The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-06-25
What Kind OF Fire Alarm System
Should he Installed I'm City of
10000 Population. or Less.

Y
Secretary of the Greenville Fire De-
partment. before the State Firemen's
Association.)
Everything concerning the modern
Fire-alarm Telegraph System should
be OF especial interest to this Associa-
tion, for its introduction and subse-
auent development was largely due
to the late John n. Gamewell, born
and educated In South Carolina.
The first ire-alarm telegraph sys-
tenn was installed in Boston, Mass. m
1855 Mr.. Gamewell. then living H..
Camden. South Carolina. read the ac-
count Of this invention. His pro-
phetic vision. imagination and hope
fulness sent him North to negotiate
with Messrs. Claiming and Farmer.
the owners of the patents. for the
right 10 introduce the system in the
Southern States.
He soon secured a contract to
equip New Orleans. and a little later
acquired a controlling interest in the
patents for the entire United States.
At the outbreak Of the Civil war
he wa about TO close a contract with
Sc. Louis but abandoned his business
at once. returned to the South. his
home. and entered the service Of the
Confederacy. serving faithfully in the
manufacture OF military supplies un-
III the close of the war
During the war Mr.. Gamewells
patents were conAscated by the Uni
ted States Government and sold at
auction. When peace was restored
Mr.. Gamewell at once made ar
rangements with the new owners of
the patents TO exploit them and soon
made enough money to enable him
to acquire their full ownership.
He remained actively in the busi-
ness until his death about ten years
ago. Fully nlnety-flve per cent fof
the municipal flre-alarm telegraph
apparatus used In the United States
was furnished by John n. Gamewell
and Company and by their successors.
This history is probably known to
all who are here present but II Is well
believe, that IL should be repeated
and made a part OF the record Of the
proceedings of the South Carolina
Firemen's Association.
Now, you ask. what kind Of a fire.
alarm system should be installed in
city OF 10000 population. or less?"
/ answer. The Gamewell. Mr.. n. II.
Pierce. OF Xenia, ILL.,. in speaking on
this subject says: 1t Is just as i'm
portant for a city or town to have
perfect fire-alarm service. as II Is for
them to have perfect system of
water works. a frst-class engine. or
any other suitable piece of apparatus.
There are about 100 communities
In the United States which have fire.
alarm telegraph systems. Included
In this number are 55 with a popu-
latlon OF from 1000 to 1000; 129
from 1000 to 1000. and 252 with ap-
proximately 5000 population.
These figures show that the fire.
alarm system Is successfully supplied
and maintained at a cost within the
means OF towns with a population of
1000 and upwards. to the largest
cities.
In this State there are eleven
places. / believe which have a fire.
alarm telegraph system. but there
are about eighteen cities and towns
with population Of from 1000 TO
10000 which are still unsupplied and
which, need this service as much as
those which now have this protection
for the lives and property Of their
citizens.
Whatever may be the size OF
community. whether 1000 popula-
tion or 10000. II II has a public water
supply and an organized fire depart
ment II needs a fre-alarm telegraph
system and cannot afford to be with
out H.
In speaking OF the telephone as a
means Of transmitting an alarm of
fire. Mr.. Pierce further states: That
the telephone system has some ad-
vantages over the ordinary fire tell
or whistle. as II Is sometimes rearer
for the person who wishes TO trans
init the alarm TO reach the telephone
than Co run down town TO the fire
bell; hut this being the case. per
haps this person becomes excited and
after reaching the phone may direct
the fire department 70 an entirely
different locality from that in which
the FIRE Is situated. or perhaps they
NAV not know the location of tho