An Improved System of Street Fire Alarms.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 19th Oct., 188
An Improved System of Street Fire Alarms.
be as
GEORGE WILLIAM PARKER Superintendent of Bootle-cum-Linacre Fire Brigade
Strand Road Bootle do hereby declare the nature of this invention
follows:
An improved system of Street Fire alarms, consisting of iron fire alarm boxes, or
pillars, placed at convenient public points in a district, and communicating by
electricity with the Fire Station, the boxes being constructed of a shape suitable
for being securely attached to any permanent erection, or to stand upon the
pavement.
The upper part of the box has a stained glass front with the words Fire alarm
marked thereon, and a gas jet inside to make them discernable during night-time.
The lower part of the box is provided with a closely fitting door with a lock
and key.
The door is fitted with springs to cause is to fly open upon being unlocked.
The requisite electrical apparatus is contained within the box, and the opening of
the door automatically completes the electrical circuit communicating with the
indicator at the Fire Station, giving there an audible and visible indication that the
box has been opened, a reply being returned by the attendant there ringing a bell in
the box to acknowledge receipt of the alarm.
Each box has its own separate indicator at the Fire Station.
The lock in the door of the box is of such a construction that it retains the key so
that it cannot be removed until released by the master key from the station.
The person giving the alarm remains by the box, after receiving the reply signal,
until the fire-men arrive, when his key is returned to him, and the necessary informa-
tion as regards the fire conveyed.

page_text: The keys of the boxes are numbered, and are placed in the possession of Police
Constables and other reliable persons, the names and addresses of the holders and the
numbers of the keys being entered in a book at the Fire Station.
This arrangement and the retaining of the key by the lock on being opened is made
for the purpose of identifying the person using the key, with the object of preventing
the issue of false alarms.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System of Street Fire Alarms.
I GEORGE WILLIAM PARKER Superintendent of Bootle-cum-Linacre Fire Brigade
Strand Road Bootle do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
An improved system of Street Fire alarms, consisting of iron fire alarm boxes or
pillars, placed at convenient public points in a district, and communicating by
electricity with the Fire Station, the boxes being constructed of a shape suitable
for being securely attached to any permanent erection, or to stand upon the
pavement.
The upper part of the box has a stained glass front with the words Fire alarmı
marked thereon, and a gas jet inside to make them discernible during night-time.
The lower part of the box is provided with a closely fitting door with a lock
and key.
The door is fitted with springs to cause it to fly open, upon being unlocked.
The requisite electrical apparatus is contained within the box, and the opening of
the door moving the lover of a Morse key automatically completes the electric
circuit, communicating with the indicator at the Fire Station, giving there an audible
and visible indication that the box has been opened, a reply being returned by the
attendant there ringing a bell in the box to acknowledge receipt of the alarm.
Each box has its own separate indicator at the Fire Station."
The lock in the door of the box is of such a construction that it retains the key
so that it cannot be removed until released by means of another key from the Fire
Station.
The person giving the alarm remains by the box, after receiving the reply signal,
until the firemen arrive, when his key is returned to him, and the necessary informa-
tion as regards the fire conveyed.

page_text: The keys of the boxes are numbered, and are placed in the possession of Police
Constables and other reliable persons, the names and addresses of the holders, and the
numbers of the keys being entered in a book at the Fire Station.
This arrangement and the retaining of the key by the lock on being opened, is
made for the purpose of identifying the person using the key, with the object of
preventing the issue of false alarins.
The accompanying drawing shews the mechanism of the lock, an ordinary Chubb's
lock with the addition of a tumbler (marked (1) in the drawing) to prevent the key (2)
from re-turning after it has drawn the bolt (3) back, and also the addition of another
set of mechanism shewn on the drawing, including another keyhole (4), and key (5),
the latter for the purpose of pushing the tumbler (1) aside, to allow the key (2) (that
was used to unlock the door), to turn back again to the keyhole for the purpose of
being taken out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is
The system of Street Fire Alarms combined with the above described safeguards
against abuse.