The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-09-04
A FIREMAN's LIFE.
Hard Work, Excitement and Many ANU
inH Incidents,


Wolf standing upon one OF the wheels
OF the "maeheen," while with vigorous
stroke he Furnished tho bright Work
with polish and rag. ,.
$50 you fellows do indulge In a little
manual labor once In awhile" jeatingly
remarked the scribe.
"Well, you just bet, answered Wolf,
wlping tho sweat from HIS brow, III
know lots OF people think fireman Ia a
sort OF city lOafer, who, pipe In hand,
bOlde down a chair and draws his salary
once month. Well, they can think 30
but IL they were TO put In q month
around the Central Engine House
think their soft snap Idea would be for.
ever baniahed. Here Ia an article from
n city paper. which represents us true
10 life; couldn't express II any better,
II you think the public are interested In
the work OF q fireman Just give them a
little OF that az q sort OF pointer"
The article was taken and we append
some extracts from II;
There Ia any quantity OF work con.
nected with the life OF fireman, and
hard work II 10, too, The person who
imaglnes that the men who run with
the maaheen" have nothing whatever
10 do but cit around the hre station and
respond 10 alarms Ia a blooming idiot,
Ay0ung fellow visited No. Is house few
weeks since. He found some OF the men
sitting about, laughing and conyerslng'
He az once imagined that they led an
easy life, much easier than no did,
and the determination 10 become u iiT2-
man took possession OF him. He made
application and was placed on the Sub.
llst." His first days work as q Sub"
fell upon Saturday, Now, Saturday
morning among the Aremen 10 general
cleaning day, Everything about the
different houses Ia washed and given an
additional brightness, floors are scrub.
bed and chairs ac0ured. The poor sub
was put through the mill In beautiful
shape. No fire alarms were turned In,
but no had not moments rest during
the day. Not once was no able 10 place
his lazy hide In n ne'bOtt0med chair
aud smoke the pipe OF idleDeaa. Az the
next meeting OF the fire board That subs
resignation was accepted. The hours OF
luxuriant and peaceful idleness he ex'
pected to enjoy az a fireman came not,
aud he has again started out IN the
world hunting for a situation where the
pay will be large and the duties few
and far between.
Excitement There's lots Of II. The
Jingle OF the fire gong, the rush OF tho
trained horses, the shouts OF the men,
the mad galOp through the streets, the
haiIbreadth escapes from the il0mes and
the falling walla-what could be more
excitingY This does not occur every
day, however, and perhaps not often
enough TO satisfy the average fireman.
Life In the house In u burden 10 him,
Shut up within four walls "A hours u
day, week after week. year In and year
out, with only the occasional intermls'
sion Of the day of" life hangs on many
a man like q burden. He occupies u
separate world from the rest OF man
kind. He cannot lle down NJ night
with u consciousness that his work for
the day IL completed, for II Is not. Per-
haps II has just begun, He is always
on duty, and always expected TO be In
the right place at the right moment. II
he 10 not, woe bo unto him.
Not fire occurs but that some brave
fellow takes hia life In his hands, He
IL employed TO do that very thing; there
IL an excitement about II that makes II
fascinating, After man has been u
fireman any length OF time he feels him
self unit for any other business.
The llrst thing a new man In the de-
partment does IN 10 plan how calm he
will be when an alarm IL rung In. He
lays the whole matter out In his mind
and IL determined TO show his exper.
fenced fellows that he is no sl0uch and
10 made Of the right stun. The alarm
bell rings, and the new man, oh, where
10 hep The truth OF the matter II, he
has forgotten all about his plans and IL
struggling In u most pronounced ~ OF
''buck fever" much 10 the amusement
OF his comrades This is invariably the
case, and the boys toll many an anus.
ing story on each other relative TO their
advent Into the department.
This buck feyer" often strikes u man
when he IN roneed out OF sound sleep
70 answer to an alarm. Captain "Chlck"
Warner, OF engine company i2, was sta.
toned as n private at d's house, q year
or 30 ago. He was and Ia one OF the heat
Rremen In the department, yet on one
particular night no got the "buck few
or" IL was In the dead Of winter. and
"Chlck' was sleeping sOundly aud peace.
fully. Suddenly box ~ went flying over
the wires. The men NJ i's house got out
OF bed, Into their clothes and down the
sliding poles, In short order. Chick was
an "A ua H.lu
began 10 wonder what had become OF
him, an object clad only In an abbre'
Waited undershirt rapidly slid down one
OF the poles. There was a wild look In
his eye5 and a reckless air about his al.
most entirely nude person. Chick"
was ratified. He made no fort 10 get
on his clothes or help the bOya hitch up,
but simply stood by tho stove, rubbed
his shivering body aud muttered box
az, box ~, box a. over aud over again.
The laughter of the men soon brought
him 10 himself and no dashed up stairs
aud sought cover In his clothes, Even
such old heads ~ Chief Wallace
will get ratified when they are
awakened from sleep by an alarm.
The other night box 10 pualed of the
gong Ia Ia house, II awakened Wal
lace, and ratified him nj tho same time.
He tried TO dress but got everything on
wrong. Ho finally succeeded In accom-.
pliahing tho job with the exception OF
getting on his vest. This latter piece OF
wearing apparel no carefully slowed
away under the mattress He has no
recollection OF doing II, and doee not
know what prompted him TO, II was
only after u long search that no found |.
where he had put II In his excitement.
He rode TO tho Ere without II, got wet
and has been OF color ever since, though
constantly on duty. ..II ...r'7.I
II is u most amusing sight TO stand
In the sleeping room OF an engine house
and watch the men got W and dress at
the SQUAD OF an alarm. II the fire gong
below taps but once q dozen heads 1y
mp from 10 many pillows and al bend
n listening ear. II q second, third or