The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-11-12
The Details of the New System
of Giving Alarms.
THE GENERAL ALARM SYSTEM ABOL lSHEC
Important Changes and Instructions
to Bell Ringers.
LIST OF FIRE ALARM STATIONS.
&c. &c. &c.

day contains some points OF especial public interest
There changes inauguraied in the SYSTEM
which win go into operation next week. which
planned in brief the following from circular
to be issued from the Central ONCE Of the Fire Alarm Tca
graph tomorrow morning directed TO the bell ringers
| Of tho Metropolitan Fire Department
On and after Nov Is 1885 lat noonl the fire bells
below Fourteenth will be struck Tor district
fires; but signals will be struck the fire bells instead
You will fix upon prominent objects within your line of
vision, and the signal stations and localities
numbered in the accompanying list that you may be
enabled to locate fires correctly at night ms well as by
day. On discovering fire you Will select nom The list
the signal OF the station or locality nearest the FIRE. and
telegraph the the line by giving two rounds OF
the signal and one OF your tower number You viii then
strike the signal your fire bell. telcgraphing and
striking your bell for about ten minutes, when you viii
wind up by telegraphing two rounds OF the signal and
one OF your tower number Bell ringers receiving such
signal over the telegraph will Immediately strike it on
the fire bell and continue to do so for about ten minutes
| or until they receive the signal TO wind up.
This circular further states smong other matters that
bell ringers the watch will be held responsible FOR
| false alarms from the
The headquarters of the Fire Telegraph is the first
floor of Firemens Hail. in Mercer street Ranged along
the north side OF the nine Instruments for
the purpose of registering signals from engine
houses and bell all the city AZ the extreme
end of the s a key board by means of which the
operator is enabled to forward signals every engine
house bell tower in the city police
| There -four lines of wires, denomnaed the
North East, South and West sections. The mode Of
| sending signal to the Central Office from any
| engine house is folows:-when the alarm is
brought in the foreman steps to the box containing
the telcgraphic instruments, and which s usually
stationed near the door, uniocks II, and draws
down bcll-pul, which strikes gong in the Central
Office denoting the number Of his district, and informing
the operator duty that there fire near his station
Tho alarm is then all the other sections of lines
and the bells striking once, ard in addition
TO this the gongs every engine house strike the
Der OF the district and with such force heard
| distance outside. The four lines dverging from
| the Central Office comprise the following ocaii'ics
South Lne-M1uoH street, City Hall and Poet Office
| bell i"~"ss
West Line Nacdouga street, Thirty .u1ri ana
Jefferson Market bell towers.
East Line--Essex and Union Market bell towers
North Line-Fifty first ben tower houses OF
the Chief and Assistant Engineers The at Mount
Morris and Yorkvlle and engine houses Nos rs % and
40 are also reached through this line
These lines again divided into sections which
PRISE the subdivisions Of the departmental force fol
4 lows
| srcnos 1-Enenes :, /, 8; Hook and Ladder 10 Po-
! lice station No. T.
SECTION 2-Engnes 10, T. 81 Il, 20 Police s,a,ions
| and 6
| snTroS 3-Engines q, %, 81; Hook and Ladder $,
| and the Insurance Patrol
agcroS 4-Engines 80 aud Is.
SKtTioS 5-Engines H. "a, 90 Hook and ladder D.
SECTION Shook and Ladder and 3.
SEcrroS Engines and Is
| aud repair yard
| sscrioS 9-Engine II, Hook and adder and IL ro-
| lice station IT,
| Al eight o'clock 4. NJ two O'Clock and eight O'Clock
r. NJ roll call is made all 'he stations ascertain
that all the working order Attweive
4 nd Al n q rl rht eve
lar day, and ut nine O'Clock morning and evening,
Sunday, the correct time In 10 the respective bell
towers tho ringers having instructions 20 strike those
hours Each section has y small battery. Of sufficient
strength 10 send messages its line but when
it IL necessary send esages alarm all the
lines three OF great power called
use at the Central Office.
BY aid OF the first alarm signal from the Central Office
Chief Engineer concentrates a, any given point
average OF eight engines three hook ladder
psnics For instance, Iiremens Hall is denoted station
J. An alarm Of FIRE from station would concentrate
at that point Engines . 8, H. 1s TO- ~ - 3d. IL, ~,
| and Hook and Ladder companies q, and q. Should
this force prove insufficient second alarm from the
additional hook and ladder companes styled reserves
still further number Of engines h required alarm
IL sent from station 2 which concentrates the sAmc
number Of fresh engines aud hook and ladder
In Centre street. Chambers TO which point
sisant engineer " sent 20 direct them to Eremen Hall
or any other point where the alarm originated. The
Chief Engineer thus 20 concentrating his force
until every available piece OF apparatus in the depart
called out BY this system the general alarm
Is entirely done away with there bring any
casion for one
The instruments used az the Central Once and in the
engine houses are very curious ingenious and well
worthy the attention OF the public, TO whom they
always open for inspection Mr.. Charles l. Chaplin,
Superintendent OF the Fire Alarm Telegraph has been
about three months pcrfcctng the system which Is said
To be the very best extan Mr. Chaplin has issued
Hall giving list OF the numbers and localities OF alarm
stations, together with brief instructions relative 10
the manner in which alarms Of IRE be communicated
/ by any person discovering the fire The following a
| copy OF the card alluded to-
FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH.
On The breaking out OF fire notice should be irnne'
diatey communicated to the nearest alarm station, the
1 location OF which s Indicated on an inside page
The locality of Gre will be Indicated on the gongs IN
the engine and police station houses by the s,nkng OF
blows corresponding 10 the number Of the alarm staton
or locality nearest to the fire.
Examples Two slrokes-an ineryal--then three
strokes, Indicates twenty three which VI" De repeated
mt long intervals ana will give notice OF Ere In tho
vicinity Of the Engine house Henry street near Gouvcr.
i23 tone-two-threc) given in tho manner will
indicate Gre IN the vicinity q od sup ana water street
Signal Lcaidy
| 2-Engine house, Chambers ST., corner Centre.
! 3-Enginc house, Centre st., near Chambers.
i 4-Engine house, Cedar IT,, near Trinity place.
/ 5-Engine house Beaver st., near Broad
i B--Fugiue house Liberty ST. near Nassau
/ l2-Engine house Burling slip, near Water IT,
| 13-Enginc house William street. near Pearl
i 1-Engine house, East broadway near Catharine a.
i 15-Engine house, Franklin ct near Hudson.
\ l6--Engine house, Franklin It, near varck
4 2l-Enunc house. Clinton ~, near Division.
| 23-Engine house, Henry st., near Gouverpeur
/ I-Rngine house, Eleventh st. near ave. n.
2b-Engine house, Ludlow st., Delaney.
/ 20 Engine house. Houston st., near Columbia
3l-kepair yard, Elizabeth ST., near Bayard.
/ 32-Engne house Elizabeth st., Prince.
| Sang ne house, Marion ST. Prince.
| 8-Engine house Wooster st. near Spring.
| 36-Hngins house. Mercer st. near Fourth
u-Engine house, Fifth vt, corner OF First av
t2-Engine house. Fourteenth st., near First av.
f3-Engine house, Thirteenth ri, near Fourth Nv.
4b-Engine house. West Tenth 81 near Greenwich Az
SC-Engine house, Charles st., near Beecker
6f-Enginc house. Morton IT. near Hudson.
52-Police station, New ~, Wall
| bJ-poiIce station. Bcekmsn st.. near William.
bA--poiica station Grand Fl corner NJ Ludlow.