Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-11-20
OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.

In the October number of Harpers there is
an article on the ''life of New York fireman. ~
The writer describes the alacrity with which
the New York fireman makes his start, allow
ing one minute only 10 elapse from the time
of the sounding of the bell to the starting of
the engine. He has picture of the whole
business, and it looks as if they were in a
hurry. He speaks of ''the country reader
being mystifed' by his description. Well,
maybe he is. The writer and his reader
ought to investigate the system of the Car
son fire department., if they wish to see the
workings of compete arrangement. We have
it to perfection. It takes just two seconds
and half to turn out our entire department,
thus beating the New Workers ffty-seven and
half seconds. The system is carried out at
the houses of the Currys and the Warrens and
the Swifts, we simply take the Swifts house
as an example, as it adds the additional ad-
vantages clustering around the steamer. The
engine stands on the ground floor, the second
story is arranged as a sleeping apartment.
The beds are double-sid e-fopping; arranged
by the sides of conveniently situated trap
doors. By an ingenious Geographic telephone
contrivance, engineered by Beam Pixley,
First Assistant, at the sound of the bell, the
the pants of the fremen, which are hung
horizontally over the beds, are slipped on
while the boys are waking. At the same
instant the bedstead fops, the traps open and
the boys are landed on the floor in front of
the engine, and freshly mixed cocktails, with
a spoon in them, are lifted to their lips by
means of lever from the floor, at the same
second the head is caught in machine similar
to the one used by photographers, and thrown
gently back as The cocktail softly gurgles down
heexpectantthroat,i sremoved then and passes
from sight. This is simply the ordinary reg
ulation in regard to the average fireman. The
real science of the system is displayed in the
arrangements for the engineer. The fires of
the engine are of course prepared for LIGHTING
beforehand His bed is directly over the rear
of the engine, with the flop attachment, and
trap door, as above mentioned He takes his |
cocktail in the same way. The difference in !
his arrangement is that match is set in the |
right hand seam of his pants, and as he passes
down the trap it is ignited by coming in con-
tact with a piece of sanded paper fixed in the |
frame of the trap door. AS he he passes
the open door of the furnace, in reaching his
station, the burning match touches the chips
saturated with coal oil, and the engine is fired
up and ready for action. The horses are
kept in Bentons stable, and by a lightning
balloon contriyance, are at the touch of the
instrument which responds to the sound of
the bell, swiftly waited over the court house,
catching mouthful of ground barley and
whisp of hay in transit, and attached by
electricity to the tongue of the engine. For
perfectness of arrangement, our system sur
passes that of the New York department. 1t
was imported from Paris, by Gus Lewis, (who
secured the points from Chief Engineer De La
Monkue, while purchasing hanging lnmps for
his new saloon,) and is equal if not superior
to the French system. 1t has been in oper-
alton since 40, and in no instance has a
fraction of second been lost in getting any
of our engines under way. No ie-ves have
ever been lost in the passage through the trap &;
doors, Who wouldn't be fire laddie}
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