Plugging his ears in preparation for the Big Ole steam whistle test, Lincoln Wallace, left, waits with his father, Paul Wallace, May 4 near the steam plant on campus. The whistle, which was being tested from 1 to 3 p.m., will be used during emergencies affecting campus. photo by Paul Moore THE WESTERN FRONT

Western installed the historic Bellingham steam whistle, Big Ole, in the campus steam plant. The whistle is on loan from the Whatcom Museum of History and Art.

Big Ole will help increase campus security because  its sound is the quickest way to alert people of an emergency, said the chief information officer at Western, John Lawson.

The whistle will be used to notify students, faculty and staff that they need to check their e-mail, the Western Web site and their text messages, said Bill Managan, member of the Emergency Management Committee.

If something potentially dangerous is happening on campus, Western will use these forms of communication to provide safety information.

“It is important for students, faculty and staff to update their cell phone records, so that they can be reached in an emergency either on or near campus,” said Paul Cocke, director of the Office of University Communications.  

Western tested the steam whistle Sunday to see if it still works, how loud it is and how far it can be heard, Managan said.

The whistle wasn’t as loud as the committee would have liked, but it may work for alerting the campus, Managan said. Other options for increasing campus safety, such as speaker systems in buildings, are still being explored.

When the Bellingham Bay Iron Works company made Big Ole in October 1899, it was declared the largest whistle in the world, said Jeff Jewel, photo historian at the Whatcom Museum of History and Art. The Bloedel Donovan Company bought Bellingham Bay Iron Works in 1913 and inherited Big Ole, Jewel said.

The 5-foot, 2,000-pound whistle, made out of aluminum-bronze, sat on Cornwall Avenue until 1942 and was used as a time keeper, said Todd Warger, from the Whatcom Museum of History and Art.

The whistle blew at 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m., marking the beginning, middle and end of the work day.

It blew when the navy came in, to mark holidays and when World War I ended.

It was heard all the way to Lummi Island and Ferndale. The steam whistle was used until World War II, when the mill closed.
Big Ole was then taken to Port Alberni, British Columbia.

The whistle was brought to the museum with the goal of making it functional again, but the museum pipes didn’t generate enough steam, Jewel said.
Because Western has a steam plant, it was the obvious choice for relocation, Jewel said.

Big Ole is only one part in Western's process to increase campus security, Managan said.     

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