Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-09-20
NEWS AND GOSSIP.

a
us as next to marvellous, why the components
of the fire companies of Washington and
Alexandria fail to follow the enmple OF
their brethren of New York and other Northern
cities, in the matter of organizing themselves
into a volunteer regiment, uniformed in the
emphaticalIy American style, with black
coat and pantaloons, white vest and blue
faatl cap. We have seen near thousand
men on parade in New York city so uniformed,
who, with white bayonet and cartridge-box
belts, made a far more soldierly appearance
than any other body of volunteer troops we
ever saw. They were a portion of the fire de-
partment of New York-youDg, active, intel
ligent and efficient men.
We have in Washington and Georgetown at
least two thousand men, none of them past
the prime of life, attached to the various fire
companies of the District of Columbia. uni
form, such as we suggest, will cost nothing
more to each man than the purchase Of blue
(ast) CAP; insomuch as it is quite safe to say
during the prevalence of the existing fashions)
that every young man in the District owns at
Our readers who have not seen the sight can
have no idea of the grand and truly military
effect Of n whole regiment so uniformed, the
men all being young and of the class, figure
and appearance Of those who usually make
up tho fire departments in the cities of the
why we should not have such regiment of at
least one thousand volunteers here, our District
fire department numbering in all, at least
1000 such men.
The Franklin Fire Company has made be-
ginning in organizing Franklin Target
Company" which, increased to the proper
number of men, will, as the first company,
form an admirable nucleus around which such
n splendid addition to the volunteer force of
the District of Columbia may be organized.
We trust that our young friends connected
with the different fire companies of Washing
ton and Georgetown will promptly take this
subject into consideration, and act on our ad-
vice in the premises; as it is in their power,
with the least possible expense, to organ
ize regiment of volunteers, equal to any
other in existence in the country in soldierly
app earance, discipline, and material.
4 Muss.-Baltimore and New York arc
by the ear5'' over the gu estion of the pro-
priety of the action of the Board of Health
Of the last named city in resolving that all
vessels from Baltimore arriving at New York
up to the LIST of October, shall be quarantined,
least they carry thither the yellow fever, which
is not pretended to exist in Baltimore at this
time, except, possibly in non-contagious and
Or-infecting and isolated cases, imported
from Norfolk and Portsmouth. The journals
| operation Of the ordinance to their city has
only an eye to gripping their fall trade
| by falsely creating the impression that it will
| be dangerous for the merchants of the interior
to visit Baltimore during this, the season for
purchasing their fall supplies. New York,
through her newspapers, on the other hand,
bases the obnoxious ordinance on the impera-
tive necessity of guarding against the posi-
bility OF the Importation of the yellow fever
| there from any quarter whatever. To our
mind, there is much justice on both sides of
the question. SO we are in quandary in the
matter Of determining which is in the right
Seeing the Elephan:.-Th following is a
| letter from a young gentleman, formerly of
Baltimore, but more recently resident OF
Washington, to his brother in this city. If any
Of our young friends have thirst for adven-
ture, it will suggest to them the chere and the
hon. such wish may be gratifed. This is
what may be called, literally, " rOaghinga IT."
WEsTPORr, No Sept. 8, 1855
My Dear Brother Back to the States once
more, thank God alive and we'll, after an
| absence of three months, during which time
| have traversed Nebraska, Kansas, and New
Mexico. / have suffered the terrible pangs of
| hunger, thirst, and sickness-have been rob-
bed by the Diggers of New MexicO-dogged by
| the SiOux-threatened by the Cheyennes, and
| for three days prisoner to the Camanches
| 1t is impossible for me to attempt to describe
any of my hair.breadth escapes, though, if
we are spared to meet, can a stale unfold
whose lightest word will make your eyes
start" OF my swimming streams with my
mules, one at time, returning after each
plunge for the others-of my charges upon
buffalo and their more ferocious and thrilling
| ly dangerous returns Of such attentions-of the
stampedes OF my mules-of the comfort with
which lived On dog meat for two days, sauced
as it was by a cOndiment Of universal use, bet
ter than your Soy or Worcestershire--and that
| is hanger, gnawing, craving hunger-and last,
but not least, of my being shot by Camanche
arrow-time will not permit rehearsal
got in this morning from the plains, and
o how happy was to receive a big batch of
| letters from you all To hear from home
that word which sends thrill through my
soul when l think of it, Though roaming
| through the Indian country destitute of the
| merest necessaries Of life, living On buffalo
| meat, often raw, and often worse than that
and no bread almost as wild and savage, ex-
ternally, as the Indian who glared upon me
| as an invader; yet, for all that, think you
that ever forget {" the loved ones at home ?"
No, dear brother, nO-for
'When the day is DER and the songs Of the chase
Close with the C osinS day,
How pleasant to sit by the camp ll!e's light
To chat the long hours away,
To chat the long hours away,
And to talk Of days to come
I.,.... lafsa- offl