

How the fire alarm boxes in Boston work: 19th century telegraph technology - oftenwrong
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/10/07/for-fire-alarms-boston-still-relies-the-telegraph/Cx3THDDDVHWvJQ7pgT2wuJ/story.html

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ilamont
These 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.”_

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oftenwrong
I 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I like to see "outdated" technology still being useful.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.

