The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-16
eayine.room With flsns = y 800 w., ~.
sae.Ssr ap'owu station, and ths fhsh 10
srlraa their work. ., .,.e,anar

Al O. O'CLOCK 10 the esenibR wv u's ~ ar.ec;. n
,erIcv. the president Of the Beard rnsn. :
lent Norwood, OF the eLpriRsro Ll'e , au 3
nnce Company, and severss otne. sen .r Der. :
,isit The engine. house. Comniss..osnse ne nova Z
ey strikes the gong, to see now .ass , NC ~ ,be
an man the engtue. fnree :" risvtno A
iremeu are up In the thrd stol} ,ha cei,
iomiuoes foue are In BED one 40 ~ the 70.
ar fixing the fire. The foreman ,s snu a ca
49, Nohody Knows the Commissioner ~
,on,ine The gong strikes three. Inc
s.s..h1,.n SAYS" Hi, hi" to the horses.
% hen s,,s engine is manned, and the driver
,nou,s :. Resdym President Norwood ASKS
8. tsonrteen seconds" says the Commis.
,iOner. A. t5s.5~1.
Two hours spent In looking over orders
nd reports. aud the foreman announces that
it rs shout bedtime.
HYou had better hang your coat ana nat On
the engine" he SAYS to the reporter,
we 20 out in the, night you jump on mere,
roinriDg TO the ash.pan, on which the e9gt'
peee stands. TaSe bold Of that rod. sud DC
sure YOU hold 90 tight. Morc than oIe mAh
has heau killed on that board"
with this cheering information. the re-
porter follows the foreman into the mems
sleeping-rooaa. - ;,,
sWheu the eong Sounds, yeu Rust 1amp
onick. Make up your nind before you go ~
sleen that the ira aud only thing for you 10
do when YOU hear the bell Is to reach the en-
gine. Yot'l have TO- sleep du your f,anta.
Ioons aad shoes. You could never get tnose
aboes on in tinae, We'd be round theeorner
he af Won got down stairs. Do YOU see now
tho hovs msnare to dress so quick" by
.he ,Iae of racb. little cot stood pair OF
i,roe s,,bbec boots. The tops OF The iegs
st,,rt through and showed above piir OF
nan,a,oous That were turued partly INSIDE
cut. ~ ,;o .nd tho
psnts are slipped over them. When lne
gong rugs the boys step oat OIL oeu Iiso1
INTO their boots. The pants are all READY 10
nuN up, and they fasten them Wb'le lucy are
running down stairs. Tbats :ne SEQ d. "
nu;ck dressing. They all sleep in their nan
nsI shirts and drawers, and they can wear
stoes;nos or not, as they choose. Their
eoa,s and hats are hanging on the tender aud
engine. and they put them on when they get
outside" J..
The little splre bed that was assigned to
the reporter was just like all Its mpanions.
It vas neat, and clean, and comfortable. Inc
sheets were too SNOWY to be soled by pair
of shoes, but an overcolt spread out soon
remedied that. Now we are all ready FOR
sleep. Some Of the boys are snoring. steep !:
when you're expecting every second 10 near
the gong? When you know you have just
fourteen seconds to get awake and get oo"n
stairs in! Sleep may come after awhile, out
not as long as you jump every time you pear
noise, and spring out OF bed II door
slams.
These are the men, in these little beds, who
risk their own lives, often and often, 10 save
others. These are the boys who brave wind,
and rain, and ice, and climb slippery ladders
and work on tren bling roofs; who, sleeping
soppdly now, NAV in few seconds enter
burning house from which they can never
come out. These eight beds hold elgat
brawny heroes.
A DAYS work at running down stairs and
jumping on 40 engine will bring sleep at last.
Just little doze; start; then sound sleep.
The gong strikes; there is a rush. Although
you sleep in pantalooDs and shoes you are the
| last one to reach the stairs. The gong has
struck one; then pause; one, two, three.
Before four strikes we are ready; four, i've.
Then it stops. The doors fly open, the en-
gineer puts the torch to the shaVings IN the
| furnace, the engine goes out of the house
with ajump; the driver lays on the whip.
"Hold tight" the engineer finds time to
whisper in the reporters ear, and not any
too soon, for William street is reached, anu
as we turn the corner everything says TO one
side, and for moment we are on our teec or
swinging into the air, or on our knees, just
as it happens. Down William street.-the
horses on dead run. There is not breath
of wind, and the black smoke from the
smoke. stack covers us up; we can see
nothing nobody can see US. The engineer
pulls at the bell-wire, and the big bell can
lust be heard above the din. The only thing
we car see is sheet OF fl anne from the smoke.
stack. The tender is straight behind us
not ten feet away. We can't see it, but we
hear the driver shouting to bis horse. II we
should stop for second the tender would be
on top of Va.
While we wonder whether the horses are
running away, the engine stops. In an in.
slant the smoke goes straight up, and we can
see around us. Here comes another engine.
We are the first on the ground. Where we
are nobody could guess but the street lamp
says William street on one side, and Beaver
on the other. The hydrant connection is
fastened to the bydrant, the other end con.
nected with the engines pump. The horses
are unhilched and left under charge OF the
driver; the engines wheels are blocked; the
hose run out, the pipeman in advance, and
we are ready-re, for only an iron man could
ride on that engine and not be u fireman.
Before the water is turned on there are five
engines and three hook-aud-ladder trucks on
the ground. The Chief of Battalion is in
command.
The fire is in tall warehouse few doors
from the corner. The third story is burning !;
all the rest OF the building is safe. The
heavy iron doors are cut through with steel
axes, and a line Of firemen is formed from
the sill to the edge of the fire. The hose~is
in readiness aud the pipeman goes up. On
the nozzle Of the pipe is an attachment by
which the water can be turned on or Oft
without stopping the engine.
- Then the men begin 10 fight fire. In few
| seconds there are four streams, and the fire
] begins to recede, inch by inch at first, soon
by feet. One room is deluged, the blackened
floor and walls ana ceiling still smouldering.
| A partition 10 the way is chopped through,
and soon the next room Is dark. Blue.shirted
men are coming through the windows. The
ladders are up, and the ladders are shorter
and SAFER than the stairs.
! Look up 10 the roet Uniformed men are
running within foot Of the edge. One of
them stops and makes signal to the eugi.
users. He is the Chief, and the engines stop.
] Che tire is out. A liue of men file out of the
4 building, the horses are hi,ched, and four
4 engines aud two hook-aad.ladder trucks go
slowly home. One engine, with one hook
4 aId-ladder coIpany, stays a few minutes
|,loGser to guapd TIE premises. Minutes ago,
/ lines Of police were formed, and none bat
aremeD and reporters. can gain an entrance
TO the building-er TO the street 10 front.
/ As the horses walk slowly back to the en-.