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Description
A-C: Gamewell fire alarm receiver D: Gamewell 16-inch Fire Gong, with clockwork motor, twin coils, bell and mahogany case with beveled-glass door, semi-circular pediment with ball finials. Fire alarm telegraph systems came into use in the mid 1800s, and were a primary method of reporting fire alarms throughout the 1900s. In some locations, such systems are still in use, though most have been replaced by modern technology. The fire alarm telegraph system relied on the familiar red fire alarm boxes located throughout a city or town. By 1872 San Jose had nine of these alarm boxes. First believed to be too important to trust their use to a passerby, these alarm boxes were first located inside private homes. This resulted in many false alarms and fires that caused more damage that if they had been caught and put out quickly. By……? The city of San Jose had installed public alarm boxes. The device shown here was the receiver (register) that received the alarm that was transmitted from the alarm box. Each alarm box contained a code wheel which was unique to the particular box in which it was installed. When the alarm was activated, the code wheel turned and operated a switch. This transmitted the coded pattern over the telegraph system to the receiver in the fire house. This register was in use for over a century in the former City Hall.
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