The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-04-25

svery rorton Of tie city ns rsid pcssess the pecu
Lar sevsntsges Of rspidy varsity economy and extent
'f smnuDicstion, In which differs materially from Si
S'hsr FIRE and police teisgyaphs
sis,s IN itself psdncips ess. a srsss distances which
her stems have only sought 70 direct by Instructions 10
Afsn's Practically, IL is the only exstng Of com-
10 central iiation, and Of giving instant alarm from
thence ny ringing large alarm bells In different phases
Tie fame BOmept by one person. tA
The FIRE alarm and police telegraph consists essentially
cftxO psrls-Ehst, lhe sRnal appasatas and wrss by
which The D,egshes Of Are or other cause Of alarm 10
&C RmnnNaasd from any part OF city 70 the central STA
ton. Sessnd We alarm apparatus and wires BY which,
the alarm bells in different parts OF CITY are struck from
he central station by the touch Of single nnger wxhoct
The Intervention Of hands at the bell towers.
TO illustrate the operation Of the hre alarm in few
"ssns SssssS 1hT;soscd over sSs INV from sns ~
which the ntergence OF nre IN the neighbo hood
communicated instantly TO the central station by snpy
then able, by motion OF one hand 70 strike the diatcs
pvmber simultaneously on tho alarm bella scattered
Of 81 TO ian back al u: signal
boxes the number OF the signal box N the nisriot ron
which the alarm proceeded ihe engines are thu d.
reGed nos only 70 the District but actually 10 the very
box originating the alarm. The time between the frst
hcovsYy Of Are by the nmates Of dwelling ana ils
he signal bcxes thus. average, not ihsa
one minute, Al the present tme and often within that
The district alarm with lockout men, rarely gives an
alarm until The fire has made sufficient progress 70 b
om the bell towers The IRE alarm Telegraph no
nfs the depa,mep within minute after the disco
cevery Of ire wholly confined within room cellar,
frequently has the Fire Departmeat1hrrived NJ tho
,oere Of Danger before the flames are ,sois OUTSIDE the
The district aarm the engines arc only directed 10 the
osuict which may be . mile or two square and N
nndipg the FIRE The IRE slarm telegraph, on the other
hand directs the engines " the district by the bells and
To the signal box in the district from which me alarm
csme, by spBg its plumber, from time 70 time, IN Az
the signal boxes IN the city Each engine house has
signal box the door, and . district bell ON or IN the
house, the engines therefore, may always b headed
the fire.
moro detailed description win now be given Of sae
American Fne Alarm and Police Telegraph in Ms various
parts.
city Is FIRST divided into four or more nre districts.
and tbeee subdvided into many signal staons N
the proper protection Of the city may demand
Fom the GENITAL station Il the City Fail wires are
caused % WAN every part q tns surface Of oy return.
raiuS.
These wires form the signal circuits and alarm crcos,
and carried the houses, the most lofty u
which ibey supported by insuators held break
cts The wires, properly erected In city, are very
s Of Se wS
between neghboring stations ~ The sare time amounts
almost to mpossbilty But besides this, the central
integrity q ass circuit ' oouss:ns sscs1Ssa
For convenience and security the signal boxes and ino
np Tsas . s0 ono sr
but the number OF circuits OF each clcss Is muiu-
Piled al Of them radiatng from the central station, hka
the petals Of q flower. Thus . signal circui. may
Traverse the poih cart of city and be connected with
eight or ten sersl boxes another the south part, &c.
directOn, and embraoe one, two or I've oen to~srs,
~ The case may be, and 30 on. The operations
nsss a a
its Intelligence 10 the ntre, and al the bells the
rous circuits can be struck at once, desired, from tho
centre.
The system called into operation Of fire, by
applying to the nearest signal box OF which there snod
city. The sigusl box Itself lie hosvy cast iron cottage
Shaped box attached 10 the eide OF house, Os,
opposite gas lamp and by wires, enclosed
IN Nwrouehircr pipe, vi The sgnat circuit overhead
The box h locked, but sign tells where the hey
Ia found in the immediate vicinity; = police off,
Ger or a Waterman furnish the hey. On OPEN
ing the door q crank Is seen within On turn-
Ing this the number, mot only Of the dis.ricts
:" The s .n III. s crs
The more repetitons Of the signals are given These
signals are received snd recorded ri the central citation ~
Office satm bell is struck to give notice to the operator.
Each signal box is aeo furnished with teegrapbc key
policeman communicate with the central station from
any and every part OF the city We may suppose that
the nre sisDslzed from station box Ave- In district
three The operator at the centre seeing the record,
turns Immediately the "distrct key board PLACES
pointer over the ceure 8, and releases the mechanism oc
the keyboard which starts once, and by teegrapc
communication the alarm bells in the bell
to szike district humber three, and continue 70
n 20 50 as long as the regulations ., the Ere
each blow By teegraphic impulse, communicated at
ut suppose the operator only 70 ring part Of he
arm bells By switch he dsconnects ono more Of
be alarm circuits from the district Keyboard and the
corIespon sing bella are silent
The machinery in the bell towers consists Of atrikng
machine carried by the water In tie city pipes. OF by
weight srd let of by telegraph 1t each blow The blows
are OF any power required there being no practical link
in this reFpect
Tie advantages which are claimed for the American
fire alarm and police telegraph may be recapituated
follows
l. 1t furnishes an indefinite number Of signal stations,
ais m nav be communicated No time "a Ios rsreiors.
between the fire itself and the telegraph
The number Of the station from which the alarm
ceeded as we'll the district, IL tsegraphsd 70 the Fire
Dcptrent go that the engines headed from the first
10 the exact locality CT the re by which prompt aud de-
finite acton limited supply OF water 10 much sfec
teal In preventing large copagratons than large
vors cisterns would be where the district system Of
alarm only 10 ueed ta.s $685. Eat
g. The arrangements OF this syetem prc!ec. FROM IN
errupons, either by accident daslsn, and ~orss
With equal certainty and promptsude IN sunshine OF
A. ii prevtnts almost entirely the occurrence Of sss.
ahrnF, which entail great expense, on account OF tha
S. provides a syrter Of organization hy which ira
whole FIRE Department Of city brought uto coumuni
entre either By the bells signal boxes
eating back 70 II by finger key, which, in addition 70
The crank, 10 placed In every agrsl box.
II establishes uniform time throughout the city,
the hours OF ~ H. and 10 p N. day struck from
the central cfnce on all the beils
The Incidental protection against damage from aaos-
pherc electricity, lightning by the network Of wires
spread ever tho city, is matter of no small importance
THE TRIAL.
In pursuapce Of TN invitation extended to the COM
mon Council scientific gentlemen members Of the presa
and others select audience assembled Tammsny Rail-
yesterday afternoon at three O'Clock, to listen to the
plantations a Mr.. j. N. GameweD, OF the proprti
and witness the acds cTnnd( Of the system IN craer
to convey Gear idea OF the working OF the alarm tee-
ersph, one portion Of the room made to represent
The City Hs central station Of the department. Wills
other parts represented the different localities Of the ci,y
and here was located the apparatus which auton,at-
cslly received the alarm and conveyed II 70
all the precincts Of the place. Radiathg from
this In various directions ware two se Of wires
one get called signal wires, connecting viii four signal
boxes in different parts Of the ball. and fifth several
hundred yards distant In the Parke object being %
represent the manner IN which intelligence OF nro =
q city