American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-03-04
The Fire Department of New
York City.


} York City.
The Fire Department of New Yor
City, which electricity controls, is tn
finest and most extensive in the world
Great big London and brilliant Pari
have nothing to compare with it. ]
costs US good deal of money to keel
it going, but we are proud of it, and n
one who has seen it at work can fail t.
admire it. The engines and horses ar
the best that can be obtained, and tn
men are skillful and brave. Perhap
you have stood in some street when al
alarm of fire has been sent out from on,
OF the boxes. A minute or two after
ward fireman has dashed around tn,
corner, clearing the way for his engine
which has followed along behind Al
race-horse speed, with bells ringing
and trail of smoke pouring from the
chimney the wheels a bright scarlet
and every bit of brass-work throwing
back the sunshine in binding rays
Then the hose carriage has come-a
drum on wheels, with hundreds of yards
of leather tubing wrapped around it,
and half dozen men clinging to their
seats for their lives, and slipping on
their coats as they were whirled on
ward. 1t seemed like cavalry charge
in Il battle, and has stirred your blood
with excitement. The busiest man on
the thronged street has paused to watch
the heroes galloping to their work The
vehicles in the roadway, that were all
wedged in together, have drawn aside
and left clear passage in the cehter.
So, within few minutes of the time
of the alarm, the gallant firemen have
reached the burning building, and have
scaled the walls and poured torrents of
water on the flames, perhaps putting
them out in less than half an hour, and
perhaps fighting them for the greater
part of day.
The moment the knob in the little
house is pulled, all the eog-wheels re-
volve with noise like clock-work, and
Electricity leaps out of the roof and
along the wires with warning to the
engine-houses. Away he goes over the
highest buildings in the city, up this
street, down that street, now along a
narrow cornice seventy feet high, then
around church steeple, stopping for
the riiilliohth part of a second on a fifth
story, then down to the ground, never
pansing until he ahghts at his destina-
ton with crash like the sound of
bad boy tumbling through the roof of
glass house.
And when he arrives there? What
then? Well, will tell exactly what
happens then; but before doing that, 1
must esk yon to swallow a few nice,
dry, important facts.
You understand, of course, that no
great business attends to itself, and in
the Fire Department each man has a
particular place and some particular
duties assigned to him. The
whole city, from the Battery Park at
one end to Fordham at the other, is di-
vided into districts, each of which has
a certain number. of alarm-boxes and
in it. The station-houses
are occupied by companies of firemen,
and are built of brick, three stories high,
with wide green gates in front. The first
floor is level with the street, and con-
tains the engine, in the rear of which
are stalls for the horses. On the second
story there is a sitting-room, nicely carr
peted and papered, containing a small |
library and pictures of celebrated fire.
men on the walls Above this are the |
iormitories, with long rows of narrow
ron beds, and a wash-room Alto
gether, these station-houses look very |
and many boys will, per-
naps, consider a fireman's a very desir-
lble life.
Suppose that you and drop into one
quite by chance some afternoon or even=
ng; it matters little what the hour is,
or the firemen have no respite, and are
IN duty all day and all night.
AS we enter the house from the street,
We are at first impressed with the mar
'elous neatness of every thing. The
loors are scrubbed to degree of white
less that would do a tidy woman's heart
,ood. The kalsomine on the walls is
potless, and a great big brass gong
hines like miniature sun. The en-
inc, standing in the center, is as bright
S though it had just come from the
uilder's hands. Its wheels are painted
flaming scarlet, and every bit of brass
york is looking glass. Yet it was at
fire only last night, and was drenched
nth water and clouded with smoke.
he furnace is filed with fuel, and
rand of cotton soaked in kerosene lies
ear by, ready to be lighted the moment
!; is wanted. Perhaps you have not OBJ
erved the pipe that comes up through
he floor. But if you look at the little
ial over the furnace, you will see that
pounds of pressure are reg
stored, which amount of steam is con-
family maintained in the boiler by
leans of this pipe, which is attached to
mother boiler in the cellar beneath; so
nat when the engine is called out, and
er own fire is lighted, she is immedi-
tely ready for use.
In the stalls behind the front apart
lent three plump, well groomed horses
re securely battered, with the pet name