South College—Fire Extinguisher System

In January 1931 small, red, funnel-shaped containers were placed in South College on windowsills, walls, and doors, held by metal brackets. These “red sentries” were fire extinguishers that, when heated by flame, burst and extinguished the blaze by spraying their contents of a carbon tetrachloride solution. As one container would put out only a relatively small fire, a large number were installed in the building. The same system was used in the archives room of the state capitol, and at South College the system was designed to protect official institutional records maintained in administrative offices.