The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-06
ELECTRICITY ON GUARD.
How the Burglar Alarm System Is
| nndnctad.


Conducted.
As no outsider is admitted at the burglar
alarm Office during the hours Of business, few
people have a correct idea how the alarm
system Is conducted. 1t is very complete
and full IT interest. as a MORNING NEWS
reporter learned by visit to the office yes
terday.
At 8 o'clock at night the employees report
at the Office, and the work of their day be-
gins. They work until after o'clock the
| folio wing morning.
The burglar alarm office here is located
over Wyliy g. Clarkes book store. The
alarm men are all by themselves at nights
| and they are on the inside OF rything
going on about the stores. They know PEE
cisely what the clerks are up to, and they
| know as much about the affairs Of the
house as the porters. Three OF them occupy
a long bench near the door facing the night
| chief, who is in an apartment partitioned
/ of Dy ratings. Inside Of this railing Is the
annunciators The annunciators are
arranged like mail boxes in a post Office,
at least they have that appearance TO a
visitor who standsat the door and looks in.
These boxes extend nearly aoross the
room, aud they are higher than a persons
head Above them is a large bell, with
electric attachment When an alarm comes
il this bell rings as il it we're seized with
a CONFUSION aud IL does not stop until the
operator gives signal and switches it Off.
From q o'clock at night until after Z o'clock,
this bell Is continually jingling. II it were
not mellow bell, whose ring falls like
music on the watchmens ears, it would be
quite unpleasant to stay in the Office any
length Of time, IL seems that the selection
OF this bell was special study with the
superintendent. When the merchants be-
gin to close up their stores at about
O'Clock, and after. the operator begins to
have work 70 do, and he Is kept pretty busy.
After that hour. the waite men who sit on
bench near the door are kept busy.
When a store which has the alarm at
taohment is closed the bell in the office
rings, and the store is indicated In the office
by number. A nickel plate covers each
stores number until the bell rings, then the
plate drops and the number is exposed
Each merchant, upon leaving his store at
night, is required 70 signal the burglar
alarm office, which gives back the signal
ms Is done by means of push but
tons. The boxes in the alarm Office
are provided with indicators. push buttons
and switches. The moment the operator
gives back the signal to tho merchant the
store Is switched off and closed, that is tue
circuit on which it Is located is closed, and
IL cannot be broken until the store door is
opened. Whether the door is barred or
u
long as the alarm is attached The moment
the door is opened the indicator In the
alarm office announces it, aud one of the
watchme1 in the office armed as an arrest
ing officer is dispatched to find out the cause
of the alarm.
A record is kept of the clerks who go
in and out Of the store after il
has been closed for the night,
and weekly statements are made to the
ha 10. La
ting down and cleaning out the fact Is noted
by the alarm officers. II the night Waterman
at bank or other place where the alarm Is
attached leaves his post, it is indicated in
the alarm office and an account is made of
II. A report Is kept at night in
which the excuses OF every employe enter
ing business house after hours is recorded.
The alarm company has an understanding
with each house as Co the time of
closing, and any variation from that
time is recorded in the morning and even
ing closing record. These Instruments are
attached to the safes In many of the bust
ness houses, and the county used them on
the vaults IN its temporary offices until the
completion of the new court house.
Toward midnight the watchmen take
turns in patrolling the district covered by
the burglar alarm system. The operator
sits at his post in the office watching the
anunciator. and when the clear bell rings
out in the stiffness, as it does more than
dozen times every night. some lively
scrambling is done to get out and ''catch
thief"
The most interesting time In the alarm
office is just before supper, when the stores
are being closed, and In the morning, after
breakfast, when the stores are being opened.
The operator and the watchmen sit by and
watch the annunciator with a great
deal Of interest. Thew smile at each
other when the annunciator shows
clerk to be opening up after
the usual hour. "Out again last night"
they will say. They even make wagers
sometimes as to who will be the first to open
up in the morning. The burglar alarm
system is very ingenious thing, and is in
teresting in the extreme.