Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-06-20
aTTsCxIvG FIXES Nv rr.ms.


collected his erudltion and experience In
| pyromachy into neat volume, (now for
sale at Cheney d Clapp's) from which we
take the following extract:
1t should be the duty of some person in
every town to give the cause of fires, why
they were not at once put out, how large or
small they were when first seen, how much
they had increased when water was thrown.
upon them, and If cxtinguished at once
and without loss, the manner and means
made known, that other property might be
saved in like manner. If such record
were published, we should learh that one
cause of fires was the crowdinC together of
wooden buildings, MS at Portland and Chi
cago, from which sparks flying from the
hrst building on fire, would set many 9TH
ers on fire before the first engine could be
got to work, or even perhaps before the
telegraph told the iremen there was fire.
And IT II it should he proved that for ttese
little fires the small hand engines were
more efficient than great steam fire en-
| gines, and that such fires, by their use,
could have been put out with q loss of "A
few dollars instead of many millions, they
would soon be adopted. Then by the COM
| bined force of the steamers and the small
engines, conhierations would become al
most obsolete. Many an awful fire. the
news of which has been sent over the land
would have been dashed out without loss
by some man or woman, boy or girl, If
| proper and efficient means for doing 1t were
at hand, and it was the custom to publish
such instances of self possession at fires.
as 1t was of the heroic deeds of our soldiers
in the late war.
Take, for inst ance, the following exam
pie: A boy, employed in store near the
Old South Church, discovered a fire in the
basement of the store, in very dangerous
place, which in a few minutes would have
driven the inmates from the store, and re-
suited In the loss of thousands of dollars
worth of property. Springingto the wash
bowl, the only implement mt hand, he fill
ed it with water, and throwing it upon the
hames, he was in a moment back with an
other, and others followed, and so he DASH
ed 1t ont almost before the other Inmates
knew there was fire on the premises As
one of the salesmen went out TO find the
cause OF the smoke and disturbance. the
rushed for more water 81 have GOT II al
most out!' And soon it was quite out,
and The serious danger was over. Not
word of this praiseworthy act was report
ed. Yet it would no doubt have prevented
many other fires if published and COM
mented upon in the newspapers of the day.
Nor do l believe the boy ever received a
thank you, SIR" from the insurance COM
pany for whom he had saved thousands OF
dollars
The best managed fire [ ever saw was
dashcd out IN few minutes Ivy woman
who worked with entire self possession.
and taught man and her daughter TO do
SO also. a kettle of tar had boiled over in
a wheclwright shop, and set the stock,
chips and shavn2s, under work bench,
on fire. The workmen row seeing the ire.
took the kettle of tar from the Fireplace to
the door, dropping the burning tar all the
way, and throwing il out of The side of the
shop, where there was n large hole into the
cellar down which the burning tar ran ND
OIL the chips and shavings which were scat
tered about there. \ pretty kettle of tar,
one would say! \ dense black smoke en-
veloped tho row of buildings, and gave the
alarm to the tircwoman. The wind was
blowing gale to add TO The danger. Ina
moment she seized two pals, filled one,
and telling her daughter to fill the other,
and pump into the trough, she sprang to
the fire, and dashed her pail of water I'M
der the bench where was the first fire. In
Il lew seconds same another pail which
hn
out that part of the fire. Now came belp.
the first man TO her assistance. Dashing
the next pail of water on the flames along
the floor, she pointed to the fire in the eel
lar, and told him to put it out, which fol-
lowing her example, he did from the wa
ter in the trough, which was now almost
full, for the girl stuck to the pump, as her
mother did 10 the fire. BY this time the
mother had put out all the fire in the shop.
and the danger was over, as half dozen
men came rushing up too late to he of apy
service. If the fire had not been attacked
until they arrived whole neighborhood
would have been destroyed in an hour.
Just as the fire was out, though the smoke
was so dense that nothing could be seen in
the shop, the workman came ont of II, as
black as ar-barrel, and with lamp. black
enough upon him to have fitted on. doz-
en- negro Ministries!
doubt If the brave heroine of this ex-
plot was ever thanked by more than one
or the half dozen owners of the buildings
in danger, or received reward from those
for whom she saved many thousands of
dollars. Nor did the account of the fire 90
into the papers, to teach and encourage 9TH
er women and men TO follow her example
in similar times of danger. A house far
from help from engines took fire on the
roof, and before it was discovered a large
portion of one side of the roof was on fire.
young lady of the house caught mop
and pail of water, and telling the others to
bring more water, she got on the roof, and
dashlng out the flames with the mop, soon
did for the house what Mrs. Partington
could not do with the Atlantic Ocean. She
mopped out the fire and saved their pleas
ant home from destruction. The excellent
lesson she taught the world will first be
told in this book. If il had boon told In
the papers of the day, many fire would
have been mopped ont, many another home
saved.
q