The City Office received twenty-seven complaints about whistles, warning tones and unexplained piping sounds during a single afternoon. Nine reports were traced to scheduled municipal signals, six to workshop pressure valves, four to street musicians, three to children testing toy whistles and one to a kettle whose owner described it as “temperamental.” The remaining four sounds stopped whenever an inspector arrived.
The complaints desk became busy enough that staff briefly considered issuing numbered tickets to people reporting noises. The idea was abandoned when somebody pointed out that the ticket dispenser itself makes a sharp metallic ding and would probably generate complaint number twenty-eight. An inspector was then sent to examine the temperamental kettle, which stopped whistling as soon as he entered the kitchen and resumed immediately after he left.
Officials have reminded residents that municipal warning patterns should not be copied for entertainment, practice or “educational comparison.” A revised guide to city signals will be posted later this month. The kettle requires descaling, not a performance permit, although its owner has asked for this conclusion in writing.
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