Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-25
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Methods by Which the Central Office
Controls the Firemen.
GOODNESS AND SKILL ARE REQUIRED
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How the Apparatus is Handled by
the SkillfuI Operators.
A VERY RELIABLE TRIO


There she goesr' and with the exclama-
ton some half a dozen firemen disappeared
from the second floor Of their engine house
like the disappearing demons In the old.
familiar pantomime. The men were about
to retire for the night, and an Evening
Star reporter had but joined them when the
alarm Of fire came in and caused the ex-
clamation. The reporter had to call to his
aid all the spryness within his anatomy to
enable him to rush down stairs and catch
the hose truck as 1t left the house. With
crashing and banging of bolts and doors
the company darted out into the night and
vas off on its errend of preservation. This
was one end of the District fire alarm sys-
TEN.
The other, or inaugural end of the alarm,
can be pictured something like this: A
policeman calmly sauntering along his beat
In one of the downtown districts when a
Whit OF air carries to his acute sense of
smell an ocor Of burning wood and paint.
In an instant the officer is on the alert
On dead run he darts in the direction he
thinks the trouble will be found, and after
cropping in and out of numerous dark alley
ways, comes upon a flame no bigger than a
mans hand eating Its way through the
shutters of @ wholesale commission h~use
There is no telling what Is behind the shut
tiers. and he Immediately makes for the
net rest fire alarm box. AS he approaches 1t
he Is perhaps mumbfing to himself, as he
tries to pull the key from his pocket: Con
found it. can't get the key out? guess
II had pocket as large as a -four sack
and q key foot long. ia never find it
when wanted" Alithis time the policeman
Is getting nearer the box. and. as usual,
finds the key. at the instant he reaches the
goal. In two seconds time there Is a tin
king Of the little bell inside the box, and the
alarm has been started on Its mission.
The Central OAicc.
The center Of this triangular series Of
events Is Located on the sixth floor Of
brick and brovnstone building on the south
side OF Louisiana avenue and Judiciary
square. 1t Is the headquarters Of the Dis
trfct fire alarm system, aud on the instant
of the policeman's starting the alarm the
big gong and numerous baby gongs are set
going UP there. The ever-watchful operator.
with cool head and deft fingers consumes
rot more than three seconds N making the
electric connections, and In four seconds
every engine house. police station and news
paper Office In Washington res0onds with
the vibrations Of the brass gong. The ejacu-
lation from the operator. II any is made,
Is no doubt surmise as to whether COM
pany No. or @ will reach the scene OF
trouble first. both having about the same
distance to go. r>. r4 -.
Should the fire be easily mastered, In half
an hours time there will be sent out the
signal. one tap, fires out" The firemen.
with their painting horses. are making their
way Ieisurely back to their houses; the
beat, no doubt conscious Of the fact that he
mas done nice Piece Of work in preventing
pig nre, and the operator once more takes
MS chair by the open window that over
looks the big city, which is again stil,ea
and hushed In Sleep
The Else Alarm System.
The present fire alarm system was intro.
duced into this city about seventeen wears
ego with seven signal and four alarm me-
tallic circuits. and although ample protec-
ton In those days, 1t was really a plav-
thing In comparison with the present fire
alarm outfit. The police reporting stations
connected with the service are located
throughout Washington and GEORGETOWN
and a part Of the District suburbs. The
system contains about forty-ffve telephone
earth return circuits, in which there arc
about sfxty-fve sets of telephones Besides
these. connection is had by telephone ex-
change with the various departments which
nave rented Instruments. Outside Of those
mentioned there arc about 1876 sets OF tele-
department. and all available for fire alarm
purposes should necessity require It, The
patrol service covering the nine precincts
has about 12G stations in each being To-
Gated fire alarm box, from which alarms
can be sent. The precincts are supplied as
follows: First, Ii boxes; second, rs; third
16; fourth. 16; fifth, "A; sixth, Is; seventh
IA; eighth. 10; and ninth, IA. In addition to
these there are reporting stations, located at
Ivy City, Brookland. Takoma. Brightwood
9TH street and Rock Creek roads and
Mount Pleasant. ...
1t can be easily understood that errors
with their unpleasant definitions, are not
found in the dictionary OF the operators
who handle the circuits up on the sixth
floor at headquarters. Sometimes the frac-
ton of a minute means the loss of a life or
mt re. and the gentlemen In charge handle
themselves on fraction basis instead of
n ir utes or hours Complaints are not heard
OF, which speaks volumes for the capabili-
ties of Messrs. Moves, Mothershead and
Simpson-another triangle, Henry r. Miles
Is the general superintendent and A. S.
Richards electrician. But these men have
been written about SO often that their his
tory and efficiency have become familiar
stories.
The Three Switchboard Men.
The three men that handle the switch
board are not SO well known, perhaps, but,
Notwithstanding, IN their hands rests the
practical working Of the system. Mr.. Geo.
H. Noyes Is the oldest in point Of years and
service Of the trio. He is Washington
boy, being born in this city in 1888, and in
early life was a prominent volunteer fire.
ran. With the inaugural of the paid sys-
tenn he was selected IS one Of the boys"
to go in under the new idea, and soon af-
terward, on the adoption Of the fire alarm
telegraph. he was selected as an operator
and with the exception Of a few years since
1858 he has served constantly in that ca
pacity, enjoying the distinction of having
rendered larger service with the fire alarm
system than any Of his associates Mr.
Noyes Is looked upon with veneration
throughout the entire building, and every
body has a good word for Pap" an aifec-
tionate term used by the younger genera
ton Of employees.
L. F. Mothershead. who is associated with
Mr.. Noyes I'm the operating room of the fire
alarm system, is a Virginia boy, having
first seen the light Of day in the city Of
hallowed Observation-Disclosures 1888
He served first as a messenger boy for the
Western Union Telegraph Company, then
as operator. then receiving clerk, and from
there. in 1893. to his present position. Mr..
Mothershead possesses a pleasing personal
ity, cool head and more than the usual pro-
portion Of good looks.
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