Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-12-27
RINGING A FIRE ALARM.
Apparatus In Use In the New York
Fire Department.


Let us look at the various instru-
ments for receiving the alarm. They
are not many, and are very interest
ing. ] shall describe them without
using any technicalities, for the very
good reason that / don't know any
thing about them technically, but
can explain them only as they were
explained to me by fireman.
First. at the lower right-hand side,
on a black walnut Dashboard, is
placed the instrument officially called
the combination, and by the fire.
men termed the Joker" Why 80
ker" I do not know; but it is prob
ably called the combination" be-
cause it combines both the bell for
receiving the alarm, and the "trip"
or device for mechanically releasing
the horses, which l shall describe
further on.
This is the first bell to ring the
alarm, or number of the station
whence the alarm is sent; but before
it rings there is a slight "click" heard
in the Morse instrument placed above
it; this might be called o warning
BELL" and by the ordinary listener
would not be noticed at all; but to
the quick ear of the man on watch
and the equally well trained ears of
the horse, there needs no second
stroke to tell them that an alarm
will follow. This "click" is caused
by the opening of the electric
circuit in which the station is stu
ated
Beside the combination bell, or
"joker," there is small weight that
slides up and down brass rod 1t
is held in place at the top by catch
connected with the hammer of the
bell and as the hammer draws back
to make the first stoke of the alarm,
it releases the weight, and the weight
slides down the rod. Being attached
by little chain to lever projecting
from the side of clock hanging bes
side it, the weight as it falls, pulls
this lever down and stops the clock,
thus showing at what instant the
alarm was received
At the bottom of the rod there is
{. very large lever set with trigger
like catch, and connected with GER
tain mechanism underneath the floor
with the stalls Of the. horses. The
same falling weight strikes the trig-
ger also. and releases the lever,
and the lever in turn releases the
horses.
Above the combination is placed a
Morse instrument, sounder. and key,
and beside it a telephone, to commu-
nicate with headquarters or with
other companies, and also a few
frames containing list Of stations
that particular company goes to, on
receiving the first, second, or third
alarm.
At the other side, nearly over the
desk, is placed the big gong, twelve
or fifteen inches in diameter, and very
loud sounding. This begins to strike
about when the smaller one gets
through; and should the man on
watch have failed to count the num-
Der of the station on the joker
he will have no difficulty in getting
the number from the big gong, for it
strikes slowly;-that is, slowly in
comparison with the Joker" which
rings the number out very fast. The
large gong is very loud, and can be
heard a block away. The company
receives four rounds on the small bell
and two on the big bell; or more cor
rectly speaking the number of the
station is rung four times on tho
Joker and twice on the big gong.
But. it is rarely that the firemen
have to wait to get the signal from
the latter, for before the small bell
has ratified off it's four rounds the en-
CINE has rolled out OF the house and
they are on the way to the fire.
TSf Nich0las