The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-02-25
How the New York Flremor Live

The bunk room of an engine house is
an ordinary bare-hoored room, contain
ing many iron cots, and wardrobe be-
hind each cot. In No. rs house the
walls are as bare as the floor, but both
are kept scrupulously clean. The fire.
men may be said to listen in their sleep.
They sleep in their red shirts and under
clothing; their big rubber boots stand
by the side of the beds, with the trou-
sers fitted over them, and, when the
gong sounds, the trained men wake,
jump from their beds, and almost me-
chanically slip their feet into the boots,
pull uy their trousers, fasten them, and
rush down the stairs. Each mans coat
and hat is in his place on the engine or
tender, and, while the horses da h along
the streets, the firemen finish dressing.
Their speed in the daytime will seem
almost as wonderful when it is remem-
bered that they are ali apt to be at work
or at play at remote parts of the build
ing. The alarm is rung while one man is
washing windows upstairs, another is
chopping wood in the cellar, third
and fourth are playing checkers in the
sitting room, fifth is in the street in
front of the house, another is asleep and
so on. No matter what the circum-
stances, by night or by day, the engine
thoroughly equipped, rolls out of doors
within fourteen seconds after the
alarm sounds. Every man shares in
the rivalry that exists between the
various companies, and the apparatus
that has the reputation of being fire.
quently the first at a fire and the earliest
at work is an object of envy in the de-
partment. The tiremen favor the sup
position that the sudden shock of the
great gong's stroke at night, when all
are asleep, is injurious to health. They
say that it acts violently upon the heart,
and has produced sudden death in some
instances. On the other hand they say
that the mild tone of the little gong is
so gentle in its action upon the ear and
mind that beyond the loss of sleep occa-
stoned by it, it does no harm. The men
declare that it is not the volume of
sound that awakens them, They say
that the smallest gong made would
serve as well as the biggest.
The horses stand in stalls in the rear
end of the main room. There is moth.
ing remarkable about these stalls except
that they are kept absolutely clean, and
are so arranged that the horse faces the
front door. Their hitching straps ter
inmate in iron rings, which are fastened
to the side of each stall by bolt so in
gcniously contrived that the same cleo
trio current that sounds the alarm draws
the bolts and frees the horses. The in
slant they hear the stroke of the gong
they jump from their stalls and clatter
over the resonant floor to their places,
under the shafts of the tender and on
either side of the engine pole.
Although nearly all these firemen
have homes of their own and families
in them, they are allowed but seventy
two hours absence from the fire houses
in each month. This is exclusive Of the
three hours a day allowed each man for
his meals. This seventy-two hours is
divided into three whole days in the
case of subordinates, but the officers,
who are allowed the same time, may
take their hours when and how they
please, by obtaining permission when
ever they desire to absent themselves.
They are obliged to ask permission be-
cause it is q rule of the department that
only two-thirds of the quota of men in
each battalion may be absent at one
time. The record is therefore accurately
kept at the headquarters.
Firemen are obliged to do patrol duty
like policemen. They have regular
tours and regular hours of service, day
and night, and this patrol duty is per-
for ned by every man in his turn. 1t is
said that the object of this is to discover
fires, but the iremen say that this
theory is not warranted by any mate
rial results. York Sun.