Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-12-17


TICAI. wGRKINu-IIST OF BONES, ETC.
1t has for long time past been manifest
that the old method Of giving an alarm of
fire, involving as it does n vast expenditure
OF breath and consequent bronchial troubles
in its preliminary processes and concluding
in more or less rapid man at Il bcll-rope
and Il tnggin.g thcreat very pronounced as to
noise but very unpr0nOunced as to any de
finite location Of a fire, was at one bunI-
ling and expensive So strong grew this
conviction that in the estimates for the
city expenses for the current year
the cost Of an electric fire alarm Of
the most approved system was in
Guided After some delay the alarm was
put in and it has been tested and accepted
lay the Fire Commissioners. The system is
that Of the Gamcwcll FIRE. alarm Telegraph
Company of New York-a company which
under various names has been in existence
for over quarter of century and which is
the leading and best known concern in the
business
\ DESCRIPTIONS or IuL SYSTEM
is as follows The essential parts are, First,
the signal boxes. These are of castiron,
cottage shaped, properly numbered, and coli
tain clockworks with spring or weight mo-
tors So arranged as to open and close an
electric circuit 4 definite number Of times at
certain intervals, indicating, by the number
of blows upon the alarm bell. and the inter
walls between. the number of the signal
mechanism in action. This clock work is
enclosed in a dust-tight, clst-iron. round
box, which IS placed in one corner Of q
square iron case having hinged door, and
lock with key 4 small starting lever,
spread into thumb-pece or hook on the
outside, passes through the door of the case,
and projects through Il closely-fittins aper-
ture into the round box, where its end rests
Immediately under the dctent lever Of the
signal mechanism. Lifting the detent lever
by pressing the starting lever lightly down
ward 0scl, sets the signal mechanism, and
through it the whole system of fire-tclegraph,
in operation. The outside boxes are locked
with combination locks, the keys of which
are placed in The hands Of responsible prop
crty-hnlders in the immediate vicinity Of
each box. 1t will thus bc seen that the
mechanism il secured inside OF the inner OF
three distinct iron boxes, and that opening
the outer door reveals nothing but 1 square
iron case with a thumb-piece projecting from
its door. 80 perfect is this mechanism, hat
it is utterly impossible for any other than the
correct signals to be transmitted, and when
once started it can in no way be iutcrfcred
with until it has performed its entire work.
| .. The bel-sriker This is located in the
! bclfry of the Baptist church 1t is some
what complicated machine, provided with a
sort of hammer which strikes the bell when
the electrical circuit is opened 1t will give
| the full tone Of the heaviest bells
3. The automatic repeater This is a still
more complicated instrument. Through it
an alarm coming from box on one of the
lines is automatically repeated to all the APP
! paratus on the other circuits.
t. In the houses of the Hooks, Boxers and
Ethans the company will put in indicators
| little instruments which record in figures
every alarm sounded. These are not in
cludcd in the contract, but are put in on
trial, ard if not desired will be removed.
The signal boxes and bell striker described
above, are connected with the battery and
automatic repeater by wires, which are Sc
curely fastened upon buildings or upon poles.
How AN ALAEM Is GIVEN.
So much for the apparatus. Now as to
the method of giving the alarm. When a
fire breaks out the person who first discovers
the fire runs to the nearest signal-boy, and
7 obtaining key, Which Is easily c-CtssIblr,
he opens the outer door Of the box and pulls
down the brass hook, which is plainly in
sight. once only, and lets go. Before he can
is in notion and an alarm is being sounded
upon the little bells in every signal-box, the
gongs in the engine houses, and upon the
large tower bells. Suppose the hook Of box
10 has been pulled .he blows upon the bells
and gongs will be given thus 1-1-1-1
! four blows, then Il pause of five or six sec
ouds, and then Ill, making AZ and this
is repeated four times If this IS not con
sidcred sufficient, another pull of the hoo
will give the alarm fou: times more. Thoo
iiremen will of course post themselves as to
the location of all the boxes and will run Iii
rectly to that box from which the alarm
originates, and no time is lost IN hunting for
the fire. One blow after the alarm will give
notification that the fire has been eNtin-
euishrd
THE ADVANTAGES
OF this iire-alarm system are obvious. Some
of them are: 1t saves the first ten, twenty,
or thirty minutes time after the discovery OF
a fire, which is inevitably lost where the or
binary means of creating an alarm is relied
upon; it almost entirely does away with
false alarms it saves the necessity of turn
ing out an entire fire department at every
alarm of fire; it affords property-owners
prompt information, day or night, Of the
locality Of a fire, 50 that they may know
whether OF not any of their own property Is
in danger.
scien.ih: Miscellany.
\ c., rman scientist recommends paraf-
iiue as an efficient means of protecting
wood ngaiust damp, acids and alkdlies.