Abstract
SOME of those who have driven through the three miles long Mersey Tunnel may have thought that it was unnecessary to place fire alarms at distances of fifty yards apart throughout the tunnel and to take the many other special precautions against fire which are described in guide books. Remembering that it cost eight million pounds to build and that 5,000 vehicles per hour use the tunnel, it was necessary to take every precaution. The first test of the fire alarm installation occurred on July 25, when a lorry carrying cinematograph films from Liverpool to Birkenhead burst into flames inside the tunnel. The driver at once gave the alarm from one of the fire-alarm boxes, and in less than five minutes the Liverpool and Birkenhead fire brigades had put out the fire. An alarm given at any one of the ninety-eight special boxes is received at both the brigade headquarters. At the same time, large neon ‘stop’ signs on the roof close the tunnel to traffic, and the pay boxes at each entrance are warned by bells and red lights. The ‘electromatic’ vehicle-actuated traffic signals are automatically interlocked and allow vehicles to leave and prevent them from entering the affected portions of the tunnel. The alarm is also given to the ventilation control room, from which the large electric air fans can be regulated to meet requirements of any situation that may arise.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
A Fire in the Mersey Tunnel. Nature 138, 280 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/138280b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/138280b0