The sun., 1900-06-11
CANNELL on SPECIAL FIRE CALLS.
Only Two Companies Furnish what the De-
partment Requires, Direct Alarms.

Only Two Companies furnish wnat tne De'
partment Requires Direct Alarms.
Fire Commissioner Scannell issued the follow
ing statement last evening:
The occasional illusions In some Of the news
papers to certain fire alarm companies seem To
warrant the following statement. The Charter
requires that theatres. factories, hotels, lnstitu-
tons. &c. where large number OF people are
assembled shall have direct connection with the
Fire Department Headquarters. and this Il
merely a rsstatement Of the laws Of 1885 The
enforcement of the law In cases where the risk
clearly requires additional protection. such as
the Commissioner is now undertaking. should
be heartily commended. No one quest tions the
wisdom Of the enforcement Of the law. but the
fact that only two companies appear to be able
to supply the requirements needed for comply
ing with the law has been commented upon.
The Fire Department Is not responsible for
this SO far as the Fire Commissioner Is con-
cerned. any one who can furnish electrical SER
vice directly from the interiors Of buildings to
Fire Headquarters under satisfactory working
conditions. can do so.
The Special Fire Alarm Telegraph Company
has been in operation for many years and has
no competitors in its particular line, simply be-
cause no one else has thus far seen fit TO incur
the very large investment necessary 10 60 into
competition with it,. The field. however. is not
large enough TO induce Investment outside OF
those In business of that character.
The Manhattan Fire Alarm Company fur
nishes different form OF service, making It's
connections with Fire Department Headqusr-
ters through the street boxes, This company
from the Fire Commissioners IN 1895. under the
administration Of Mayor Strong, This com,
pany, operates what Is known as the Gameweil
A,,. Htort. LirSaA In
AT the present time there, are only four
companies carrying on fire alarm service In
this. city This department has heretofore
held that only two Of these companies gave a
service which was in compliance with the
ing % alarms MS Of Are direct from the Interiors
While It is the duty OF the Fire. Commits
sioner to enforce the law rs he finds it,. it Is
equally his duty to throw around such enforce
ment all the safeguards which the experience
OF the department has shown to be essential
The service of the two companies whose service
has not been approved for the above purpose
does not constitute a means OF communicating
alarms Of fire direct to headquarters for the
reason that the nature of the service is such
that the companies MAINTAIN Their own cen
trail office and receive all alarms Of fire at this
central Office before transmitting them to the
headquarters Of the Fire Department
To a certain extent. therefore. accuracy
to the headquarters OF the Fire Department
is dependent upon a set OF employees wholly
without the control of this department. and not
in any sense responsible to IT,. The loss Of
life and property which might be occasoned
by any mistake on tho part OF such operators,
who az above stated, are without the juris-
dIction Of the Fire Department, makes the
question Of the approval of such service by this
department a very serious one, even though
the construction of the Charter law requr-
ing a communication with headquarters did
not make it necessary that such connection
should be direct.
With the service Of the two companies,
which have been approved, however. the mere
operation Of any inferior box sends the alarm
direct to the headquarters Of the department
without the dangers OF delay and mistake
which would always be present were there an
intermediate station. which would have 10
receive the alarm on one set OF Instruments and
send il out on another set.
"As the business now exists. two companies
only have n service. which for many reasons
and more particularly for those stated, this
department considers direct service and one
in which the factor Of personal error is wholly
eliminated.
"Inasmuch as the New York Fire Department
can reach the scene Of a fire south Of the Harlem
River within two minutes after an alarm Is
received by them. II Is not possible in any way
to truthfully say that had the Windsor Hotel
been equipped with some means of commune
eating alarms of fire direct to this department
there would have been any loss of life what
ever or that the destruction or property would
not have been immeasurahly less,