The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-16

-.-.,n.y AUGUST 10, 1875.
.r...restanS Article npon the ERE
-. rsneat Of New York Caay.
lFroma the New York Sun.
a,vs In nm engIne-house isn't very
1.-Two lint when the visitor happens TO De
renor,er with orders to accompany the en-
cine 10 free, and be has to dy down staEs
every time the alarm SQUADS, the TWO Jay
stretch out to something like TWO mnh.us:
with note OF insrodss:sson from E!s na.es,
chief Of the Fire Department 10 foietna"
Crum. of Eugine Company NO. =. qua ,r
sssraet .onposite the post.offsce, few Gays
asn Outside the house Is very muce s,ke
80 other house, but inside tis ike notniue
~ nnder the sun. Ia front OF the TWO o's
Snors stands the engine, as bright macn'ne
Ia &c handsome and symmetrical as ever
..as made To the right, 10 the rear. Is the
sonaer with fifteen lengths, or 100 reef, OF |
r,,hher hose. In the other corner are three
hnrses long line of hose stretches up
through bose-tower, the other enus oeipe
fastened lust unGer the ROOF. Az tue noWse'
I,atroIman's desk, to the right OF the Dig |
doors, Is a dial telegraph instruments con-
Meeting the morse Will VIC HECucuS uSoA
suusrters, 10 Mercer street. -
eve get the aiarm through that gong,
said the foreman, pointing TO piece OK shin
inc brass. fifteen inches 10 diameter. Just be-
hind the small entrance door. g Suppose
fire is discovered at Broadway and Maiden
Lane. the a,arm.hox at the corner il sounded.
That teleyrapbs TO headquarters. Theopera'
Tor. who is always on duty there, has oefore
him little bureau, with several hundred
fjuy drawers. The alarm says 81, and from
one Of the drawers he takes brass wheel
with three notcbes on one side ano I'VE on
the other. This he fts into It's socket, and
opens the circuit. The notches nHst STRIKE
as. and there Is no chance for mistake. Iae
second that he opens the circuit the strokes
begin to fall on our gong.
:. With the irst stroke that little weight Is
t1ropped by electricity. The weight straight.
ems out light CHAIN which holds the penau'
l1m Of the little clock there, and, OF course,
the clock stops. That Is 80 that when we
come back from fire we Gun tell the exact
minute we got the alarm, and give the Tine
in our report. The same stroke on the gong
drops big twenty-five pound weight oo"n
in the cellar that weight gives JERK 10
long wire, and pulls open the springs tnat
fasteps the horses brides 10 the staliS Ine
same force strikes gong over the norses,
heads. The instant the horses hear toe hrst
stroke of the gong they step cat OF their
stalls. TUG to their places, and wait for the
awo SNAPS" to be fastened that complete
abe hitching up. The harness is on their
backs night and day, and they are well
Trained"
"How quick can we get the engine ready
TO 90 QUIT" Gin about we'll, you'd better
wait till we get an alarm, and then you can
see for yourself. But If you're going to ride
on the engine with us, don't waste any time
in getting round or you may not catch as"
"Get up seau so quick?" continued the
foreman. "Wcl, I'll show You. Of course
the boiler has great deal 10 do with it.
There are 260 fues in the boiler, and that
gives US great deal of heating surface. But
~ we always keep up five pounds of steam.
Come down in the cellar, and I'll snow you
how we do it."
In the cellar Is small stove, seemingly
lust large enough to heat an office. "There
is a coil of pipes around the inside of the
heater" the foreman explained. "The fire
is snug up against the pipes. Those pipes
That run through the floor connect The boiler
with the coil 10 the stove; The heat keeps the
water 10 circulation ;and wealways have hot
waller in the boiler. When we 60 out to
fire the engineer steps on little spring just
behind the engine and that closes the pipes
ILL we get back. The engineer
Ding-ding. There is u rush on the floor
above. The horses are loose, and their iron.
ed feet make the floor shake. What has be-
come Of the foreman5 He was pointing to
the stove second ago. Maybe he has gone
upstairs. Well 60 up and see.
The gong keeps striking. and the reporter
goes up into the engine-room. The foreman,
who was coolly explaining about the stove,
is arrayed In bis official cap and coat. He
stands by the side of the engine. The horses
are attached. The driver sits in front, grasp
ing the reins. The engineer behind holds q
torch ready 10 start the fire. BY his side is
the assistant engineer. Six tiremen and a
driver are seated on q tender. At the big
doors stands another fireman, his hand on
the spring that opens the lock. The gong
has struck two, then six; it strikes once
more; the driver steps down, the horses are
unbtched and trot back to their stalls, and
the tiremen 20 back to their work.
awe can't tell, )" said the foreman, "when
the gong begins to strike whether it Is going
to sound for one OF our stations or not. You
see, it struck 26l. When 1t struck 2, that was
one Of our stations, and If 1t had stopped
there we'd have gone out. Then 1t struck
6, making &c, which is another Of our sta.
tions but when the / sounded that showed
us that the fire is at Blocker and Macdouga
streets-out Of our district"
"Do YOU get the alarm and man the engine
every time there is fire anywhere in the
city ?"
dyes; il we waited till the gong stopped
to see whether we bad to 60 out or not we
would lose some seconds, and every second
counts. No matter what we are doing, night
or day, when the gong strikes the engine is
manned. Come upstairs and see how we
Ave-"
The stairway leads to the officers room,
in the second story. A handsome carpet
covers the floor. Iu front, by the windo VS.,
are two desks, one for the foreman, the other
q for Chief Rowe, of the First Battalion, who
makes this bis headquarters One side Is
partitioned OF, making three Sleeping-roomS,
with beds for the officers. The back room.
forty feet long, perhaps, by thirty wide. is
the mems sleeping-room. On one side is q
/ row Of four little iron bedsteads; on the
3 other side there are six. The bedding is o.
clean ind white as bedding can be- and
there isn't speck on the bright oiLelsth that
covers the floor. m.
"These are our bachelors quarters,' said
the foreman. every morning q woman
comes ia and cleans up for us, aud makes tae
beds. OF course you'll stay with US for u
couple Of days, AID yOu'i have .chance IL
try one of the beds. In the third story we
have sitting-rooln; come up. There's a
table where The boys play dominoes and
checkers. In those closets they keep their
clothes. III this back room here re keep
the horses feed, and slide it down to them
through this shute. Come down aud see the