Retired Fire Alarm Box Systems

Sadly, many towns have eliminated the telegraph fire alarm boxes. With that, the history of these systems go as well, as old files of maintenance logs and other historical information. Boxes are distributed to members or auctioned off. To keep the spirit of the systems alive, we list the towns who had retired their telegraph fire alarm box systems an discuss their history.

Essex County: Belleville, Caldwell, Cedar Grove, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Maplewood, Millburn, Nutley, South Orange, West Orange

Hudson County: Bayonne, East Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, West New York

Carlstadt - Research on Carlstadt's telegraph system is being researched. However, we do know that there were no telegraph boxes in the 1980's. Rather, there were wireless ADT boxes, which saw there demise in the late 1980's. The wireless boxes were removed and pay telephones were placed at each location. Remnants of old cross arms, blue lights and line wire remain in the Borough. The only survivor of the telegraph system is the Clarke Cooper horns atop of the Borough Hall. Carlstadt still transmits two rounds of the closest box number to the incident, in conjunction with the radio pager system. There is another horn located at the Washington Avenue Firehouse, but that horn is inactive and has been for some time.

East Rutherford - East Rutherford's Gamewell system is also being researched. It is known that their system was taken out of service in approximately 1983. The system included possibly three Gamewell Diaphones. The diaphones were located at the East Rutherford DPW, East Rutherford Borough Hall and the former Flintkote factory building on Central Avenue & Oak Street. Reportedly, the Form 4 and other items are on display at the New Jersey Firemen's Home in Boonton, NJ.

Lyndhurst - The former Lyndhurst system dates back to the 1916, back in the days when Lyndhurst was part of Union Township. The Township had purchased air horns with the system (It is uncertain whether they were diaphones or Leslie horns. Eventually, the diaphones were used in the township). Nineteen boxes were initially placed in service and two sites were selected for the horns. The first site was at the town hall on Valley Brook Avenue and the other was on top of a factory (which was rumored to be the Leslie Company) in the Kingsland Shops on Page & Schuyler Avenues. Later in the mid 1940's a third site was constructed at the old Esso Station on Kingsland & Riverside Avenues, which is currently the site of the new Senior Housing Building. In September 1055, the Gamewell telegraph fire alarm boxes were removed Punch register located inside Lyndhurst Fire Headquarters.

Punch register located inside Lyndhurst Fire Headquarters.

from service and replaced with telephone boxes provided by the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company. This new system was known as the EVRS, or the Emergency Voice Reporting System. In 1966, the horns at the Kingsland Shops was moved to the Benedict-Miller Co. factory building at Orient Way & Marin Avenue. Soon in 1969, the third air horn site at the old Esso was removed to make way for a supermarket. In the summer of 1982, the second air horn site was taken out of service due to Benedict Miller requiring additional space. At that time the Lyndhurst Fire Department had a paging system in service. With that, only one air horn system was justified for the purpose of a backup warning system. In December of 1987, the Lyndhurst Township Emergency Planning Committee Office of Emergency Management voted on a new type of community alerting network. This new network utilized the fire horn system as an outdoor warning system to alert the public of severe weather and environmental emergencies that would affect the town. Later in the 1990's the Gamewell diaphone atop of the town hall was replaced with a pair of Clark Cooper air horns. The 1990's saw the demise of the EVRS system as cell phones became more prominent. Most of the boxes were removed. The only ones that stayed in service were phones located at key intersections. During the early 2000's. The remaining telephone boxes were removed. Also in the early 2000, the Town Hall was completely renovated and the horns were removed.

North Arlington - The former North Arlington system dates back to 1923. The system cost $7,170. However, alerting of the fire department using large locomotive rims were installed back in 1919. There were 5 such rims throughout the Borough. At some point in time, the Gamewell boxes were removed and replaced with the Emergency Voice Reporting System. During that time, the system still utilized three Gamewell Diaphones. One on the Hendel Avenue Firehouse, one on the old Schuyler Avenue Station and the third atop of the Town Hall on Ridge Road. During the early 1980's the diaphones were discontinued. The two diaphones on the firehouses disappeared when each firehouses was leveled. The diaphone atop of the town hall remained until a few years ago.

Bloomingdale - The former Bloomingdale telegraph fire alarm box system dates back to the 1930's. However, alerting of the Bloomingdale Fire Department dates back a few years earlier through the use of locomotive rims and sledge hammers, which were strategically placed around town. The rims were replaced with what is being described as sirens which tap out the box numbers (as a diaphone would). It is unknown how many boxes were installed when the system was placed in service.

The system was relatively small with at most approximately 20 boxes and consisted of two box loops, known as "upper" and "lower." Each loop had two sirens. The sirens are located at Firemen's Hall on Hamburg Turnpike, SR Donald School on Captolene Avenue, MB Day School on Rafkind Road, and at Delazier Field Rec Area on Ballston Street. Box 55 was located in Butler dispatch, since Butler used to dispatch the Bloomingdale Fire Department. When Butler received an alarm of fire in Bloomingdale, Butler would pull Box 55. Bloomingdale Fire would then contact Butler dispatch and get the location of the call. When Bloomingdale Police took over dispatching duties, Box 55 was moved to the Bloomingdale dispatch office.

Bloomngdale is located in the central part of Passaic County, NJ and is susceptible to some severe thunderstorms in the summer months. Frequently, lightning strikes would strike along the circuits, blowing fuses in the circuits. These opens caused the sirens to constantly wail until someone arrived to the firehouse, manually shut the power to the sirens and replace the fuses. Any breaks in the single strand line wire would cause the same condition.

As with any public telegraph fire alarm system, there were a lot of malicious false alarms generated from the box system.

The alarm box located at Hamburg Turnpike and North Main Street was pulled in February of 1957 for a large fire in nearby Butler NJ at the North American Rubber Company, which was the first notification of the fire. The fire was in a mill building complex, equivalent in size of a 1 square city block with buildings in the complex of varying heights, up to 4 stories. The complex was completely destroyed in the blaze and the costliest industrial fire in 1957 in the USA at over $6 million in losses.

The late 1990's to early 2000's saw the end of the telegraph box system, as cell phones and 9-1-1 became more prevalent. However, the sirens remain in service, since there is limited range with the pagers due to the terrain, but use is limited in the overnight hours to structure fires. Due to mechanical problems, two of the original sirens were removed from service in 2000 and replaced with two sirens from the system in Kinnelon, NJ. However, the old railroad rim and hammer rang out one more time this year. One of the original train rims were recently refurbished and put on display. As January 9, 2010 came to a close, so did the first century of service of the Bloomingdale Fire Department. At 12:01 a.m. on January 10, 2010, the gong sounded once again, to ring in the second century of service of the Bloomingdale Fire Department. Who better to ring in the alarm than the Bloomingdale FD's oldest living member Lawrence "Bud" Bennett, who is 98 years old!

Hopefully, an alarm box list will be located and possibly some photos posted to the site. Special thanks to the Bloomingdale Fire Department Officers and Members and to the BFD Historian Mike Wanklin for sharing this information and searching for additional info! Stay safe brothers!

Wharton - The Wharton telegraph fire alarm system dates back to 1929. However, alerting the fire department of a fire was done by striking large locomotive rims located in several sections of town. In December 1904, an 8" steam whistle was installed at the Hurd Mine. When the mine closed, the whistle was relocated to "The Furnace" and moved again to "Gunther Silk Mill.", before a manually controlled electric siren was installed in a cupola atop the borough hall in 1918. Nineteen sterling system street fire alarm boxes were installed through the borough. Through the years additional street alarm boxes were added. During the 1950's. two electric sirens were installed and placed in the Luxemburg and St. Mary's. In 1955, an additional siren was installed in the Woodland section. When the system was finally removed in 1981, there were a total of 41 alarm boxes. The Saturday noon fire alarm system test dates back to the action of the Borough Council requiring a test of the fire alarm as early as December 26, 1904.

Today the four sirens are still in place and used. The fire department is dispatched by home radio receivers and personal pagers. The sirens are activated by radio tones.

Why were the alarm boxes removed? According to the Wharton FD website, It was due to maintenance expenses and the high number of false alarms they were receiving.

Glen Ridge - The history of the Glen Ridge Gamewell system is forthcoming. I can tell you that the Glen Ridge Gamewell system comprised of a mixture of telephone

and telegraph boxes. The system was housed in the basement of the former Glen Ridge Firehouse. It was a unique system in the system ran on batteries and never on house current. As it was, there was a day once a week that the batteries would be recharged. Once the batteries were recharged, the house current would be turned off and the system would run on battery power.

Before the Glen Ridge Volunteer Fire Department was disbanded in the late 1980's early 1990's, the box circuits were replaced with new wire. Soon after the GRVFD disbanded, the system began to deteriorate. The batteries were not recharged and the system eventually abandoned. Boxes were taped up with yellow caution tape. Over the years, the caution tape began to rot away. Now, most of the boxes have nothing on them to indicate that the boxes do not work. Now, if you pickup the handset, no one would answer. Nothing would happen. You would figure that it didn't work. However, the two telegraph boxes that I encountered still look like they are in service when they're not. So, if you pull the box, you will hear it tap out and you will expect the box is working. Mechanically, it is but the signal is not going to be received anywhere. This is extremely dangerous and is setting up the town for a huge lawsuit, should someone try to call assistance from a box and not get the help they need.

Millburn - Sadly 2009 marked the end of this Gamewell system. As of April 21, 2009, the telegraph alarm system in Millburn has been removed from service. As of last Friday, many boxes were bagged. This past Monday, many of the boxes were removed from the telephone poles and pedestals. Today, the pedestals were cut down. See stories: http://millburn.patch.com/articles/alarm-boxes-dismantled and http://www.theitemonline.com/NC/0/1495.html .

When in service, the system had over 60 master boxes, including master boxes covering various areas of the Short Hills Mall, and 100 street boxes over 8 box circuits. The boxes were all 4-digit box numbers. There was meaning to the numbers. The first digit indicated which circuit the box was located. For example all boxes that began with a 7 were on Circuit 7. The second digit in the box number sometimes indicted the type of occupancy, if it was a master box. More details on that to follow. The last 2 numbers were simply the box number in the area.

The system was in great health when the system was shut down. This was verified by Chief Michael Roberts in a February 2009 interview with Jennifer Connic of the Millburn Patch (Click link: http://millburn.patch.com/articles/town-fire-boxes-going-away for the article). All the boxes were in working order. All the circuits were operating properly. Typically, when a system that is in great health is suddenly turned off and removed from service, there is something more to it....usually a vendetta of some sort is behind the removal of a system. Someone did not like someone who was or is involved with the telegraph system. The occurrence of malicious false alarms were far and few between. However, there seemed to be a sudden surge in malicious false alarms in the last few weeks of the system's life (Click the following links: http://millburn.patch.com/articles/police-seek-assistance-for-alarm-pulls and http://millburn.patch.com/articles/police-investigating-string-of-alarm-pulls).

Now, there's ways to prevent and catch those who pull boxes maliciously. In Rutherford, NJ, there is dye on the hook. This non-toxic dye will spread to the fingers on contact and turn purple as it reacts to the oils in your skin. This dye does not wash off for a couple of days. It is very inexpensive, east to apply and use and easily identifies the perp. If the boxes had them the perpetrator would've been caught. It still seems very weird, almost too coincidental that there were discussions about removing the boxes around the time the malicious pulls started....especially when there was a sudden surge in false alarms. I just don't buy it.

In reading the stories, Chief Roberts is quoted as saying that "Alarm systems in commercial and residential buildings are now linked directly to fire headquarters....the lines to the master firebox alarms were moved onto the centrally stationed fire alarm system prior to removal" Well, what was gained? The master boxes were tied to the building's fire alarm system and would activate the box when the fire alarm sounded. Weren't the master boxes tied into fire headquarters? So nothing is gained. Over 60 businesses, schools and other occupancies were already tied into fire headquarters via the master box.

According to the article, "the system cost approximately $6,000 each year and the maintenance fees have become increasingly higher as years pass and fewer parts are manufactured for it, limiting availability for replacement pieces. Most municipalities and large cities have already removed the systems." $6,000 is peanuts in the Township budget. And, if you wanted to offset those costs, you could charge Master box customers monitoring fees. The only parts that are few and far between are the parts for SAFA boxes, which Millburn had a few (Millburn & Wyoming Avenues had a SAFA box). To fix that, since SAFA is out of business, replace the SAFA box with a Gamewell box, if there are no SAFA parts available. Little Falls had a SAFA box on Clove & Long Hill Roads, which had a broken part. That box was removed from service and replaced with a Gamewell box. Gamewell-FCI is still in business, sells manufactures and sells new fireboxes and makes replacement parts for the three-fold boxes (www.gamewell.com).

Yes, many towns have removed their systems....for various reasons. The worst reason is to say its due to the numerous false alarms. How many times does someone accidently dial 9-1-1? Ask a police officer how many times they respond to a 9-1-1 hang-up and its a false call. Should we remove 9-1-1? A question for firefighters....ever respond to the same address numerous times for activated fire alarms? How many are actual fires? I'm not talking smoke from unattended cooking. I'm talking about working fires. Should we have the building's fire alarm removed? The answer to these questions is no. So why would you remove the fireboxes? Its a lame excuse. Cell phones are the most common excuse. Ok, I'm going to put an end to this once and for all. Cell phones are not an end all to everything. Cell phone batteries die. I know for a fact that cell coverage in Millburn is not 100%! There are numerous areas, especially in the Short Hills sections, along Wyoming Avenue, and in the reservation where I get no cell phone service. Call 9-1-1...who do you get? Not Millburn. Fortunately in this case, Millburn is under contract with Summit to handle 9-1-1 calls and dispatches Millburn FD. That is great....but that's only from a landline. From your cell phone, you may not get Summit. You may get Newark, NJ State Police, Essex County Sheriff, Union Twp., etc. Check with your cell phone provider. So, cell phones advertise "fewest dropped calls." The telegraph fire alarm box system can boast "No dropped calls."

Suppose 9-1-1 goes down? Hey it could happen. The Millburn Twp phone lines went down in late April: http://www.thealternativepress.com/article.asp?news=3047. 9-1-1 lines have gone down. While I do not have any supporting documentation regarding Millburn's 9-1-1, I'm sure you can find something about other 9-1-1 centers who had phone line failures, if you search the web.

Last point I want to make, and I've said it many times on this site...Why would you want to remove the most direct link to alert firefighters of a fire? You pull a box, the signals go right to the firehouses. It doesn't get rerouted to the appropriate agency's dispatcher after the first receipt of an alarm. It doesn't go through various switching stations. It goes right to the dispatcher and simultaneously to the two township firehouses.

As usual, the problem here was lack of education and promotion of the system. Here is the Millburn FD webpage: http://twp.millburn.nj.us/Fire . Nowhere on the site is a mention of the fire alarm boxes, besides the FD responding to them. No box listing. No "For Fire Call 9-1-1 or pull a box" Nothing.

Anyway, I hope to try to get more information about the history. In the meantime, here is the final box list for the Millburn Fire Department.

Newark - Newark had a large Gamewell fire alarm system. The system had 40 circuits! The system was removed in 2008. Rutherford was fortunate to get some equipment from them....including the bell you heard in the background when they dispatched companies. Like I've said on the main page, there aren't many fire department websites that talk about their telegraph systems. Newark is no different. However, a member of the Newark Fire Department has created a website about the history of the Newark Fire Department. In it, they talk about their telegraph system. It is very informative. Rather than taking from their site (which they did give me permission to do...thanks again brothers) I will link the site to here...more specifically to the box system. Oh, and I do have a Newark Box Listing. I just need to put it in the format I use here....which will be an undertaking at best. Hopefully I will have it up here in the future.

West Orange - West Orange's fire alarm box system was installed and placed in service on December 26, 1894. The system was made up of 9 boxes, connected via telegraph lines to a gong and indicator as well as a whistle at the firehouse. The boxes were an older style Gamewell fire alarm box (called a Keyless Door, or Door Opening Type) where the user turned a handle to transmit the box. In 1900, the system expanded and a three circuit switchboard was installed. Eight years later, a new switchboard was installed in West Orange's new Fire Headquarters. The new switchboard increased the system to 5 circuits. As the years went on, and the fire box technology changed, many of the old boxes ere replaced with newer Gamewell pull-style boxes. By 1918, there were 45 fire alarm boxes throughout the Township. In addition Fire Station 2, located on Washington Street) was online with the system. By 1946, Station 3 was able to receive the boxes. Also, the number of boxes increased to 67. In 1957, just before Station 3 moved to its current location off of Northfield Avenue and Station 4 opened on Pleasant Valley Way, there were a total of 106 boxes in service.

The numbering of the boxes is interesting. The first digit of the box number indicated the area which was closest to the station. For example, If Box 2117 was pulled, the 2 indicated that the box is in Station 2's district.

Apparently, the Superintendent of the Fire Alarm System was put on the shoulders of Fire Chief Sheehan. On March 7, 1914, Chief Sheehan advised the Mayor and Council that "the system was completely crippled by the storm on Sunday, March 1...and being unable to procure assistance or help at any cost, I placed a callman on duty and taking Fireman Hoffman with me, we started on Monday morning to repair the wires; by Wednesday evening, three circuits were working, and by Saturday, noon, all of the system was in use and working." A service division and maintenance truck was soon created within the fire department for the purpose of overseeing and maintaining the fire department's box system and the West Orange Police Department telegraph system and air raid sirens. In the 1920's Assistant Chief Al Elhert joined the service department. In the 1930's Firefighter Ralph Curtis also joined. In the 1950's Firefighters Ray Daum and Herman Catalano joined the team.

1975 met the demise of the telegraph boxes, as they were removed and replaced with the Emergency Voice Recording System, which leased telephone boxes and telephone lines from New Jersey Bell Company. By the end of the 1970's, with the placement of 9-1-1, these EVRS boxes met their demise.

Information on the West Orange Fire Department Telegraph box system was taken from the West Orange Fire Department Centennial Album.

East Newark - The beginnings of the East Newark Gamewell system is being researched. However, we can tell you that the system was removed about 3-4 years ago. The system was a tiny system in a tiny town. The system was comprised of 9 Gamewell boxes, digitize receiving equipment and a Gamewell Type B Diaphone. A Digitize Form 4 unit was in service and placed in Fire Headquarters and had only one box circuit. The receiving unit was an older Digitize model, which had the box info burned into the memory at the factory. The boxes in the system were all Gamewell. The system had the 1951 style box as well as the older models with the dog house. The older boxes did not have the automatic ground return feature. Again, the 9 boxes were removed and auctioned off to the public.

Jersey City - The telegraph fire alarm box system in Jersey City actually predated the paid Jersey City Fire Department. The paid department was formed on June 6, 1871. So, their telegraph box system was at least that old. Initially, the boxes were installed in the downtown areas around City Hall. Eventually, as other fire companies were incorporated into the Jersey City Fire Department, more boxes and circuits were added. The boxes were pole mounted as well as on pedestals. The system was primarily made up of Gamewell boxes, but also had SAFA boxes in the field. The system was comprised of 20 box circuits, 5 primary gong circuits and 5 secondary gong circuits. It was also a Type A system. Sadly, the system met its demise in early July of 1973. The Gamewell system was replaced with yellow telephone boxes. The telephone boxes were removed in 1985.

The fire alarm offices had three homes in its time. The first fire alarm office was located at 333 Warren Street....a former volunteer fire house. In 1897, the fire alarm office moved to its second home at 244 Bay Street, the current home of the Jersey City Gong Club. The office made its final move around 1933, to the top floor of Fire Headquarters at 82 Grand Street.

Now, for all you fans of the Jersey City Fire Department, and those who like listening to them on 460.6000, I have a treat for you. As you know, when you hear them go on a run, they are assigned a three digit box or district number. Those are not, repeat, NOT the old box numbers. Click the link below for the old box listing.

Now, there is a rumor circulating about the reason why the Gamewell system was removed from service in Jersey City. Some say it was due to the numerous false alarms. Others say the fire alarm staff was short staffed. Others feel that the political machine at the time had an agreement with the phone company to let the Gamewell system deteriorate to the point where the system was too costly to maintain and was less than 100% reliable. Then the phone company would swoop in with the telephone boxes and replace the Gamewells with these boxes. It is difficult to fathom that someone would risk public safety for money. Again, it is only a rumor. No one knows for sure why the system was removed.

Kearny - The telegraph system in Kearny went into service on August 8,1899. The system was an all Gamewell Fire Alarm system. Over the years, a new switchboard, transmitter and repeater and additional pull boxes were installed. By 1913, there were thirty-three boxes. This system needed to be maintained, George M. Smack was appointed to the job on December 15,1917 at an annual salary of $1,600.

The system met its fate in 2005, when the last lineman for the telegraph retired. At that point, Kearny had 168 street and master boxes. I hope to have more information regarding the system. The boxes were auctioned off and much of the receiving equipment was sold...including one of the Digitize 3500 units, which sees new life in the Township of Little Falls. The other Digitize 3500 receiving unit is believed to be used by Bogota, NJ.

High Bridge - High Bridge is being added to the active systems list. While there is no evidence of street boxes throughout the town, there is a Gamewell box (without a number plate) on the High Bridge Fire House. It is unclear at this time if the system was expanded to include street boxes or if there is a Diaphone or other outdoor warning device. In addition, it is not clear whether there are boxes on other Borough buildings. In visiting the High Bridge FD website, there was a steam whistle used in the 1910's a the Taylor Wharton Plant to alert the FD of a fire. There were 6 "box locations," numbered 1 through 6.

Sadly, according to their website, "the box alarms have become obsolete with the new technology and E 911 system" and the system was removed. Since they kept one box on the firehouse, I imagine the box number is either 14, since High Bridge is Station 14 in the Hunterdon County Fire Plan, or it was a number from the old system. Additional information will follow.

Woodbridge Twp (Colonia Fire District) - Not much is known about the Gamewell system in the Colonia Section of Woodbridge Twp. It was installed in the 1960's and is still in use today. Driving through Colonia, you will see that there are numerous fire alarm boxes. I visited the firehouse, walked in the bay area, tried calling for someone, walked to the rear of the bay and saw the digitize receiving unit and the boards listing the boxes. Unfortunately in my haste, I had the camera on the wrong setting and ended up with very blurry pictures. I hope to return there again and speak with someone and perhaps get some pictures of the system, as well as an official box list. Colonia has removed the entire Gamewell system. The system was removed in 2006.

Cranford - Cranford's telegraph box system was placed in service on July 30, 1897. On that day, "the wires and boxes being all in position, the new fire alarm system will be tested and adjusted this afternoon. Unless some serious difficulty is met with the new system will be in use from today onward." Five boxes were placed in service and a list distributed. The list included the people who held keys to open the box. The list was as follows:

Box #	Location
18	Firehouse
19	Hampton & Eastman Streets
28	Union Avenue & Claremont Place
37	Lincoln & Central Avenues
46	Union & Lincoln Avenues

These boxes were the keyed type to activate the alarm. If someone wanted to report a fire, they had to go to the people who were assigned a key. They would then activate the box. Cranford was also divided into districts. The 1st number of the box indicated the district number. At some point in time, these boxes were changed out to the three-fold boxes with the Quick Action Door. Also, the numbering scheme using districts was abandoned. According to a 1912 census, Cranford had 9 telephone Gamewell boxes and 1 police call box in service in addition to the signaling boxes. The Box listing from Cranford in 1914 was as follows:

Box #	Location
17	Walnut & South Avenues
18	Union & North Avenues
19	Firehouse
28	Union Avenue & Claremont Place
37	Lincoln & Centennial Avenues
46	Lincoln & Union Avenues
53	Linden & Orange Avenues
62	North Avenue & Orchard Street
145	Hampton & Eastman Streets
217	Arlington Road & North Avenue
235	Holly Street & Springfield Avenue
415	Lincoln & Walnut Avenues

By October 1918, the system grew to 18 boxes. By 1938, the system grew to 24 boxes. The box list as of May 19, 1938 was as follows:

Box #	Location	Box #	Location
17	Walnut & South Avenues	62	North Avenue & Orchard Street
18	Union & North Avenues	73	West End & Berkeley Places
19	Firehouse	74	Tulip Street & Springfield Avenue
23	Burnside Avenue & Williams Street	84	Elizabeth & Bloomingdale Avenues
28	Union Avenue & Claremont Place	86	North Avenue near Elizabeth Street
34	Elmora & Dunham Avenues	145	Hampton & Eastman Streets
37	Lincoln & Centennial Avenues	217	Arlington Road & North Avenue
46	Lincoln & Union Avenues	235	Holly Street & Springfield Avenue
48	Union Avenue South & Marsh Street	315	Centennial & Lincoln Avenues
53	Linden & Orange Avenues	316	Broad & Elm Streets
57	Orchard & Washington Streets	319	Centennial Avenue & Cranford Terrace
61	Casino Avenue & Manor Place	415	Lincoln & Walnut Avenues

In June of 1939, the Town of Cranford was re-divided into five districts. Fire alarm boxes were renumbered so that the first number indicated the district that the box was located. By this time, 5 additional boxes were also installed. The box list now looked like this:

Box #	Location	Box #	Location
14	Union & Springfield Avenues	43	Elizabeth & Bloomingdale Avenues
15	Alden & Miln Streets	45	North Union Avenue & Claremont Place
17	South & Walnut Avenues	46	Casino Avenue & Manor Place
18	North & North Union Avenues	47	Orange Avenue & Maple Place
19	North Avenue, between Alden & Springfield	412	Columbia & Belmont Avenues
21	Lincoln & South Union Avenues	413	Elmora & Dunham Avenues
23	Burnside Avenue & Williams Street	415	Orange & Pacific Avenues
24	South Union Avenue & Marsh Street	51	Springfield Avenue & Holly Street
25	Lincoln & Walnut Avenues	53	North avenue & Orchard Street
34	Centennial Avenue & Cranford Terrace	54	Eastman & Hampton Streets
35	Munsee Drive & Cayuga Avenue	56	West End & Berkeley Places
315	Centennial & Lincoln Avenues	57	Orchard & Tulip Streets
316	Broad & Elm Streets	512	Brookside Place & Division Street
41	North Avenue & Arlington Road	513	Springfield Avenue & Balmiere Parkway
42	North Avenue & Bell Place

From here until the removal of the system, all boxes that were added followed the district numbering scheme. As boxes were add to the system, announcements were made in the local newspapers. Box 26 at Mac Arthur Terrace & Mitchell Place was placed in service on August 27, 1945. Also on that date, it was reported that there were 37 boxes were in service. Box 411, located at Carpenter Place & Veronica Avenue was placed in service on January 26, 1954. Interesection of Springfield Avenue & Holly Street where Box 51 used to proudly protect. You can see where the box was mounted, as it faced the intersection. Almost 14 years later and the blue light is still mounted above the striping. Also shown are the two crossarms, as alarm wire ran down both streets.

Interesection of Springfield Avenue & Holly Street where Box 51 used to proudly protect. You can see where the box was mounted, as it faced the intersection. Almost 14 years later and the blue light is still mounted above the striping. Also shown are the two crossarms, as alarm wire ran down both streets.

As with any telegraph system, during any era that the systems have been operating, the system is susceptible to false alarms. In May of 1954, there was a series of malicious false alarms. No one was caught....until Box 12 was pulled. The 11 year old prankster ended up with the purple dye on his hands that came from the hook on Box 12. When a Cranford Police Lieutenant saw the youth in the area with the dye on him, he stopped the youth and questioned him. The youth replied "that stuff couldn't have come off the alarm box because I didn't get anything on my fingers when I touched the other two boxes last week." Anyway, according to the paper, due to his age, disciplinary actions were left for his parents to handle.

As the years wore on, more and more boxes were added. Box 58 at Brookside Place & Spruce Street was placed in service the week of August 1, 1957. Box 242 at Livingston Avenue & Amherst Road was placed in service on August 25, 1959. Box 516 at Princeton & Amherst Roads was placed in service the week of May 19, 1960. The system was now up to 60 boxes and continued to grow strong. By October 29, 1964, the system grew to a total of 72 boxes, the latest two additions being Box 59 at Orchard Street & Dartmouth Road and Box 312, Commerce Drive & Myrtle Street, which was in an industrial park.

Information on the Cranford Gamewell became very scarce after 1964. At some point, however, the CFD expanded the system to 200 alarms, run over 30 miles of cable. The CFD also had automatic dialer alarms. These dialer alarms may have signified the beginning of the end of the Gamewell system in Cranford.

On May 20, 1997, Fire Chief Arthur Kiamie discussed his desire "to eliminate the 90-year old Gamewell alarm system" from service to the Township committee. His reasons for removing the system were due to there not being a Still mounted at the corner of South & Centennial Avenues, is a terminal box for the Gamewell system. Also, the blue light at this corner is STILL illuminated at night time, despite no box being present.

Still mounted at the corner of South & Centennial Avenues, is a terminal box for the Gamewell system. Also, the blue light at this corner is STILL illuminated at night time, despite no box being present.

box on every street corner, the system is old and the wiring is worn, there is interference from trees and the cost to maintain was too great. To upgrade the system would cost nearly $70,000. Chief Kiamie did push for a new 'practical' and 'cost-efficient' system. This system would be tied in to a panel at the dispatch center. Users would pay an annual fee. The system would monitor burglar and fire alarms and possibly carbon monoxide alarms. On October 16, 1997, Cranford's new Fire Chief Leonard Dolan, III continued implementing the program started by former Chief Kiamie, by removing the Gamewell system. As 1997 drew to a close, so did the Gamewell system in Cranford, NJ.

Cross arms, C-Wire, some blue lights suspended about 16-20 feet over the boxes, as well as faded yellow and white Box 19 at Cranford Fire Headquarters.

paint rings are the only remnants remaining in the town where the system once operated. On occasion, you will hear the CFD get dispatched to a low hanging wire, only to find out that it was old telegraph line from the old system. However, there is still a Gamewell Box on the exterior of Fire Headquarters on Springfield Avenue. It is unknown whether the box is still hooked up. A final box listing is in the works. I hope to be able to get in contact with the CFD to find out more information.

Garwood - Garwood's system is being researched. I have an email out to the former Superintendant of the Fire Alarm, hoping he will provide me with information on the system. I do know that the system for this small town was in very good shape and very well maintained. Included in the system was one Gamewell diaphone, placed atop of the Garwood Fire House on South Avenue. For reasons unknown at this time, the Garwood council, under the recommendation of the Fire Committee, adopted "Resolution 06-277, authorizing the removal and disposal of the pull box Fire Alarm system in the Borough of Garwood." Resolution 06-277 reads as follows:

"WHEREAS it has been brought to the attention of the Mayor and Council from the Fire Chief and members of the Garwood Fire Department that the Pull Box Fire Alarm System in the Borough of Garwood is obsolete and not utilized by the public; and

WHEREAS a yearlong investigation was done by the Fire Chief at the request of the Mayor and Council and the chief has validated that the system is not utilized by any Garwood business or Garwood Schools.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Garwood, County of Union, State of New Jersey hereby authorize the Fire Chief to dismantled, remove and dispose of the Pull Box Fire Alarm System in the Borough of Garwood."

Linden - Linden's telegraph system was removed in late 2005 - early 2006. When it was removed from service, the system had 137 Gamewell boxes. Interesting note is that the City of Linden contracted with the City of Elizabeth to have the Elizabeth Police Department Electrical Bureau personnel remove the boxes at a cost of $14,000.

Westfield - Westfield's system dates back to October, 1898. The system was comprised of 5 boxes and installed by the NY & NJ Telephone Company. It appears that the system was mostly in the center of the town and was slowly expanded outward. There was a large housing boom in the 1940's. However, the system never kept up with the new developments being built. Thus, the system never completely covered Westfield. Below is the fire alarm box locations from 1907:

At the height of the system's life, when the system was in service, there were over 60 boxes throughout the town. In 1976, the Town of Westfield began to remove the boxes. By April 11, 1976, 11 boxes were removed. However, the Volunteer Fire Company petitioned the Town to keep the system and supported the Paid Department and Fire Chief to modernize and extended the system. According to the Westfield Leader (article dated April 1, 1976) the volunteer firefighters of Westfield opposed the removal of the box alarms. Rather, they requested that the system be "modernized and extended." The Westfield Volunteer Fire Company wrote to the Mayor and Council summarizing their opposition to the phase-out of the system as follows:

"A fire alarm system us an integral part of the fire department and just as necessary as fire trucks, fire hoses, fire hydrants and firefighters. In Westfield, the box alarm system has evolved as a back up system. In the event the telephone service is disrupted as frequently occurs in individual homes or entire neighborhoods, the box alarm system affords an individual a secondary means of reporting a fire. A vivid example is the wind storm on the afternoon of March 21 when a tree fell, severing telephone wires and power lines. The power line was arcing toward the house and the owner, unable to report the fire by telephone, was able to transmit the alarm via fire alarm box, which was still operative.....Contrary to published statement by a Councilman that the Fire Alarm Box is antiquated, the system is well maintained and has been extended over the years...."

One councilmember, Allen Chin, was in support of keeping the system alive and fought to keep the system alive. However, the Town continued to remove the system. By February 24, 1977, 35 boxes were removed from service. A study of the system was conducted later that year to decide whether the system should be completely abandoned or should be modernized. Apparently, this caused the stoppage of boxes being removed for some time. As a matter of fact, it is possible that the system was expanded or the boxes reinstalled. The reason I say this is that there was a 1981 census conducted reporting that there were 61 boxes in service, according to a report issued in the Westfield Leader in the March 18, 1982 edition. Thus, either the census was never adjusted to reflect the correct number of boxes, or the system was somehow extended. In addition, when the system was removed, there were 7 private boxes in businesses. Are these the Gamewell Master Boxes or are these something part of an expansion? One thing is certain though....by September 27, 1984 the remaining 45 boxes were removed from service. The decision to remove the boxes were "approved by the Town Council following a Five-Year Effectiveness study which indicated that all calls from fire alarm boxes were either preceded or followed, within 60 seconds, by more informative phone calls." The ironic part is that during 1984, there were 39 box pulls. 23 were false alarms. That means 16 were fires!!!

There were additional reasons for removing the system. The decision to discontinue the fire alarm boxes also was triggered by the high cost of repairing or replacing the console which translates fire alarm box alarms into action by the fire company. The company that installed it was out of business at the time. Estimated came in to rewire and relocate the equipment. These estimates came in around $40,000. The console, back then, was not adaptable to the plans for the rehabilitation of fire headquarters. Fire Chief Walter Ridge also pointed out that "storms continually damage the alarm box system's wiring; replacement is complicated by the fact that the type of wire used is obsolete, making continued use of the old alarm system both time- and cost-consuming."

In May of 1985, Westfield auctioned of 11 of the 44 boxes. Only 6 were sold to bidders. The remaining 5 went to other towns who wanted them for their town's system.

While I have most of the boxes, I do not have a complete box list for Westfield. I hope to obtain a final box list in the future and possible get more information to share.

New Brunswick - I was fortunate enough to receive an email from someone who knew about a little bit about New Brunswick's system. Below is what he shared with me. The system was setup in wards. The wards were all wired so that the first digit of the four digit box number was the ward, then the location. The card catalogue had first due, second due, third due companies, fastest route, closest and next closest hydrants, any hazards and brief appropriate info, such as a hospital, industry, etc. Phantom boxes were also there. Every intersection was a box number or a phantom. The master dispatch room had the set ups so stills could be sent or definite locations could be sent. ALL alarms were announced on the radio for company verification "KEJ 874 to all units--box 3495 JERSEY AVENUE AND SIMPLEX" and what the call was if the info was phoned in. The railroad separated the city. Headquarters went to everything and the appropriate engines in a ward firehouse would run also. The Gamewell system was difficult to repair and maintain. It was discontinued in the 1980s. Then the pay phones could dial "O" and get help with no money. 911 was just a story we read about. It took awhile but it was installed and now it is the state of the art way to get help---FAST. The Gamewell system was in the 2 city water supply pump houses. A code could be sent to request an increase in pump pressure. The tape, bells and reels were in the pump house offices. Operating engineers knew how the system worked. 2 bells was an ambulance call. 3 bells was back taps. I worked the Rutgers Fire Dept for 35 years--we had bells to wake us up--but a board with all the lights would light up with the location--no coded tape or reel--just the bells. It stayed lit until l the call was officially over--the run card had a time stamp machine for official time keeping.

Point Pleasant Beach - Point Pleasant Beach had a small system. The boxes were 2 digits and a had 2 Diaphone horns which blew the number out. Members of the FD had a card in their house to check where the call was. Bay Head, and Manasquan also had these small systems but they wore out and now they are very seldom used.

Camden - Before I start talking about the City of Camden's Telegraph fire alarm system, let me first say that I was pleasantly surprised to find out as much information as I did about Camden's system. I wasn't certain that I would find anything at all. I want to thank Phil Cohen, webmaster of Camden Fire Department History website, and Lee Ryan and Bob Bartosz, Camden historians and authors of the History / Yearbook for Camden FD for the 125th
anniversary of the paid department (1994), for permitting the use of their material to be posted here. Gentlemen, I thank you!

Camden's telegraph fire alarm system dates back to the early 1870's. The box were made out of wood and located at West & Berkeley Streets. mid-way between Camden's two firehouses. Then, on May 30, 1872, a proposal was made to the City of Camden by the American Telegraph Fire Alarm Company to install 25 boxes and connections between fire headquarters at 5th & Arch Streets to 16 factories or remote locations in the City of Camden. The proposal would include 10 miles of cable and allow the alarms to be transmitted to both firehouses. It would also allow for the City's Fire Chief to telegraph for assistance. The cost was estimated at a few thousand dollars, with annual maintenance between $200 - $300. The proposal was accepted by the city sometime in late 1872 or early 1873. The fire alarm boxes were in service by May 27, 1882. The fire alarm office was located in the former City Hall on Haddon Avenue. Interesting note, on February 24, 1873 Camden Fire Chief Surralt telegraphed the City of Philadelphia for mutual aid, requesting 6 engine companies for several building fires on railroad property at Second Street, below Bridge Avenue.

Over the years, and as with most systems, the number of boxes grew with the city. On April 13, 1934, a new fire alarm central office opened on the eighth floor of City Hall. The fire alarm office would operate here until 1977, when the fire communication services were moved to a regional central office for Camden County.

On September 1, 1933, a citywide alarm assignment index was appropriated to all firehouses. The indexes were located at each firehouses' watch desk and provided a standard listing of all fire company responses, first through fourth alarms, including automatic relocations for every box in the city.

In April of 1942, the Camden Police & Fire Departments announced a cooperative venture, where Camden Police would send a police car to every fire alarm, to provide radio communications.

Up to 1955, the Camden Fire Department did not have two-way radios. Alarms were transmitted in two ways. For Still alarms, the Department telephone was used. Box alarms were transmitted over the primary & secondary circuits using house gongs and registers to transmit the box. To notify the dispatcher that a company was on scene or available from the scene, the company would either have to use a the property owner's telephone or go to the nearest box. At major fires, the Chief would send his aid to the nearest box and use the telegraph key in the box to call for assistance. Two taps followed by the box number would mean a 2nd alarm at that incident. 3 taps and the box number would mean 3rd alarm, and 3 taps, 3 taps and the box would mean a general alarm for the entire department except for the far reaches of East Camden and Cramer Hill. For boxes east of the Cooper River, 2 taps 3 taps and the box would mean a modified general alarm, bringing in lesser units. Special calls fir individual fire units were also made by telegraph key. 5 taps requested an engine, 6 taps a hook & ladder, 7 taps a chief, 8 taps a hose or chemical company and 9 taps a fuel wagon. These preliminary signals indicate a special call, followed by the type of unit requested, level of alarm, then the box. An example is 10-6-4-181. This would mean Special call, for a hook and ladder, at the 4th alarm at Box 181 (Point & York Streets). Finally, in 1955, police radios were installed in every Fire Chief's vehicle.

Before the adoption of the automated Gamewell transmitter, the boxes were manually transmitted over the primary circuit by telegraph key. So 4 rounds of Box 476 required 68 taps on the joker key to send the alarm. The automatic transmitter did the work of the dispatcher and tapped out the box numbers. However, the automatic transmitter posed some special problems not previously associated with manual operations. During periods of high fire activity, when the dispatcher was holding as many as 5 and 6 boxes to be transmitted, the dispatcher had to be sure to clear the old box number from the transmitter. Otherwise, the same box number would be sent out, delaying additional alarms to be sent. Dispatchers were religiously taught the method of "Set-Dump-Clear" ....Set the box number in the transmitter, dump the box number from the transmitter to the circuit and press the clear key to reset the transmitter.

By 1961, every fire apparatus had a two-way radio with a dedicated fire frequency. With the advent of the new radios, the Camden Fire Department began using a series of 2-digit codes to keep radio communications brief.

By 1968, a hard-wire voice alarm and radio communications became the primary means for transmitting alarms, supplanting the use of gong and register circuits.

The 1980's saw the beginning of the end of the telegraph box alarm system. In 1980, there were 4,400 alarms generated by the fire alarm boxes. Nearly 4,100 (92%) of the alarms were malicious in nature. The department began to look at measures to reducing the number of malicious alarms. In 1982, there were over 6,000 malicious pulls of the boxes. In some parts of Camden, it was not uncommon for an engine company to respond to 10-12 malicious pulls from the same box in one day! This was putting a strain on the Camden Fire Department. Initial considerations were to remove the system in its entirety. But, the telephone system wasn't felt to be totally reliable and poorer citizens may not have phones. Public telephones were frequently vandalized. Many of the residents lived below poverty level and were faced with the choice of either buy food or pay the phone bill. Another concern was a widespread telephone outage would pose serious ramifications if there was no dial tone. Another option was to replace the telegraph boxes with the telephone boxes. Many cities successfully reduced malicious alarms this way. The City decided to remove problematic boxes. Eventually, a few boxes were removed....then dozens.....then scores.....until eventually in 1992, the last telegraph box was removed from service.

The information provided by Phil, Lee & Bob included numerous fires from the telegraph boxes. The reading is very interesting. I highly recommend reading the Yearbook if you can read it or visit Phil's site @ http://www.dvrbs.com/fire/CamdenNJ-FireDept-1929to1950.htm.

Box No.	Location
297	Summit Avenue & Park Street
322	Highland & Mountain Avenues
499	Elm Street & Kimball Avenue
579	Broad & Middlesex Streets
639	Cumberland Street & South Avenue
738	Clark & Charles Streets
898	Fire Department House
99	North & Fourth Avenues