newyorkcityfiredepartment

Is this one of the old telegraph alarms, similar to this one: flickr.com/photos/katysilbs/2664152094/in/set-72157606141...

Actually that one in the photo is much closer to the one I bought in 1980 from an antique store



I believe the 1913 photo was taken by City Hall, and the box shown was brought to that location temporarily and set up for the ceremony/photo op, you'll notice I'm probably right on that connection because the Mayor is standing on the curb, that box is standing in the STREET.

FIRE ALARM TO OPEN 9 NEW FIREHOUSES
New York Times, March 11, 1913

"Unusual ceremonies will mark the opening on Thursday afternoon, March 20, [1913], of the nine new firehouses which are to house ten new companies. Mayor Gaynor will start the companies for their new stations by turning in an alarm from the City Hall, and later in the day he will award the Fire Department medals to the men who have been selected for distinguished service." [more]

There is a LOC photo on Flickr of one of the new Engine Companies from that celebration here:

"Engine 91 - 1st trip"   by Library of Congress


 

You could be right Urban Sculptures, that the alarm box was just brought in for the event. It does make a good photo. Thanks too to Pixel Wrangler for linking to the article describing the event. We'll make some additions to the record the next time we update.

On January 6, 1915, an electrical short in a manhole started a fire that filled the subway line under Broadway at West 55th Street with smoke, resulting in chaos for a quarter-million commuters. The New York Times reported that one person, Ella Grady, was killed. We note that photographer George Grantham Bain, like many of us writing checks just after January 1, was a year off in dating this photo. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. From this source. www.shorpy.com/node/1805

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