Testing the First Alarm Box
For years, the fire alerting system was from bells on St. Dunstans Church. The system that was done away when Alarm Boxes where placed at strategic locations around the city. The first box pulled was Box 35 at the corner of Carleton and Brunswick Streets was installed in 1897.
It was pulled by the then Mayor Wesley VanWart, who with members of the council hid in the graveyard and timed the turnout of the Fire Department. It took the Department approximately five minutes to arrive. This was very good considering the men had to go to the station and haul the equipment by hand to the box.