Evening star., 1898-07-22
NEW FIRE ALARM SERVICE
Its Installation to- Take Place About the
First of October.
Commissioner Wight's Inspection of
"
BROOKLYN Equipment Additional
story to Engine House No. IA.

Commissioner Wight. who has immediate
charge of the District fire department and
its alarm service, today approved the de-
sign for the additional story to engine
house IA on Sth street between and E.
where the new fire-alarm headquarters
will be located. Proposals will be adver-
tised for in day or so. and the work. for
which Congress appropriated $4,000, is eX
pected to be commenced about the 1st OF
August 1t is belieyed it will be completed
in about months time, when the work of
installing the new fire-alarm service. for
which Congress has allowed the sum of
s37, 500, will be pushed forward to compile
ton
Mr.. Wight has just returned from a visit
of inspection of the Brooklyn fire-alarm
service. which is claimed to be not only the
latest, but also the beSt-eQuipped in the
country The District, Mr. Wight believes
will have when the new service is complet-
ed, which will probably be about the 1st
of October. one as good, if not better, than
that at Brooklyn 1t WILL he says be
most complete and lnodernly equipped serv-
ice, one in striking contrast with the pres
ent District fre-alsrm equipment. which is
not only ancient. but also far from being
accurate at all times.
What 1t Will Include.
The new service will include not only all
the latest devices at headquarters, but the
alarm boxes supplied with all the improve
ments to prevent destruction by lightning
and live wires. and with an automatic at
tachment to prevent confusion where two
or more boxes are pulled at the same time,
each box pulled indicating its number
separately to the operators at headquar-
ters- The houses of the fire department
will be supplied. in addition to the regular
gong alarm, with visual indicators and with
what are known as the ..jokers.' In this
way the number of the box pulled first will
be sounded on the Joker and dropped
the Indicator. when If the box is one to
which the company responds the man on
watch will switch it onto the big house
gong, which will release the horses and
notify the other members of the company.
Then. as quickly the horses are hitched
up, the man on watch, having meantime
notified the officer in charge of the number
of the box, the company will leave quar-
ters without being compelled as is now
the case. to wait until the box has been
sounded on the house gong. In this way
much time will be saved by the compa-
nies in getting on their way to a fire and
saved at time when delay even of but
few seconds. means more than at any other
period of fire.
Watchman Provided For
When the service is put into operation 1t
is proposed to have a man on watch in the
various houses of the fire department at
all hours of the day and night, whose duty
it will be to catch the number of box
pulled from the "5pkeGY and the indicator
OF course. if the box sounded be not in
the district covered by, the company on a
nrst alarm, the Waterman will simply re-
cord 1t and notify tie officer in charge
In performing this duty the different mem
oers OF the companies will, with the ex-
ception OF the foreman, perhaps. take their
turn, the twenty-f6urt hours being divided
up INTO watches of SOL many hours each.