Norwich bulletin., 1912-08-01

Foe two hours on Wednesday eye- aing. Police Commissioners Dr. Will i8 m C. Mclaughlin. Ellsworth E. B4k- CT and Albert E. Cruthers, with Chief George Linton and Mayor T. c. Mur phy considered the needs of the city of Norwich in regard to a police tel ephone and signal telegraph system. For five weeks now Norwich has been without a telephone system, since the commissioners ordered the discontinu- ance of the police boxes that have been in use by the department approx imately a quarter of century. The officers have been depending on pri vate telephones for communicating with headquarters and the demand for a modern signaling system is urgent.
 Set up behind the desk at police headquarters was an exhibition of the police telegraph apparatus of the Gamewell company of New York, in cluding signal box And the operating board, while in the officers room an other signal box had been placed in position.
 F. M. Tiffany of the Boston ofRee | of the company was. present and eX~ plained and demonstrated the opera ton of the signal system and 1t work ed in reliable and efficient manner.
 
 will be transferred to the pole on Broadway near the Y. M. c. A. build ing and demonstration will be given anyone who Is interested.
 The commissioners and the two other officials went over the map of Norwich thoroughly and they decided | that ten signal boxes were needed throughout the city. They did not de- eide definitely where these should be located. The Gamewell system, to comply with the local requirements, would consist of the ten call signal boxes, four circuit police signal cab inet desk and about seven miles of connecting wire. The total price of the system would reach s5,S5H, or | thereabouts.
 The GameWell apparatus for munic- | ipal police departments is in use in all the large cities of the country, and 1t is found to be of the greatest value and even essential to secure the | greatest efficiency in a force. By the installation of a ten-box system in Norwich to replace the four boxes | that have been in use, the efficiency of the department will be more than | doubled the commissioners believe. Briefly described, the Gamewell sys- | tenn on exhibition here today pro- vides for the transmission of tele- | graphic report and emergency sig nals and also for telephonic communi- l cation between the patrol stations and l headquarters. The signal box contains three emergency calls, for the patrol wagon, telephone and ambulance. and four report calls for as many officers ] The calls are operated by a mechan- ism controlled by handle reached ir unlocking the door and the signals are received by a perforating register al | the central station. The code indi- | cated on the paper strip just what and where the trouble is, and also prints the year. month, day, hour and minute at which the call was sent in The strip of perforated paper may be kept as a record The automatic clock or | the receiving apparatus changes from l the 30th to the 31st of a month and allows for leap years when they come along, winding being the only atten- l tion needed. The signal box also has hole for a citizens key, whereby g responsible citizen to whom key may be entrusted may send in an alarm ana | get police assistance. The citizens key does not unlock the door and may not be extracted from its keyhole unti | the officer arrives This arrangement l which enables cali 10 be sent IT without unlocking the box will also be of help to an officer with an unruly | prisoner.
 If an officer is wanted to telephone headquarters, a switch at headquar. ters operates an automatic buZzer 1T the signal box. The IS volts necessary for the operation of the four circuits is supplied by an open circuit Samp- son battery. The four circuits tha are proposed with ten boxes at pres ent will accommodate additions ana extentions up to twenty boxes per cir. cult, thus providing amply for the day when Norwich Town and Yantic be come integral parts of the city,