Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-04-10
A LsndOn journal on American Firemsn.


A London journal ON American Firemsn.
The London AlL.the- Year Round, Of the
10th ult, alludes to the New York fremen,
making, of course, the usual number of
ridiculous mistakes, in these eulogistic
terms: .
The fremen of America are all volunteers.
1t is the law of the land that every citizen,
at a certain age, must come and serve for
certain specified duration of time, as either
a militaman or a volunteer. Now, as
believe the miitiamans term Of service lasts
FIVE years, and a fremans only three, you
may easily imagine, among an itinerant and
teverishly restless democratic youth, which
is preferred.
Besides, there are many other reasons
which ] have no doubt contribute to make
the hreman's service more popular in
America than the militiaman's. In the first
place, the former service, though vexatiously
frequent in its calls upon its members, is not
so restrained and monotonous as that of the
militiaman's; and the Americans, as self
conscious freemen, are very jealous of even
the smallest and least calling restraint.
Secondly, the dress is not so much of the
character of a livery-which q true Ameri-
can always detests as badge of serfdom;
it is more loose, careless and picturesque.
Thirdly, the work is at night, when shops
are shut and counting houses closed; lastly,
the service is one of stirring danger, and full
of that passionate excitement that the
American, whose Anglo, Saxon blood the
suns of new continent have long since
fred to almost the volcanic warmthtof the
Indian he displaced, loves and musthRve.
But, after all, it is at
nighttime that the fireman is really him
self, and means something. He lays down
! the worn. out pen, and shuts up the red.lned
/ 1adonr Ha hnrriao hama from T,iU1h-ofrnnf
slips on his red shirt and black dress trow-
sers, dons his solid japanned leather helmet
bound with brass, and hurries to the guard
room or the station, if he be on dutyP
a Neto York FTe.--A CLEAN of red, just
blush in the sky, eastward-William, street
way-among the warehouses; and presently
the telegraph begins to work. For every
fire-station has its telegraph, and every street
has its line of wires like metallic washing
lines. Jig-jig, tat. tat, goes the indicators:
Sire in William. street, No. 3, Messrs.
Hardcastle and Co.,"
l Presently the enormous bell, slung for the
purpose in a wooden shed in the City Park,
just at the end of Broadway, begins to swing
and roll backward. ~
In dash the volunteers in their red shirts
and helmet--from oyster cellars and halfin-
ished clam soup, from newly-begun games
of billiards, from the theater, from Bourci-
cault, from Booth, from the mad drollery o.
the Christy Minstrels, from stiff quadrillt
parties, from gin-slngs, from bar-rooms
from sulphurous pistol galleries, from stu
dios, from dissecting- from halfshut
tered shops, from conversation and lectures
; from y-where--north south, east and
west-breathless, hot, eager, daring, shout.
ing, mad. Open fly the folding. doors, Out
glides the new engine-the special pride Of
the company-the engine whose excellence
many lives have been lost to maintain; "a
reg'lar high-bred little stopper" as ever
smiths hammer forged. 1t shines like 6
new set of cutlery, and is as light as 6
''spider wagon" or trotting.gig. 1t is mo-
the great Juggernaut car Of our Sun ant
Phoenix Offices the enormous house OF
Wheels made as if purposely cumbrous anG
eternal-but is mere light musical snuff
box of steel rods and brass supports, will
axes and coils of leather, brass.socketed tub
ing fastened beneath, and all ready for in
slant and alert use. 4#s 49,.