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How the fire alarm boxes in Boston work: 19th century telegraph technology
- oftenwrong 12y agoI changed the headline because the original was bad. I like to see "outdated" technology still being useful. These boxes are still around because they are simple and robust. They provide value without costing much to maintain.
- ilamont 12y agoThese boxes can still be found in the surrounding communities, too. I assumed they were no longer working until I read this article. Loved this quote: The fire alarm systems of other Massachusetts towns aren’t quite so advanced. Incoming telegraph messages in Milton, for example, work by punching holes in a piece of paper, according to Milton Fire Chief John Grant. So if someone pulls alarm box number 57, the message will be sent to the dispatch office with five holes in a piece of paper, a space, and then seven more holes. Fire department dispatchers then turn that hole-filled paper into coordinates to send a team. “It’s obviously old technology, but it’s fairly simple,” Grant said. “They work.”