The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-02-19
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
THAT SPELLS REVOLUTION

A franchise just granted in New
York works a new and revolutionary
departure in fire alarm methods. IL
is not an experiment, but complete
and operating success The tact that
d. q. Reid. the Rick Island railroad
magnate. is in control Of the new
plan evidences its stability.
The new system is styled the AR
Alarm It's basis consists of a small
hollow wire of copper alloy, one
eighth of an inch in diameter and
containing tiny insulated wire.
The hollow wire acts as conduct
or for the air whose expansion caus-
es fire alarm to sound. The tiny
wire is known as the trouble WIRE.
If. for any reason, the hollow wire IS
cut or broken, the result is that an
electric circuit is also broken, when
causes the little wire to send
"trouble alarm to the headquarters
of the alarm company. Fire head
quarters hears nothing, unless there
happens to be real fire at the tllne
the wire breaks, or is cut
Loops of this inconsplcuous hollow
wire are strung around the ceiling
or carefljiy concealed Ibehind the
moulding of the rooms. houses and
buildings to be protected. the loops
ending in a detector which consists
principally of a disc, containing a oel
icate diaphragm
If fire starts in room the air IN
the hollow tube expands under the
Influence of the heat and operates
a sensitive diaphragm in the detec-
tor. causing it to close an electrical
circuit which sets in operation an
! the marvellous fire alarm machinery
All the older systems are held large
lv defective. due to the use OF what
is known as a "thermOstat' placed
AT intervals on the ceiling These
are constantly exposed to the effects
Of the air and the electrical contacts
become oxidised, or clogged with dust
ana when needed fail to operate at
all or only after raging fire is IN
full blast.
Briefly. the new system scores its
main success in the principle thai
the best way to solve the great fire
hazard problem of the day is to deal
with incipient fires instead OF con
flagrations.
The new system gives an almost In
Simultaneous alarm. If a pair OF cur
tains catch afre. or even newspaper
an effective alarm is given within ten
to forty seconds Moreover, another
alarm is rung on a box outside OF the
building, which also indicates the eX-
net location of the fire. Thence the
alarm goes on and directly into the
fire headquarters, where the exact
location is also announced.
From beginning to end the system
is altogether automatic. This elimln'
alton of the human element also elm
mates the danger Of error.
1t might we'll be imagined that So
sensitive a mechanism would be also
affected by ordinary changes OF tenn
perature, as for instance, from steam
heat or a cooking stove. But the de
tector is influenced not merely by
the presence Of heat. but rather by
the sudden rise of heat within Tx
ed period Of time.
For instance. the thermostats now
commonly used TO give fire alarms
are only affected by extreme degrees
of heat, say 100 uegrees, F. The new
system would work just the same !
fire started in a room the tempera
ture of which was zero. An lnclplen
fire is accompanied by a certain rap
Id rise in temperature, which the ma
tional Board of Underwriters puts a
only four degrees per minute. TIT
new system works only on this rapiC
rise principle.
II is also fool and mischief proof
If the hollow wires are injured, ac
cidentally or otherwise, that fact Is
immediately indicated, rlot at fire
Headquarters but at the office OF The
company No false alarms are pos
sible.
Because Of its instantaneous alarm
and complete efficiency it is claimed
that the new system will practically
do away with the horrors of incen
diarism. so common in the tenemen
districts of large cities.
The system in its entirety is the
product OF the minds of staff of en-
gineering specialists in this field
The patents, over two hundred in all
are owned by the International Elec
trio Protection company at ll5 Broac
way. New York. The president OF
that company is Robert Walker also
president of the holding company ol
the Rick Island land system.
d. G. REID. long prominent in rail-
road operations and one OF the gov
erning minds in modern railroad de
velopment and big finance, is the con
trolling interest in the new system
This fact lends special Importance tc
tine enterprise because Mr. Reid is
known for the shrewdness with Ehicf
, ne cultiyates success and a,oids fail
ure. His handling of the famous tir
plate merger is a matter of history
and aside from his share in the opera
! ton Of several great railroad sys