Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-05-08
THE VILLAGE MEETING.
INTERESTING EXHIBITION OF THE
FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH.
No Sidewalk Money Voted---the Annual
Tax Fixed at rs Cents.

No Sidewalk Money Voted---the Annual
Tax Fixed at 25 Cents.
The annual village meeting. held on
Tuesday evening, was called for : o'clock
but the large majority of voters evidently
thought the time n half hour later, for
there was scarcely 80 people i'm the hall
when Col Hooker called to order and read
the warrant The citizens gathered randi
ly. however, and soon after half past seven
all seats were filled. and many were stand
ing i'm the rear of the hall. Under the first
article of the warrant, to receive and act on
the reports of the village officers, Col Has
kins moved that these reports be accepted
and placed on file, and the motion was
carried.
The Electric Fire Alarm.
Under article two, Ito take action regard
ing an electric fire alarm" the chairman
stated that Mr.. Decrow, representing the
Gamewell Electric fire alarm system, was
present with sample set of apparatus, the
working of which would be explained and
illustrated, no objection being raised by the
meeting. Mr. Decrow was then introduced.
and proceeded to give an interesting history
of the electric fire alarm system, followed
by practical eXemplfication of its opera
ton. The system, he said, had been in
existence for 40 years, having first been
used in Boston in the spring of 1851. At
the present time it is used by about $50
cities and villages in the United States and
the Canadian provinces. At first the sys-
TEN required the use of telegraph operators
to give the alarm, AMI the location of the
fire. The great Portland fire of 1865, how
ever showed the necessity of automatic
appliances, which were then invented and
introduced, and have ever since been used
with such improvements as have from time
to time been made. The appliances nee
essary are three i'm number-strcet boxes
from which alarms may be given or pulled
in. Indicator boxes and gongs in the en-
CINE houses, for the information of the fire
men, and a general alarm system by means
of strikers attached to church bells. or to
blow steam gongs. Each street box has a
certain number of keys, usually five, kept
at convenient places in the vicinity. If a
fire breaks out the person discovering it
gets key, goes to the nearest box. opens
it, and pulls a hook. which sets the electric
apparatus in motion. Each box represent
ing a fire alarm district has a number
which is struck on the general alarm bell
or bells, telling the location of the fire, and
at the same instant its location is given by
houses, where gongs are also placed. Each
box strikes a round of four alarms. For
instance, if the number is 81. the alarm
gives three strokes, and then two, after a
few seconds interval, indicating 81, and
this is four times repeated. The locks on
the street boxes are all trap locks. That
is to say, when the key is once inserted
and the box opened the key cannot be re-
moved until released by the use of a key
carried by the chief engineer or other Off
cal. In this way any malicious or mis-
chievous tritiing with boxes is prevented.
Mr.. DecrOw also explained the system
for giving signals of other kinds. 1t is
used, for instance, by school boards, in
case of very stormy weather, to give notice
to parents that no school will be held on
that day, or to give notice at noon that
there will only be one session. For this
signal the % strOke-two strokes four times
repeated is commonly used. Once each
day there is test stroke of the apparatus.
given usually at some specified hour, as at
II at noon, thus giving accurate time to the
entire community.
The apparatus is so arranged that when
the hook is once pulled giving an alarm,
it cannot be disarranged or made to give
any other alarm, no matter how excited
the person pulling the hook may be. The
necessity for this was shown at a fire in
st. Louis, where, before this improvement
was adopted, an excited policeman tried to
give round of alarms, by pulling the hook
several times, disOrganizing the whole sys-
TEN. In addition to the signals already
mentioned are those calling for more en-
gines, more hose, or for all the apparatus
of the department, etc.
The explanation given by Mr.. Decrow,
although brief, was very lucid, and evil
IDENTIFY made a favorable impression on the
meeting. In answer to a question about
expense he said his impression was that
eight stations would answer very well for
BrattlebOrO at the start, and these would
cost about $500, including a large striker
on the Baptist bell, which was an unusual
ly good one for this purpose For III sta
tions, which had been suggested by the
chief engineer, the cost would be about
$500. The yearly cost for care and main
tenance would be about Sl00-S50 for bat
terry materials and $50 for a mans time.
Remarks by citizens being called for when
Mr.. Decrow closed n. |. Hawley said he
knew of the success of the system in Spring
field Mass, and approved of its introduce
ton here.
f. c. Crosby asked if it was common for
places the size of BrattlebOro to use the
system. Mr.. Decrow answered that about
% small Massachusetts villages were using
it. In this state it is used by Rutland, Bur
lngtOn and St. Johnsbury, and Benning-
ton and Bellows Falls are about to put it
in. Mr.. Crosby moved the appointment
of committee to investigate and report to
the village, suggesting Col Hooker, Col.
Fuller and DR.. Draper as members of this
committee. DIR. Draper and Col. Fuller
both declined. Col. Estey's name being
suggested, Col Fuller said he felt sure
he would also decline if present at the
meeting. Mr. Crosby then Withdrew his
motion, saying he had mentioned Col.
Fuller and DR.. Draper as representing the
largest property interests in town. o. j.
Pratt moved that the whole matter be laid
on the table, and this move was carried
after some further discussion.
The Sidewalks Discussion.
Article three, to instruct. the bailiffs to
eXpend $1,000 for concreting sidewalks was
then taken up, and Mr.. Crosby moved to
dismiss the article. G.. b. Kirwan raised
the question whether the village had au-
thority to appropriate money for such
purpose. Col. Hooker said in answer to
this that Judge Wheeler had informed him,
after examining the village charter, that he
thought there was no question on this
point. Waterman, Martin & Hit were
also of the same OniniOn The reason. Col