Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1866-11-17
THE FIRE HERO


to take it as matter Of course, sir tax.
ing it coolly IS out Of the question. Here
We are living about a. exciting . life a.
men can lead-alw"ys on duty. and ready
at moment to have set-to With the
worst Ere that ever broke out. No; I
shall never get to take it as a matter Of
course for it's dark, rush and excitement,
and love it, sir. Flash comes the news
to US by telegraph, most likely; out comes
the horses, there's light put to The ready
trim med FIRE, and then with train of
sparks flying out behind US, As the FIRE
roars, and the steam's getting up, away
galiop the horses. Ay, It's "Hil hio |
halo p and they clear the road for US 3;
and away We 60 full gallop down the
streets, with the horses hoofs striking
Ere, the crowd shouting, and the running
mob Increasing at every step. There's
something in it that warns one s blood !;
and as to the danger we'll Of course l's
dangerous; but when we feel that we are
doing our duty, and know what's before
US, why, somehow we don't re member the
danger but 60 at it in earnest.
Now there was only last week, sitting
as l was waiting for call, there it was at
last, late 10 the night when the streets
we're clear; and away we tore at some.
thing like pace. Oxford street, Holborn,
down the bill, up Skinner and Newga,e
s,reet-whoop and away at full ga|lop,
with the horses enjoying it, bless you, and
lasting out till it's hard to say whether
they didn't fly more sparks than the fire
under the boiler. We wanted no more
instructions, Tor there was the red glow on
ahead, and as we got nearer we could al
most set the sparks and at last we did
see them come pouring along with the
smoke, and being a heavy, hot night,
hanging like thick star spangled cloud
just over our heads.
Two engines we're there, and as it hap
pened so late, there was not 80 many peo-
pie as might have been expected; but as
soon as l got there l saw tina. something
particular was the matter, and tai is what
it was. The fire was in quite narrow
court where they couldn get the escapes,
and there were people burning to death;
while above the shouting of the mob aud
clanking Of engines hard at work, you
could hear the awful cries for help.
Now, don't you suppose that m proud
of all this I'm going to tell you, because
I'm not. Now, if you were to dash in and
e"'~ Wy --~~ ':'>, -ay d-"n' IL wo,u
be brave aud gallant, because you would
have done it out Of true compassion for a
suffering fellow creature; but then with
me It's different. I'm paid so much week
to save life and property from FIRE; con-
sequently l only due what's my duty to
do.
ran up the court, axe ia hand, and
soon seen the state of affairs. One house
was in q blaze from top to bottom, and
the flames bad worked into the next, and
we're attacking the one opposite, while
with their escape regularly cut of, there
were about half dozen people a. the
upper windows Of the same house, aud no
way Of getting in them. There was no
back door to the place, being in one of
those crowded city places; while the door
in front and staircase were now fast get
ting into a state Of glow, of which the
water spu.tered and steamed without
making any impressi on.
There was no time for the ladders or
anything else but the sheets. and them we
got stretched out for the people TO jump
into, but poor things! they dared not,
and what to do l could not tell. There
was the FIRE blazing up higher aud higher.
and lighting up two of them old city
churches tina, you sec lost down these old
courts, and looking rs if they been put
there out o the way because people didn't
have any use for them now. They We're
lit up and glowing, and the pigeons that
lived up there scared aud dying round
and round the fire; there was the rush
aud roar of the wind along the court as
it set towards tie FIRE and there were the
flames leapins up, the clouds of sparks
rising, the Clouds OF smoke rolling awas,
and the cracking sputter Of the states as
they flew with heat, and then rafting off
into the court beneath, and smash upon
the pavement. Every now and then came
louder roar and cash % a rafter or q
beam fell in, and set the sparks up in
whirlwind. Aud there all the time were
these poor creatures uttering the widest
piercing shrieks for help that you ever
heard. Now, I've heard so much Of that
sort of thing that you'd expec. shouldn't
mind it, but l do til ough; and as said
ahoat the dres, | don't think shall ever
get to take it as q matter Of course, for
there is something very awful in seeing
fellow creatures strong and hearty, and