Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-24
TO BE lNAUGURATED.
A Fire Alarm system i'm which
There is sense.


The bewildering system OF ringing
bells, tort ct traUerS. at engine
houses, as if they were possessed by de
mons; shooting off pistols promiscu'
ously to the danger of people looking
out OF windows or passing in the street
running around in a dazed and crazec
manner, whenever fire occurs In TINS
city, is about to be abolished. In ten
days from now this absurd manner o.
heralding q conhagration and frignt-
ening people out OF their "l's
will be relic of the past. In
that number of days the telegrap bic
hre alarm system of the Richmond FIRE
Alarm Company contracted for py the
Citv Council will be ready for active
work and there will no longer be any
possibilitv for fire engines and
fire ladies to run to Boyle
Heiphts when they are wanted bad In
Sonoratowp. The system of the Rich
mond is simple enough, though to look
at the comolicated, yet reliable indica.
tors at the Central Station, one would
not think 40. At the Central Station,
which is situated in one of the back
rooms of the City Hall, on the ground
Aoor are two No. 20 indicators, and
another one to control both these.
When an alarm of fire is to be given
through any box, say %, the first door
is opened by means of key which can
be found either in a store near by or in
any place which may be indicated by
the Chief of the Fire Department.
Sticking through hole in the second
door is a knob, which being pressed,
communicates electrically an alarm to
the indicator at the Central Station.
This is done by the hand on the dial of
the Indicator which turns instantly to
the number of the box. At the same
time the number of the box is struck on
all of the six lS-inch gongs placed In
the different engine and hose companies
four times, and self-starting Morse
clockwork printing telegraph apparatus
prints off of the box four times In sue
cession thus: 22, %. %, %. While
the hand points ON the dial to the num-
ber of any box, all the other boxes are
out of circuit, and it is imp.ossi-
BILE to interfere with the alarm
being given, even though all the boxes
in city should be turned in at the same
time, entirely removing the danger OF
confusion arising from such cause.
When an alarm is given it will cause
the big 1000 pound fire bell whi IN Is SO
placed in position on tower to be built
Immediately on Fort street hill to strike
strokes equally to the number OF the
box, as exemplitied above, thus allow
ing every one who knows the position of
the alarm boxes to be cognizant OF the
vicinity of the fire. At the Central
gravity battery of ninety cells Is the
motive power. A galvaAometer is also
kept there to test the strength and in
tegrity of the circuit, tap bells. keys
and indicators, besides which, Inside of
each indicator case there is test board
to test the condition of the lines at all
times. Thirty, out of thirty five boxes,
a, e all set up, for which about sixty
miles of wire was used, with 400 poles
distributed over fifteen miles of super
ficies. The alarms are to bel found from
East Los Angeles to Washington Gar
dens, aud from the western part OF the
city, across the hills to Boyle
Heights. VIM. f. Griggs is the super.
intendent of the placing of the wires
and poles and w. Harker, instrument
maker of the Richmond, attends to the
indicators until they shall be turned
over to the Fire Department. L.. ID.
Mccullough, the electric superlntend-
ent of the Richmond Fire Alarm Com.
pany, has general charge at present.
Below are given the numbers and loca-
tions of the boxes, with the exception
of five, which will not be in place for
day or two:
a-Police Headquarters.
45-Fifth and Spring streets
ls-spring and Main, near near MINT Nintn haaT street
14-Washington Gardens.
17-Twelfth street car stables.
I5-Ninth and Olive streets.
I6-Ninth and Pearl streets.
43-Sixth and Olive streets.
35-Temple and New High streets.
63-Commercial and Wilmington streets.
64-Alameda and Also streets.
63-Philadelphia Brewery (Aliso street,
i2i-First and Lazzsrovich street, Boyle
Heights
32-Corner First and Main streets.
65-Turner and Vignes streets.
26-Date and Ash streets.
4I-Fifth and San Pedr ro streets.
42-Los Angeles and Sixth streets.
2l-New High street, near Bellevue avenue
24-College and Buena Vista streets.
25-High, Main and Alameda streets.
23-New Depot.
5-Campbell Block, East Los Angeles.
6-Mozart and Workman streets, East Los
Angeles.
8eDaly and We'll streets.
7-DoWney and Johnston streets, do.
46-Eighth and Pearl streets. do.