Sterling Siren Fire Alarm Co.

**Names** | Sterling Machine Company
Inter-State Machine Company
Inter-State Machine Products

 **Location** | Norwich, CT (1902?-1912?)

New London, CT (1913-1915)
56 Allen Street, Rochester, N.Y.
8 Bartlett Street, Rochester, N.Y.
 **Products** | Electric sirens

Hand operated sirens
Friction drive sirens
Code fire alarm systems
Siren control implements
Vehicular beacons

The **Sterling Siren Fire Alarm Company**, formerly the **Inter-State Machine Products Company** and originally the **Sterling Machine Company**, was a major manufacturer of fire safety equipment based in Rochester, New York. Sterling Siren mainly focused on the manufacturing of electric sirens, as well as a number of friction sirens, hand-operated sirens and control accessories for use with their larger models. They primarily marketed their products to fire departments, though later advertised their sirens for use in mines, factories and for Civil Defense.

## History

The company was incorporated in 1905 as the **Uncas Specialty Company**, originally based out of Norwich, CT. However, records potentially date back to as early as 1902. The company was formed by Frank W. Browning, B.F. Leavitt, and H.C. Williamson. The company would acquire two companies in 1911, the Rochester Machine Co. and the Sterling Lubricator Company, and would reform into the **Sterling Machine Company**, producing small sirens and other machines. The company would be located in Norwich until sometime between 1912 and 1913, when the company was moved to New London, CT, and was renamed to the **Inter-State Machine Company**. It was around this time that the company's most popular siren, the Model M, would be invented by Merton C. Armstrong and released, quickly becoming a very popular fire siren. The company would remain in New London until roughly 1915, when the company would again change its name, this time to the **Inter-State Machine Products Company**, and would move its headquarters to Rochester, NY, where it would remain for the rest of the company's lifespan. The company would experiment with several designs, including a redesigned Denver Duplex and Quadruplex, as well as several different designs for the Model M, before deciding to stick with the standard Model M and its Code Siren variant, the Type F, as well as the Super Quad. The company would be renamed once again to the **Sterling Siren Fire Alarm Company, Inc** in 1925.

By 1926, the company was well established, producing newer sirens such as the Little Giant. By 1932, the Model VX had also been released. The Super Quad would be discontinued, leaving the Model M, the Type F, the Model VX and the Little Giant, as well as Sterling's smaller sirens in production. These would all remain in production with multiple design changes until the 1960s, when the Little Giant was discontinued.

The company would eventually fall on hard times by the 1970s, as the need for fire sirens was waning and other companies such as Federal Signal were dominating the market, especially with Federal's Model series. The company would ultimately fold in 1973, with the company's designs and patents being bought by Scott and Bill Yarberry, who would form Sentry Siren, Inc. and continuing to produce the Model M until its final discontinuation in 1986.

Sterling's designs are still relevant today, with Sterling sirens able to be found commonly across North America, most still operating decades after the company went bust. In addition, Sentry Siren continues to use the Model M's rotors and stators on many of their current sirens, which are largely vertical Sterling Model Ms at their core. Sterling was ahead of its time with its weatherproof design, directional, efficient rotors, and ear-piercing wail. It can be easily said that without Sterling, the fire siren market may never have boomed as early as it did. While it was not the first fire siren on the market (that title goes to Dillon Box Iron Works' Denver sirens), it was certainly the most influential of its time.

## Products

### Stationary Electric Sirens

#### Model M

The Model "M" is the most popular and widespread siren produced by the company. The Model M is a dual (or single) rotor electric siren that began production in 1911. The Model M was a highly customizable and effective siren, and paved the way for the electric siren market as the first dual tone siren and one of the first successful electric siren designs. The Model M could be ordered in a variety of port combos and motor horsepower ratings, and was available as the Sterling Code Siren as well. The Model M would be produced by Sterling until 1973 and then produced by Sentry Siren as the Model M-10 until its discontinuation in 1986. The Model M is easily the most common Sterling siren that can be found.

#### Duplex and Quadruplex

Built in the 1920s, these sirens are Sterling's adaptations of Dillon Box Iron Works' "Denver" Duplex and Quadruplex sirens. These sirens were designed for roof or platform mounting and used one (Duplex) or two (Quadruplex) dual-sided fans coupled to a single motor, both being attached to a long frame. These sirens were rather short-lived, as the Model M proved to be louder, easier to maintain, and more reliable. Few Duplex units survive today, while the Quadruplex is technically extinct, as any Quadruplexes that may have survived to prevent day have since been converted into Duplexes.

#### "Super Quad"

The Super Quad was a 12-horsepower Siren Fire Alarm, conceived as an adaptation of the standard Model "M" siren. Unlike the Model "M", the Super Quad carries two fans on each end of the motor instead of the normal single fans. Advertised as the largest siren ever built at the time, very few of these sirens were sold, as a result of their costliness. They are assumed to be extinct today, with the last known surviving unit being removed by 2018.

#### Sterling Vertical Sirens

This series consisted of Models 2V8, 3V and 5VX, all of which being vertical electric sirens that were produced by Sterling by at least 1932. These are simple vertical sirens with a rotor-over-motor configuration, with a louvred motor cover, simple stand, and a small rainshield that served to direct all of the siren's output downwards. These sirens were intended for communities that needed a smaller siren, or a siren that could be easily mounted to a pole instead of a rooftop. These sirens were produced in a variety of sizes, from the Model 2-like 2V8, all the way to the 7.5HP 7.5VX. These sirens ended production in 1973 when Sterling Siren went out of business. These were intended to compete with Federal's Fedelcode and Model series of sirens.

#### "Little Giant"

The "Little Giant" was introduced in 1926, intended to serve as a cheaper alternative to the Model "M" for applications where such a large machine would prove unnecessary. The Little Giant shared the same unit construction of the Model "M", which is likely how it got its name. Much like the Model "M", It features an electric motor atop a cast iron base, with two sets of fans and fan housings on either side. Unlike the Model "M", the Little Giant features a pair of bucket-shaped aluminum horns to weatherproof the fans, as opposed to a set of sounders and projectors. A variant of these were also produced by W.S. Darley & Co. The Little Giant was discontinued by the 1960s.

### **Industrial Sirens**

#### Type "F"

The Type "F" (Factory) siren was introduced in the 1910s, and is a small industrial/fire siren meant for indoor or short range outdoor use. It was designed to compete with sirens such as the Model A, D, L, and various other small sirens such as the Sparton Model 35 and H.O.R. Siro-Drone Type 87 in this market. The Type F and Model F-2 are small electric sirens with a directional design, designed to be mounted on ceilings, walls, and other surfaces. The sirens use a small aluminum 8-port rotor and stator driven by a 1/5HP AC/DC universal motor, running on 110V AC as standard. The motor operates at 14,000RPM, causing the sirens to be extremely high pitched. The sirens reach 117 dB at 10ft outdoors, while reaching 103 dB at 10ft in an indoor ambient environment. The Type F would go through several different design changes in four distinct generations, before ultimately being redesigned into the Model F-2 by the 1960s.

#### Model "F-2"

The Model F-2 was the successor to the Type F, and was introduced in the 1960s. It was only produced by Sterling Siren for a short time before the company went under and its designs were adopted by the newly formed Sentry Siren. The specifications of the siren remained largely the same, with the design changes mainly centering around making the siren simpler and cheaper to produce. The siren's housing was switched from steel to stainless steel, greatly improving the siren's weather and corrosion resistance. The siren's flared intake was replaced by a smaller conical intake, and the large bell-shaped skirt was replaced with a conical skirt that sits flush with the rear motor cover, which is now larger and more rounded. The stand was redesigned as well, becoming flush with the bottom of the siren, wider and with 4 screw holes. Unlike the Type F, the F-2's cast metal mount could not swivel up or down. When Sentry took over around 1973, the stand was simplified with a swivel mount now attached to each side of the motor cover, and is little more than three thin sheets of metal with holes for mounting the siren to ceilings, floors or walls. The Model F-2 continues to be sold under Sentry Siren to this day.

### Beacons

#### Model 25 "Oscilite"

While Sterling primarily focused their efforts on the development and manufacture of their famous sirens, the company did manufacture a single standalone beacon, known as the Model 25 "Oscilite". It was intended for use on Fire Engines, Police Cars and Ambulances, and consisted of a chrome, bullet-shaped housing with a light embedded in the front, covered by a red lens. In operation, the Model 25 swivels back and forward, producing a visible flash as it faces the view of drivers. Little documentation exists on the Model 25, and few of the beacons were ever actually sold, making them a highly sought after piece for collectors.