Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 96, no. 2489: Articles]: November 27, 1915

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REAL ESTATE NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 27, 1915 'piMMiitHiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiin PLANS FOR NEW FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH I Will Cost $1,000,000, But Will Return It to Taxpayers in Re- | I duce(J Insurance Premiums—Plans Satistactory to Advisory Council | I I iiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii APPROXIM.\TELY $1,000,000 has been appropriated by the city for a new fire alarm telegraph system for the Fire Department. The plan contem¬ plates an entirely new system by the utilization of such parts of recent con¬ struction as are adapted to the new sys¬ tem and by the construction of the re¬ mainder. Several years ago a plan, knovvn as the Carty-Miller Plan, was prepared by the city at an expense of $25,000, and the principles of this plan, with certain modi¬ fications, are incorporated into the pres¬ ent specifications. The Borough of Man¬ hattan will thus, in particular, have an entirely new fire alarm telegraph system, modern in every respect, including ca¬ bles, fire alarm boxes and a new central fireproof station in Central Park. .-\s planned, only ten street boxes would be attached to a single circuit, while each fire house will be connected with the central office by circuits wholly independent of the alarm bo.x circuits, with a maximum of four companies be¬ ing connected to any one circuit. The fire alarms will be sent to the new cen¬ tral headquarters from the street boxes and will then be transmitted to the fire house over the central ofiice circuits. By means of independent lines the chief of the department, his under-chiefs and all fire boats, stations and the insur¬ ance patrol will receive all alarms of fires at all hours; and connections -vyill be made with a high-pressure pumping station, the Edison Company's Water Side Power Station, which furnishes the current for pressure pumping, and police headquarters. Cables Over Bridges. Direct connections with fire headquar¬ ters in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Blackwells, Randalls and Wards Islands will be made by cables over tlie various bridges, thus making it possible to aban¬ don the under-river cables that are used today. Public schools, hospitals and other similar buildings are also to be con¬ nected with the street box system, each such building having assigned to it one box. The fact that the new central station is to be located in Central Park will be an unquestioned advantage;, but certain changes are being made, so that there will be no danger of having the station flooded by water, from either the central water mains or from heavy rain storms. In this manner these hazards from water which in the not improbable event of a breakdown would throw the entire fire alarm system out of service, are com¬ pletely eliminated. Property owners are said to be fortunate that in the past ten years, with the present antiquated and worn-out system, they have not ex¬ perienced serious consequences from a breakdown in the operation of this sys¬ tem. Nothing but good fortune has pro¬ tected the city from serious conse¬ quences. ^ox Locations. The box locations under this new sys¬ tem have been, chosen as a result of the combined judg'ltent of the chief of the ■".•'it »rit 1' FIRE COMMISSIONER ADAMSOX. department, his deputy chiefs and in con¬ sultation with the fire risk expert of the New York Board of Fire Under¬ writers. The Empire City Subway Com¬ pany is required, under the terms of its agreement with the city, to furnish all of the subway space needed by the city for its fire department cables. The greater part of the cables will be accommodated by e.xisting subways, but the plans call for the construction of fifty-seven miles of new subway by the Empire City Subway Company. The New York Fire Insurance Exchange has already made a formal offer to substan¬ tially reduce fire insurance rates, provid¬ ed the new system is constructed alon.g the lines prepared by the Fire Commis¬ sioner. .\ formal resolution which has been passed by the exchange states that upon the installation of this new fire alarm telegraph system, in accordance with the plans and specifications, a reduction of 1 per cent, will be made in the rates of the exchange existing at the time such installation is completed, as aforesaid. while it is further understood that the reduction will be applied in reasonably large sections of the city as such ap¬ proved installation is therein completed. Thus, the reduction in insurance rates will more than equal the interest charges on the cost of construction of the new system. With the low price of copper and rubber, the Fire Commissioner feels that the saving will be great. Plans Satisfactory to Advisory Council. The .\dvisory Council of Real Estate Interests not only approved of the plans and specifications of the new system, but has urged the immediate prosecution of the work. "The reduction of fire insurance rates is of vital significance to prop¬ erty owners, however moderate they may be," said a member of the executive com¬ mittee yesterday. "Efforts have been made in Queens by civic associations, particularly the Chamber of Commerce of the Borough of Queens, to have the rates reduced in that borough, by the installation of proper fire prevention ap¬ paratus; and a modern fire alarm sys¬ tem. "Taxpayers' organizations and civic bodies in other boroughs should likewise devote some effort along similar lines. "(Jne iinportant phase of the plans and specifications is that it has been neces¬ sary to provide for the continuation of tlie old system while the new system is lieing constructed. Difficulties of Construction. ^ "This may increase the dilhcultics of tile construction, but it nevertheless is one of the elements that must be con- .sidered because in proceeding with the installation it is proposed that the cen¬ tral office equipment sliall be put into op¬ eration simultaneously with the construc¬ tion of the entire cable plant. With re¬ gard to the old system, much of the so- called subway has outlived its usefulness, for the pipe ducts in particular were in¬ stalled in 1894-1897 and only a very sinall number are of recent construction. "That its continued use without pro¬ vision for permanent improvement is, however, a hazard little appreciated, the following record of operation and main¬ tenance of the greatly deteriorated plant now in service is shown to demonstrate this fact: In 1910 every circuit vvas at some time grounded sufliciently to neces¬ sitate repairs. "This is also true of the year 1914. In 1910, 96 per cent, of all the circuits went open at some period and in 1914, 87 per cent, of all the circuits went open. In 1910, of the total of 1,051 boxes in service, 1,039 were affected by open cir¬ cuits. In 1914, of 1,068 boxes, 931 were affected by open circuit. In 1910 the total number of alarm box stations tem¬ porarily thrown out of service was 5,645, and in 1915 the number was 4,688. In 1910 the total number of occasions when apparatus alarm stations were out of ser¬ vice due to open circuits was 1,017. In 1914 this number was 708. In 1910 the number of instances where alarms trans¬ mitted from the central office to the ap¬ paratus failed so badly as to require emergency repair was 1,400. In 1914 the number was 507. New System Necessary. "Thus, it is evident that the new fire alarm system, as outlined by the Fire Commissioner, is necessary. The approv¬ al of tlie specifications by the .Advisory Council would certify that the new con¬ struction will be most beneficial to real estate. There is no doubt that property owners are entitled to lower insurance rates, by complying with the require¬ ments issued liy the Fire Department, as was outlined in the Record and Guide of Oct. 23, when Chief Hammitt was quot¬ ed by the .Advisory Council in certain suggestions whereby property owners might obtain these reductions. In this connection, therefore, the installation of a fire alarm system is most opportune, for it doubly assures real estate owners that at least some benefit will come to them from the eflicient methods that arc being adopted by the Fire Department."