The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-05-28
Berlin IT ~ Fire.

aouT "eTHHAu 1ellOWSclC1X0nS frequently
tell us with pride, and justly no doubt, of
the superiority OF the old country, in many
things, over this. We have mover listened,
except with interest, to their descriptions
and with admiration for their love OF home.
But how is It we do not recoIIect ever
hearing any references to the German sys-
tenn of extinguishing fires? Perhaps the
reason will be found in the following
extract from a Berlin letter written by a
young Orleanian now in Berlin, descrip-
tive Of the daring Berlin liremen and their
apparatus. Speakins of tho fire engines,
the writer says: L..
These engines arc Of the most primitive
styi not evon having a suction hose, but
instead there is we'll in tho middle, into
which water must be poured.
Tho levers 'tbrakes" across the
width Of the machine instead of in the
length, and tho wooden handles are shipped
and nnshiPped like the handspikes of a
than six eight mon could get at each
brake, as tlioy run across i'll the awkward
manner just described, and, of course, SO
small i number could amount to nothing,
great length OF hose. The hose itself is of
tho old-fashioned kind, made of leather
not have becn more than n hundred and
fifty feet of it, if even that much with each
hut those water tanks are the most re-
markabie ofail. just G.ncy going to put
out II fire in a largo city with Il barrel Of
engine to squirt ii with! 1t is too absurd
for belief, but suci, is tho solemn fact, and
! have seen it with my own eyes. They
about at night with just such casks. and
one might mistake Il gallant company of
their Jolly Old beer barrel fal, Of water, for
Il party Of ignoble SANITARY" men engaged
in their nightly avocations.
3, And tho hrcmon themselves are the
"runllniest" set of fellows you cain fancy.
They go about in Il great scoop OLA helmet,
like the old Shaker bonnets, and enveloped
in ponderous coats, while every man wears
canvas case or cplinder, sOmo eighteen
inches long, at his back, il, which coil of
ready to swing in q moment from a fourth
story window for tho escape OF tho helpless
from threatening flames. Every man also
shingle hatchet, and sword; SO that with
this arsenal of implements swung to them,
and their champion ''squir.ers,' leather
of being invincible.
Then adds tho correspondent, by way of
comparison:
could not help thinking as I locke at
the primitive contrivances above described,
some ton or twelve of our American steam
fire engines could DO brought suddenly up
on tho occasion of Some pretty extensive
hook and ladder trucks, etc., and i'll all
tho terrible splendor Of polished brass,
steel and silver, with clouds OF smoke ana
columns of sparks starting upward, and
then ovory machine quivering and roaring
like some living monster from another
world.
Gracious I what a sight that would DO in
Berlin! They scem to f,ncy that there is
ono of their little hand engines rs it goes
rattling through tho streets Mt night, with
its blazing pitch torches and it's crowd of
heimeted attendants standing on tho deck.
And to people who have never soon any
thing better, perhnps there is !; but com
pared with the rush of one of our terrible
tre-breathing steaMers in New Orleans,
such scene is AS tame AS tho rattling Of a
milk -cort