The times., 1899-01-17
A MYSTERIOUS ALARM.
No Fire Discovered In the Treasury
Building.


That there was something radically
wrong with the automatic fire alarm cys-
TEN In the Treasury Department. or that
some miscreant willfully summoned, un-
necessarily. the fire department was de-
monstrated shortly after 4:30 o'clock yes
terday afternoon, when box No 1913 regis
tered an alarm and called the fire depart
ment to the Treasury building. Engine
companies Nos. l, 2, 6, and II. together
with trucks B and C, and chemical engine
No. !. responded under the direction of
Fire Chief Paris and Assistant Fire
Chief Kurtz. thorough examination
disclosed that there was no sign of con-
fiagration and the department was dis
missed after U wait of about thirty min
utes.
The circumstances surrounding the
sounding of the alarm are somewhat mys-
terious. The alarm came from the attic
in the third floor OF the Treasury building.
That portion of the structure is known as
section 3. and includes rooms Nos. 6, s, 10
and Il, occupied by the library.
Section is connected by an auto
matte fire alarm arrangement with
the District fire alarm circuit. 1t is also
connected with the automatic fire alarm
system OF annunciator registration which
IL located at the headquarters OF the cap
tain of watch at the main entrance, on the
Fifteenth Street side of the building.
AS a peculiar circumstance. the annun-
ciator box at this latter point registered
the location Of the fire as from section
on the third floor. indicated by box
No. 1853. while the announcement sounded
in the fire alarm stations as from box No
1913
Fortunately the alarm was sounded at
time when the building was almost entire
Is cleared of the employees, otherwise il
would in all probability have caused
panic with serious results The electric
gong which serves as the warning SEN
tinel over the ten boxes or annunciators
arranged in the corridor. rang incessantly
for period of twenty minutes. When the
gong had sounded and the proper persons
! had become aware of the supposed fire in
! the section indicated, effort was made
! to stop its ringing. Handkerchiefs were
! stuffed between the hammer and the bell
| and hands were pushed against the gong
( in an effort to deaden or do away with
+ the sound. These efforts were futile, how
( ever The unexpected and significant
! warning alarmed those persons in the
/ building. A thorough examination failed
( the apparatus and caused the sounding of
/ the alarm.
| Opinions expressed by those familiar
I with the operation of the automatic fire
! appliance in use in the department and by
+ Chief Paris and his assistants differed
J y.
that high temperature had affected the
mercurial tubes OF the Thermometers of
the apparatus and caused the sounding of
I the alarm.
1t seems that temperature of slightly
over a hundred degrees is sufficient to ef-
I feet an alarm. Chief Paris and Assistant
| Chief kurtz We're not inclined 10 accept
this theory, and were of the impression
that the alarm was caused by heat conse-
quent upon the crossing or short circuit
ing OF electric wires contiguous TO the
| alarm thermometer This theory was
more generally accepted.
Considerable excitement was caused by
the appearance OF the fire department il
front OF the Treasury Building and as the
rumor that the Treasury was on fire
spread rapidly large crowd cougregated
The crowd was quickly dispersed, how
ever on seeing the engines disappear anC
learning that there was no conflagatiOn.