Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-03
A NEW FIRE ALARM.
PittSburg'S Appliances Are
Away Out of Date.
A $4,000 APPARATUS
Must be Provided to Cover the Exi-
gencieS of the Future.
QUEER APPLIANCES DESCRIBED
The Old Fire Alarm Was Put in BY Game
well in 1866, % Years Ago.
QUEER APPLIANCES DESCRIBED
HOW ALARMS OF FIRE ARE HANDLED

Chief J. o. Brown, OF the Department ol
Public Safety, having reorganized the practi'
cal workers of the fire department and
placed them to his satisfaction, has now
turned his attention to remodeling the en-.
tire apparatus in the top of City Hall by
which alarms of fire are sent in and the fire
department hustled out to Quash the incen-
diary flames To accomplish this end about
$50, 900 will be expended, but taxpayers are
not to grumble when increased precautions
against damage to their homes are implied
in the new deal.
Just below the huge bell which peals
forth its deep toned alarm which indicates a
blaze somewhere in the confines of Pitts
burg, is square room filled with elaborate
machinery. On one side of the room are
hundreds of Leyden jars which generate
electricity. Then there is long counter
extending across the room, into the interior
of which run scores of wires so arranged
that when any one of the 24S boxes in the
city is f'turned in, =" an electric spark 0ashes
into the fire alarm room and apprises the
vigilant guardians as to the location of the
fire.
SOME NECESSARY EXPLANATION.
There are eight signal lines running into
the switchboard over which the alarms
come in. By a complex system of electrical
connections the arrival of an alarm rings
the number of the box struck upon gongs of
about six inches in diameter. Then one of
the operators rushes to the repeater" an
oblong box bearing three dials upon its face,
and turns the hands upon the dial so as %
indicate the number struck. If it is "123,
the hand of the first dial is turned to 81, .
the hand of the second to 90 and the third
hand to 49," Then the operator jabs in
a big electric button and ''Big Sans" So
norous voice wakes the echoes. Meanwhile
the switchboard has not been idle. So soon
as the signal lines have recorded the box
number the levers are shifted and the seven
alarm lines are brought into play. Over
these is the number OF the box sent out to
the IL engine houses Of the city. the alarm
lines have a varying number of engine
houses upon them. The line out Penn
avenue has 6, 9, s, 16 and 4, Assistant Chief
Coates and the Seventeenth ward bell as
connections. The line on Fifth avenue has
4. 8, IA, Assistant Chief Steele and the
Eleventh ward bell, and so on.
Bv extra connections the Central
station, police patrol station, Duquesne
engine house and one or two other places
have tfiokers," which are operated so rap
idlv that the stroke on the joker gong is
heard fraction of a second before "Big
Sam" speaks, this being due to the weight
of the hammer attached to the big fellow,
and the slowness of its motion compared
with the alacrity of electricity.
IT is WORN OUT.
Alonx the from. of the counter are eight
galvanometers, which exactly resemble large
compasses. The needles indicate the cleo
tric currents, and reyolve around set of
graduated figures. by which trouble on the
signal or alarm ljDss can be instantly de-
tected and located, thus allowing the re-
pairers to get at q crossing or obstruction of
the lines in short order. The network of
connections for all this system is necessarily
elaborate, but is concealed from sight in
order to protect it from injury. The deli
cate adjustment of the machinery is one OF
the niceties of electricity, and there is al
most perfection in the matter of assured re-
liability.
The main switchboard is % years old.
1t was put in place in 1866, as a silver tab
Jet states, the committee having been
Messrs. John II. Hare, VIM. n. Ogden and
VIM. NJ. Brown.
Assistant Superintendent McClatchey
said in regard to the switchboard, when
it was first put up it was twice too large for
the needs of that time. Now it is and has |
been for several years so crowded as to ell |
danger the precision of the service In |
firemen, engine house apparatus and means |
of sending alarms, we are abreast with the |
times. But in our headquarters we are |
qnRrter of century in the rear of the pro- |
cession. We need a repeater of the auto |
matte sort, one that will send the alarm out |
IS soon as 1t is struck in the box. At pres
ent we are forced to lose 10 to Is seconds. no |
matter how fast we move, for the alarm must |
be rung twice before we can start the |
machinery. Even seconds are precious |
when fires are gaining force. 1t has been |
decided to renew the entire interior machi- |
merry of the department"
A COSTLY IMPROVEMENT.
EDO you remember what the present ap-
paratus cost?"
Tt is my impression that the cost was
1000. The plans and specifications which
superintendent Mead has Just completed
eall for an apparatus about three times the
size of the one now in use There are now Is
ircuits in use, and the new switchboard
must have at least 40. The whole citv has
been wired within the last three years with
the best of materials, and new apparatus
will place the Pittsburg fire alarm on a
frst-class footing. The growth of Pittsburg
IS taken into account in the new plans.
What has it averaged? About ten new
boxes per Snnum. The process of replacing
the apparatus will have to be very Ingenious
in order to obviate impairment of the SER
vice. Oh, yes. The Gamewell is almost
without a rival in the equipping cities with
fire telegraphic apparatus / cannot esti-
mate the cost of the new apparatus, but
proposals will be received within a few
days"