Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-09
UNNECESSARY NOISES

As long as Perth Amboy MAINTAINS hr volunteer "0
department it is to be expected that some sort of a fire alarm
must be maintained for %summoning the fremen from all parts
Of the CITY when they are needed. The ringing of the bell and
the blowing of the whistles that frequently stirs the whole city
leads one to wonder how long it will be before such a rusuc
custom will be outgrown and real metropolitan methods
adopted.
Yesterday during the noon hour an alarm from box 81
was sounded. 1t took fifteen taps of the bell and fifteen Dlasts
on each of the whistles in different parts of the city to give
the number once. Then this was repeated four times, making
sixtv taps and sixty blasts on each Of the various whistles TO
complete the alarm. In the meantime the factory "hlsues
that blow regularly at ~ 80 o'clock each day sounded also' SO
that. Judging from the noise made, the|whole city might De
burning m. AS a matter of fact, there was only a fence on fire
which was extinguished by the time the fremen arrived. Then
almost immediately. the bell and whistles began sounding, this
lime twice each to notify the anxious public that the lire was
under control. A little later the entire city was further reas-
sured by three taps on the fire bell and three blasts on each OF
The whistles indicating that all the fire companies had safely
returned to their respective houses, q fact when no doup'
gave the people a great deal of relief.
Again at 8 o'clock last night pandemonium broke loose on
a quiet and unsuspecting public when an alarm of fire was
sounded from box 94. This took ffty-two taps on the fire bell
and ffty-two blasts on each of the several lire Whistles each
one going off at a different time so that hardly had the whistles
finished the first blast before the bell was starting the second
and SO on amid the utmost confusion creating one grand Juror
throughout the city, all for some trifing blaze that caused
hardly a ripple even in the vicinity in which it occurred, let
alone setting the whole city by the ears.
Then, of course, came the usual two taps on the bell and
the corresponding number of blasts on the whistles to an
nounce the fact that all the hubub was created over nothing.
AFTER which, in due time, the public was further notified
through more ringing of bells and blowing of whistles that the
fire companies were safely housed once more.
AS long as the present system Of sounding an alarm of
fire appears to be the only satisfactory method, it would seem
that there nigh. at least be a Encouragement OF the numbers
fer The boxes, giving to those boxes that are sounded most fire.
duently the smaller number while those that are seldom heard
might have the high numbers. Fire department records would
show which numbers are sounded the most frequently; these
records doubtless would also show that some of the boxes with
the smallest numbers have never been sounded, or at least
only once or twice, since they have been established. At the
isame time, some of the 'out' taps might be eliminated
There is in existence in some places societies for the abol-
ishing of unnecessary noises. Perth Amboy certainly would
be q good field for such an organization to work in. With all
the boat whistles and train whistles the exhausts on tugboats,
the iunkmen, hawkers and traffic in general over rough pave
ments, the gongs of trolley cars and the different varieties of
automobile horns, the city certainly has about all the noise
that q thriving, hustling community can make--an then some.
If it is possible, therefore, to eliminate any of the racket with
cut curtaiing efficiency in any line it ought to be done. 1T
would seem as if a start might be made in connection with the
sounding Of the fire alarm.
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