Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-03
CITYS FIRE ALARM
Will Be Installed in Augustus Cit,
Building.
The Whistle Will be Operated by Com
pressed Air.

At the last regular meeting of the
city government. the following was
unanimously passed:
Ordered that the committee on fire
department is hereby authorized and
instructed to make such arrangements,
as may be necessary, to install the fire
alarm whistle at the City building and
to provide necessary apparatus for
operating the same"
This was done, because the Augusta
Lumber Company, at whose mill the
whistle is now located, and which has
furnished the necessary steam to blow
the whistle, had notified the fire de-
partment that it desired to shut down
it's plant this winter and could not
maintain steam pressure except at
great extra expense. The Augusta
Lumber Company has furnished steam
to blow the whistle since it was moved
from the Allen building, the charge
being SO month, or 1920 year, but
was able to- do this only because it's
cteam plant was in operation all the
year round. The extra expense to
which it would be put to maintain
steam during the winter would be $11O
l1lO1itu VI SOOO lOI the SedSOli, llllklll5
a total cost of $3.50 for the year.
The committee on fire department
has accordingly decided to move the
whistle to the City building and to put
in a compressed air plant to operate
it, the air compression being operated
by an electric motor, automatically
connected, so that the air compressor
will start as soon as the whistle blows
and stop as soon as the whistle stops.
The cost of such a plant in complete
operation will be about $500, but the
cost of maintenance and repairs will
be slight as well as the cost of opera
ton. The kennebec Light and Heat
Company has made a careful estimate
of the electric current necessary to OPP
crate the motor and find it's cost should
not exceed $50 a year. which shows a
saving of 1920 year as against the
present conditions. Furthermore, when
the whistle is once installed at the
City building, the city will not be LA
bic to be called upon for changes in it's
exact location as is the case so long as
it is on private property, certain
changes which We're made necessary,
last spring, for instance, costing about
$120.
That an air COMPRISING plant is
practicable sure and economical, is
shown by the following letters re-
Gently received: q.
Chief Chas. Colt of the Arlington,
Mass, fire department has written the
committee:
Replying to your letter OF Dec. 9th,
would say that We have an air COM
pressing plant for operating our fire
alarm system, and gives every salts
faction in fact we have had no trouble
from it whatever We have had it in
operation six years and it costs us
practically nothing for maintenance
or repairs. and there is no expense for
electric current as that is furnished by
the Boston Elevated Railway.
For further information or recon-
mendations | would refer you to Chief
Sturtevant of Stoneham, Mass. and
also to the Water Commissioners of
Greenfield, Mass, as they have been
recently installed with an air COM
pressing plant. / would be pleased to
give you any further information that
you may require"
Chief NJ. J. Morarty of the Lewis
ton Fire Department has written the
committee as follows:
Il beg to acknowledge the receipt
of your communication of the 21st
instant relative to fire whistle. In re-
ply will say that We have been using
the whistle for over two years and it
has given perfect satisfaction. We
run the plant by water motor at the
City water works pumping station,