurance and at the
same time assures to underwriters safer and more
profitable business that it diminishes the expense of
the fire and police establishments, and induces gen.
erai ieelng of confidence and security house may
take fire in an inner room, and though no outward
sign is apparent, as would be ordinarily necessary to
announce the fire to belfry Waterman, within less
than minute after it is discovered by any person the
strong voices Of all the heaviest bells in the city may
be telling its whereabouts by signals which indicate
within hundred yards Of where it u.s. touch of the
finger Of the operator at the central station doing the
work of dozen or hundred bell ringers. Rufians
may be carrying it with high hand and disregard
ing the weak force Of the police in some distant dis
trct and in an instants time the call for aid is an.
nounced in the central station and assistance is on
its way to the scene.
Under the direction Of Mr.. Gamewell, Of the firm
of John N. Gamewell Il Co., proprietors for the
Southern States Of tho American Fire Alarm and Pc.
lice Telegraph, daily exhibition Of its operations il
now in progress At Lyceum Hall, and Is visited by
curious Thousands. The system il completely illus
traed In miniature the wide hall being the area of
operation which represents the citys extent; the
wires traverse the hall from the station boxes placed
against the wall in different parts to the central sta
ton on the stage; large bells are hung in different
parts Of the room and gallery toepresent the bells of
churches, and Mr.. Gamewell explains the whole mat
ter, standing at the central station and striking the
bell alarm for any district going to the station boxes
and sending to the central station information Of
fire, or asking for police aid all Of which any one
OF common sense can learn to do in five minutes AZ
well as the exhibitor Indeed any child that can turn
coffee mill can send the correct alarm of fire from
signal box, as the arrangement Of the machinery is
arbitrary and 1t cannot tell lie it must strike the
number Of the signal box and none other, and that
indicates the locality Of the fire. which the bells of
churches and public buildings operated from the CEN
trail station Immediately tell to the whole city-or
only portion Of the bells may be struck at the op
ton OF the operator, who can disconnect, with
switch regulation, those he may not desire to ring
The arrangements for asking police aid are quite MS
simple as those giving notice Of fire.
The signal boxes are as numerous as may be de-
sired, and are put up throughout the city, there
being in Boston fortyeight OF them, and twenty-five
bells Of churches and other public buildings which
can be simultaneously struck. These boxes are Of
cast iron and securely fastened to or let into the
walls OF buildings opposite a gas lamp, if possible
The wires pass up from the top of the box through
an iron pipe screwed into it, and SO conducted safe
from harm, to the tops Of buildings over which they
pass conyergng to the central stations at the police
offices The boxes are kept locked the policemen or
Fatchmen on the beats having keys, key being left
With some resident BY sign on the box direct.
ng where to find it, and owners Of valuable property
n the vicinity being also allowed keys on giving |
receipt for them. Any one having key can give
The alarm.
The arrangement for ringing the bells is most in.
genious mechanism for the slightest current of cleo
trcity dsconneets the catch which allows the power
Of weight force to act upon hammer, it may be
Of hundred and fifty pounds, or any size suitable
for striking the heaviest bells, and it raps off the
locality of the fire in thunder tones as many times as
the central operator, the only fire ,oatchman and bell
ringer Of the city, may see fit to repeat it.
The wear Of many years will scarcely impair the
efficiency of the apparatus and the cost Of keeping it
in repair will be merely nominal providing no extra
ordinary accident shall cause breakage Once erected
and property owners Of the city can rest secure in the
confidence that an ever wakefu guardian is on the |
Vatch and that the chances are as one to twenty that
honlda fire occur, the department will be on the
round in time to nip it in the bud, and confne or
ummarily put an end to its ravages. Any person
rho discovers it may be the immediate means Of pro.
nulgating the alarm through the city within a
linute's time.
There is yet another feature of this system. and
nat is the arrangement which enables the telegraph
lg of any sort OF intelligence, from different stations
or example, instead of single central station, |
lerely, there might be station established in each
the Recorderial Districts of the city at each,
rcular tablet like the face Of clock lettered with
ne alphabet, and traversed by hand, enables any
erson who can read to send message, for he has
My to press key at each letter and spell out his
lessage which is read at another station by the hand
reversing the face and pausing at each letter cor
spending with those touched. This is telegraph.
1g made easy, and the plan may be usefnly applied
, this as in a thousand other cases.
Messrs. Gamewell Il Co. have already memorialized
be Common Council, submitting definite PROPOSE.
ion, and when in due business form the matter comes
nder the consideration Of that body, doubtless its
ction will be such as is dictated by enlightened
iews sound policy and devotion to public interests
-and that, in our opinion, will be its adoption.
ORIGINAL ARTILLERY..-The first cannon cast in
'ngland are said to have been made by John Owen
1926 but the art appears to have been introduced
l high state of perfection. Two large brass guns
covered from the "Mary Rose,n which was sunk at
pithead in l545-one a Gs-pounder-in beauty of
esign and workmanship are equal to anything pro-
uced at the present day.
A SINGULAR DEATH.--On the 10th inst little
oy about two years Of age, son of Mr.. Nathaniel
rant of Portland Me-, having been missed for short
me, was found in the back yard, his body balanced
a the chime of barrel sunk in the yard and filled
18th Stops, his face buried in the water. When dis
,yered life was extinct.
LITERARY NECK-TIE-A writer in one of our