Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-30
ELECTRICITY IN NOVEL USES
Many Wheels Are Turned III Omaha by the
Dynamic Current
INSTANTANEOUS FIRE ALARM PERFECTION
Mechanical Plant of The Bee f. Pro-
PEELED by Electricity in Every
Part of the Complex
Process.

Outside OF the electric lighting plant and
the motor car lines, which are well known.
there are many uses OF electricity in the
city concerning which the majority OF tire
public has but little knowledge. Among
the most interesting Of these is its use in
the public IRE alarm system.
Omaha's fire alarm system IL a most eff
fective one. Ono hundred and nine fire
boxes are scattered about the city, most
closely together, of course, In the con-
Eested districts. They are connected by
wires with every hrehouse in the city.
Most OF the wires are underground in the
conduits OF the telephone company, which
is required to give the city place for its
wires. In the business section all the wires
are underground. The city also is entitled
TO the top pin on every electric light or tel
ephone pole in the city, and few Of the
wires are on the telephone poles. The adj
vantage Of the top pin is that there are no
wires above It to fall across the wires 1t
carries.
working of the Fire Alarm.
Divisions Of the system are made into
four circuits each containing about one
fourth Of the boxes. with this arrange
ment three-fourths OF the boxes will be
in working order If one circuit happens to
become disabled. No circuit is allowed to
remain out of order very long at a time,
however, as It is tested at regular inter-
walls. Then there Is very little tendency to
get out Of order.
The working Of the alarm is simple One
who wishes to turn in an alrm first breaks
the glass in front OF the box to get the
key or in the outlying districts where the
key cannot be kept in the box on account
of mischevious boys, he goes to the near
est house and gets IT, He opens the box
and pulls hook which projects directly
toward him. This completes the electric cir
cult and releases q spring which starts
little wheel 20 moving inside the box. On
the periphery of the wheel are notches, and
whenever one of these comes opposite q
small steel piece fixed near the wheel the
circuit is broken. The breaks in the cir
cult indicate at the frehouse the number
of the box which has been pulled. Suppose
an alarm has been sent from box No. 10.
On the wheel in the box Is one notch, then
a long interval, then nine notches close to-
gether. At the hrehouse there is first
sharp click, which shows that a circuit has
been completed somewhere. Shortly after
ward comes tap of the gong. an interval
and then nine taps in quick succession.
While the taps are being sounded, the
matically and the horses have rushed under
the harness Two or three clicks Of har-
ness fastenings and the department is on
the way TO the corner where box No. 10 is
located.
To guard against accidents in the con-
veying of the alarm to any one fire house.
each box is connected with repeater at
the central telephone Office and this puts
the alarm on the wires to all the houses
as soon as the box quits ringing.
Telephone an Auxiliary.
Every telephone in the city can be used
as a fire alarm, and It is a fact that about
IS per cent of the alarms come in by tele-
phone. On a red card over the mouth
piece are the words, Call 81 in case OF
FIRE" No. 81 is the fire operator AS soon
as she gets the location OF a fire, she
touches button which gives all the houses
one tap OF the gong. The captain or lieu
Senant goes to the telephone and she re-
peats the location three or four times.
Whether the news comes by telephone or
regular alarm, the fire operator calls up
the police station over special wire and
gives the location of the fire. This ac-
counts for the fact that the bluecoated Of
Iicers of the law are always among the
Sirst to arrive on the scene. In the same