New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-04
ELECTRICITY AS A WATCHM1N
Ne.O- York, Nov. 2, 1876.


EFFICIENCY or RECENTLY INVENTED BURGLAR
ALARMs-HOw STORES AND HOUSES ARE PRO-
TFCTED BY THEM-DETAILs OF THEIR OPERATION
The Illustration of the burglary in the ware
house OF H. T. Clain Co., the night OF sunday, OCT
49, has attracted great deal OF attention 10 inc use OF
electricity for the protection of property There are sew
eral companies I'm tins city which make 1t business TO
arrange apparatus III such that no thief or
other person can unlawfuly trude upon the premises
without alarming people who have means at hand to pro-
ect the threatened property In the OF the Claim
warehouse at LeonaIst. aid West Broadway, the cir
cumstauce5 were peculiar This warehouse had been en-
tered by thieves several times, and Dlr Caiin deter
mined TO protect ms valuable goods from further depre
dations if possible. large closet or cabinet was omit
in which these goods were placed. This cabinet vas
lined with metallic sheets, and connected with the
Office OF the Holmes Burglar Alarm Telegraph Com
pany at No. 81 Broadway. This company has two
Offices one on Broadway, and the OF at No 81 Pne-st
In these offices large indicators have been SCI up ana
the connection with tie place TO be protected Is tam
pered any way notice is given OF that fact at once
II has long been considered feasible and desirable to
protect valuable property by Of electric apparatus
Until within few years. however the protection AZ
fored by the many inventions has not been sufficient TO
insure any considerable degree Of confidence. Burglars
were found be just ingenious "a inventors ana
whatever apparatus was applied, some method was APP
piled IT, In the later Inventions here are
two kinds Of protection offered BY one Of these the
place to be guarded connected with central Office
where watchmen constantly on duty; by the other
the apparatus is arranged alarm the proprietor OF the
building after which he must protect himself When
store 20 protected by Of it, connection WIN
some central office, wires and metallic Innings are so
placed that a complete current is formed There Is
dial the central Office and indicator, when SHOWS
nj night whether or not the building has been closed
oil Vo.f1 IN lp
trcity causes a needle to ybrate and to show by Its
position the security or lack Of security Of the building
when store connected with this central office is closed
an alarm Is rung upon gong and tag drops down hdl-
eating the building protected II oil the doors, windows
ana other openings properly secured the needle on
tho dial vibratts freely and uZth becomes station
AIRY perpendicular position. Incn Tue PERSON ~
charge signals " All right by single t39ch OF me pu,
ton which connected W th the store: II window or
other place Of entrance has been LETT unaNehel ihe
needle does not Nluratc hut rgmah, hNeu III Po'lo
ou' che perpendicular. Then the button i pressed
times 10 signal 20 the person closing the store mat
the par. h1, not oecn properly Steutu, lor", . y
kept The time % opening and closing ana report y
made each week Thus the proprieors 81 buildings hte
enabled 10 know at Whit tIhle litr l'ga ~ "p,.r
and closed each d1y, and whether or not any re-uay
snotccd Ihcpolcc state mat our lars VII very sIo
know 10 br protected by efficient burglar alarm. The
Holmes patent depends upon TIE amount OF the resist
covered IN building against the force OF the elecrc
current created by the battery. IL S calAtI ulat u
less ls resistance can ne 80 cllc'ulN ''tt
couutrrbAlluccd 10 retain The equilibrium pl some
other Dun Lldi' tdutbt ouiii- li''N
To be- protected in this way Is surrounded 10y metal
wires running from this cabinet % the central Office are
80 drcate that. II the metallic Enng should De pune
tur,d even Will PIN an aatln "onlu pe si''n Ito, -,
In addition 90 the apparatus Tor the protection oi
banks stores, and other places OF business g WIZ "a
which run 10 the Offices Of the company dNtliug- anu
other bulldogs are furnished with wires ANA battery,
communicating with an annunchtcI "-hcl, WiJh an
remit i. beng made To enter the house As an llusta,
AZ Dr. iliidm n HAMMOND ri
No - West Fityourth-st' about a year IFo may pe
cited DR. Hammond was awakened by his burglar
alarm aud looking at the Indicator saw that the At
rm Ia ruter his house was being made AT one OF tue
windows OF the library. Going to DIS bathroom WIDOW
lc saw one burglar climbing III aud another assisting
him from the outside \ few shots nom Or Hamh2hI
revolver put the burglars TO Night ana snhmoheu ne
The champion burglar alarm consists Of an arrange.
msnt Of wires leading 10 an aunancai0i NJ convenient
place This works upon the principe OF closed circuit
and when the current Is bgoktuol the resistance leSscd
by the opening OF WINDOW or uoo Oh ne
annunciltor drops down. and the room where tn as
rbing influence Is At work is cl,ariy hd!cdteu IN au
nccied with the annuncator. Whenever II Is desired the
company using this KIND Of alarm h9s we q'lihSs III
which apparatus ~ used c0hnct ted WIN lhe "u5ea "
the American District Telegraph C0mp9hY ~ Is
claimed that this is great @id0nat nav 'itASt ior tno
alarm that informs t;r inmates o. 'nc ~ u ,,,r,,s n
glars attempting 10 enter the premises SUMMONS
Eror alarms have been put very Important use In
Tins civ although IL IS guard by Large ponce force,
' ia he even more valuable II i believed by
the detectives that the Northampton BANK IoOutty
nAf
'tf.rtiy,, burglar alarm tue bank building anu the
house o the cashier Ia the few Instances Wlrre burglars
INV, succeeded in Iubbing banks protected ny DUrEar
II mas been asccrtau,d alterWard mat Inc Dat
t.ry md been permit I'd 90 become imperative or TIE
t,;,nn closing The building had not performed his duty
properly The work OF pcrcctHS we APPARATUS i"f t"e
roiertion Of pI0perty l. gnn every d} GuA lock
and safe manufacturers have adnnli'd that if o's
work IL CAPABLE of RESISTING. tnc attacks OF sliul DuG
lars only lnr "A limited time. AID that n n-lurorG,
rrarS can force an entrance {" any sale or 'it ld'
can ne constructed. Even thieves do not succeed IN
Gaming access 10 the contents OF safe, they seldom
abandon their Efforts mill damage To ti' amount OF
hundreds of dollars las been dOuc.
Al the hour ~ CLOSING the banks aud stores protected
Alarm the 1857 al offices present
very busy appearance. D'A uhN'e dhu u w utops
i'm the ccuiur large ;t taxes mp Olcii!i % one
e Of the oice indicating taat one 1f thc stores cont
,,ted with the office go .u.s Ou"ui t"c dais Is exam
npdand the nrcdl" ybt tuf moment aut iueh SIudS
4 baton II Touched sgnilng the Nlgull
All RIGHT" Then Tie superintendent orders Inc celk
30 places the number 81 dlS 90 the cases, are indicated
a, closed property Occasionally a porter Iorstts 10
CLOSE a window or hatchNHy AMI thcn lac u warned ot
bi, neglect and has make The rounds again 20 remedy
H. me str ,tcyt attcrtou 10 this business Is required,
and when every place length has uceh accounted Tor
f,urr me Iy .orce relieved aud the Office IS eft in
ruar,e of the night supcriu cndcHt ana ms men The
utrulcs on the dialS thus become 10 certain extent
o.youonetrrs measuring 100 h the battery force and
hr resistance To be overcome IN fOrt4ng an equilibrium
ANY detect IN the battery power b. QucHlE made APP
n1rent and can be- remcdcd r supplying resn materials
II is cnmcd that II burglar we're - calculate the
nrrr of the resistance caused by tie Cecrc current
nos.iug through building that lac wished 10 enter. and
houid provide for that force IA di}VtInc tie current
nInu Woui be- given because the Varying intensity
of the battery power ami TIE extreme dchcaey Ot TIE
apparatus IN the central Office