St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-11
VIENNA FlREMEN.
How They Handle CONGREGATIONS in
a Big Old City.


An interesting letter was received by AID.
Van Slyke yesterday, from his son DR.. Fred.
w. Van Slyke, who for over year past has
been studying eye and ear diseases in the
hospital at Vienna. The writer gives min
ute, graphic and interesting description OF
how the fire department is conducted in Vi
emma, city which claims over million in
habitants. For the benefit of our readers,
the description is herewith given in full:
1 wish you could see the fire department
apparatus in Vienna I know you would en-
JOY it at any rate laugh. The city has a popula-
ton of about 100000 most of the buildings
are four and five stories in height. They
have two very small steamers and a number
of hand engines (smalD, when an alarm of
fire is sounded the first thing to be heard Is a
great footing of horns and a cleaning of the
street ahead for block. Soon wagon trots
in sight with ten or twelve men hanging TO
it, all in linen clothes, fireman hat, and
large coil of rope wound about them, small
Ratchet in there belt and each one also hav-
ing lungs over his shoulder good sized
brass horn. The fireman on front seat
blows his horn all the way to the fire, although
they go only at a snail's pace, and the others
begin to trot as soon as they sight the fire.
After this wagon which has bucket or two
and coil of rope on it, comes a steamer
or hand engine followed by four or five wa
ter carts each having a cask of water, about
as large as a hogshhead mounted upon it,
the water supply. There are two men to each
cart one to drive the other to toot and they
| all keep the horns going from the front wag-
on to the rear although the distance between
them be only few feet.
AT the scene of action each man seiZes his
timely lung destroyer and the overture be-
gins. As assistants to the noble firemen,
hundreds of policemen and two or three
regiments of the regular army are called out,
generally for no other purpose than to pre-
vent the poor people from getting even
glimpse of the fire; at the last fire on one side
the people were not allowed to approach with
in three and four blocks OF it. 1t is the same
with all public displays. The masses see
nothing, although they are on hand early and
wait patiently but the police are always on
hand at the proper time and back go the
crowd. Well as to the firemen, the engines
are kept as far as possible from the burning
matter; as the water carts roll up, large tub
is placed on the ground to receive the water
from the cask, the receiving pipe of the en-
lApNNNA
lucky creatures have been able to crawl
through the lines of police and soldiers at tho
risk of arrest to see what fire is like, ara
putto work at the pumps, thus relieving the
tired fremen who are getting out Of wind; by
the time, the water works are all set up, the
plug puller pulls the wooden plug from the
cask, the water runs, the would be sight seers
pile on muscle, the horns on both ends Of
the hose now do some more good work; pres
emily miserable little stream splutter5 out
breaks into spray and falls on the building
like rain there was not a stream there that
would knock man down in front of it and
none Of them could break window at 10
feet, actually.
About every five minutes the horns at the
water supply send up u despairing sound;
has the engine broken down! No, only the
supply stops while the next barrel of water is
being tapped. The real post of danger at
fire is held by the brave man who pulls the
plug as every time he loosens it he gets Il
bath which puts him in great danger Of con-
| tracing cold or putting out his eyes, the
same thing happens when he cuts it off
which is necessary three or four times before
the supply is exhausted in the hogsheads as
according to the German system the water
tubfrom which the engine gets water is made
very small, this naturally keeps the plug
man busy as the water runs In faster than il
is taken out by the engine; no waste of water
is allowed at this end of the stream.
Perhaps they measure the water in largo
casks with the small one. There were @
great many theories as to the reason why the
small one was used at all, principally 10y
strangers; fool looking on suggested that
they put the receiving hose directly into the
larger tub but he did not last long heard
the next day that the government had BAN
ished him to America as q dangerous char
acter. This fire was about as fine as one
could see at home. The loss was over half %
million dollars, a lot Of manufactures, large
brick buildings which unfortunately were
surrounded by wood and lumber, the heat
from the latter being so great that the fremen
could not approach near enough to put the
water from these weak sources, anywhere
near it, They have nothing ike hook and
ladder truck, but each water wagon carries
an axe or two and short ladder to mount
the cask, and see if the water has all run out
or not.
The steamers are supplied with coal as the
hand engines are with water; the steamers
only throw one stream and no stronger than
the hand machines. The last heard Of the
department was that the chief had just in
vented double condensing reservoir back
actioned horn. 1t is claimed that the same
amount of noise as with the old one, can be got
ten out of it with one-tenth the lung pressure
This will be great saving to the city, because
the men will live longer 10 work for poor
wages. l believe the city purchased q chem
zeal engine butt printed directions were
lost at the first fire, it therefore, has never
been in active use; it is taken to every fire
in hopes that some day it may 90 offacciden-
tally. Your proposed pony expedition is
about the mildest scheme you have had yet.
That would be very practical here, but in tho
United States where places Of interest ara
so far apart it is certainly inadyisable; be-
sides if you were to offer such an establish-
ment for sale east they would arrest you for
horse thieves. You will certainly come to q
bad end if you attempt it. WHO'S your part
mere
There will be a dog show here the last Of
March. I may go. The glass ball club be-
gan to shoot Wednesday from l P. NJ. till
dark. The weather all winter has been love-
ly and warm. 1 expect to leave for Berlin
about the middle of April.
Murder and Suicide.
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont, 10.-Thomas Ved-
doris and r PiersOn brOthers-in- law.