The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-30


The readers Of the nispa.ch frequently
pee It announced that an alarm Of FIRE was
turned mat Station %, or 80, as the case may
be. Now, there are many persons In Rich.
mond who don't evea know Of the existence
Of the firc>telegraph system here, and many
who are aware that there lis such an lnstitu.
ton in the city do not understand its work.
incs. A paragraph on this subject, there
fore, may not be uninterGsting at this time.
The system Is enc of the most complete in
operation In this country, and by its work
ings thousands Of dollars worth Of property
are annually, saved and the lives OF many
useful citizens preserved. .
The Richmond fre.aIarm telegraph sys-
tenn was pat into operation IN TINS CITY 10
1870 mainly through the efforts OF Colonel
q. T. Eesert, who was:then the Chief 0t P0t
lice under the military government; ana if
nothing else was done that deserves 10 pc
remembered, the introd odnction' of this Vaiua.
BILE auxiliary to the Fire. Department shouid
never be forgotten. Since that time Mfs J.
K. Doweii aud Superintendent Paynter have
improved the SYSTEM. Many new Fstatsons
have been erected, and the system today Is
in fine working order and accomplishing
all that could be expected. EAH that 70 ne
cessary to give an alarm is to procure Key,
| which can always be found at prominent
nlace near the box, unlock the iron door 90.
mitting into an inner apartment, wnere All
that can be seen Is brass hook pretap
| from an inner iron box. Pull this hook GOWN
SIS far as It will come aud let 1t 60.
| In five minutes or less three or four steam.
ers. a truck, and one Of the hose companies
| will be at the box (and by way OF parenthesis
| It NAV be said that the Richmond department.
will compare faVorabiy with northern ana
| western departments that cost ten times as
| much money as oursl
To give an alarm, then, Is very simple
operation; but sometimes it's avery serious
matter. The workings Of the box are equaiiy
/ as simpIe.. When the brass hook alluded 10
| Is pulled down it raises lever, which IS az
tacfed to clock work. On the end OF the le
yer is weight to run the. clock work down
Attached to this machinery IS a notchec
4 wheel, upon which the wire running IRON
the top Of the pole rests. AS the vince
revolyes it records the Dotches on all tne
! gones in. the city. For Instance: II It Is Boz 6
-t25 there will be two notches cut clos'
together, then q space and five notches
/ This wheel will reyolye five times
4 which records - tkeU ndmberl Il Of athi
box riYe times In every epoiice-ssatiop, en
7 gine.house and street. box. Wien the wir
passes over one of these hresksiin the whee
it cuts the wire 10 two as efectually as Il
1 was done in the street. Currents passing
through the magnets to which the gongs ar
attached become discharged, allowing th
armature or BANNER attached to the magne
TO fall back: butas Boonasi 1t passes over on
of these breaks. in the wheel then the wire be
comes intact and the current flows from on
pole of the battery 20 The 6ther, through al
the magnets in the boxes and gongs, ayin!
! the armature or hammer 70 the magnet. .
n rourseas often as theiwire passes over thes
breaks the armature strikes the gong. Il
case of the Box 25 is strikes twice, thef
paIlses short time and strikes zhpe Times
making 25. .s.ysT ::
There are three stationary men to ever.
epgine-house in Richmond, and it Is custom
ary, when the goDgs give an alarm, tor on
OF the men to count the strokes, so as
i get the proper box, while the other. tW.
hitch the horses to the apparatus. En-
generally takes about one minute.
Y they have any doubts as Il to tn
number of the box they walt until th'
I; wheel reyolves the second or third time
! sho8 wing the wisdom of arranging the bo.
, to strike its number more than once. Some
!. times it happens there isa good deal of ex
element and noise caused BY the horse
!" aud men running to their apprepFiat
places, and it is difficult at times to cour
correctly the box on the first round.
A fre-aarm box may be said to represen
i q huge man with voice that can penetrat
: through an entire city saying to all the tirt
= men, Come to this point; great fire is az
pretended" :.
i Great credit Is due Mr.. It. Wiley Davis
= chairman of the Committee on Fire'Aiarr
and Police Telegraph, who has put the wire
| In better and more perfect working orde
, than they have been since they were put ul
There Is another great convenience a'
: forded our citizens by the use Of the. frt
. alarm telegraph, and that is the conveniene
u of getting the exact Richmond time tWie
! daily at every street.DoX, engine. ana ponce
! station house in the city. This Is done b
> Mr.. Jahnke, 1927 Main street, at 1 and K
NJ, his place of business being connecte
with the wires. ....-..-- .,-..-------