News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-03-19
CRESCENT CITY ODDITIES.
A Very LeIsurely Way of distinguishing
Fires In New Orleans.
from a letter to the N. Y. sun


There was considerable excitement in
upper st. Charles avenue at four o'clock
in the afternoon, which illustrated the
workings of the New Orleans Fire De-
partment. The fires are taken care of bv
volunteers, who are not unlike the old
New York fire laddies as far as influence
and pull is concerned, but behind them
in snap and grit. They go to the scene
of the conhagration at fast walk, and
come homo with their arms over one
another's shoulders, singing unsteady.
Every man is boss, and if the fire is
dangerous one the men keep right on
singing and stand resolutely out of harms
way.
The system of conveying news of q
fire strikes an observer at first blush as
being full, rounded, and complete.
When fire breaks out all citizen has
to do is to 60 and telephone to bell
tower, the alarm is then given, and prep
arations by the fremen to attend the
scene of the confagration ensue.
This afternoon the people lettering
near st. Andrews street, OH st. Charles
avenue-which is the Fifth avenue of
New Orleans-had their attention at
tracted to big white house by crowd
of negroes who were looking over a
fence at smoking chimney on an ex-
tension.
'Mus' be fiah," remarked red
whiskered man, pensively.
'It'n make a mighty purity fab eft
buns tn hull haouse," answered his
neighbor, with an air Of shrewd predic-
ton, as he partook of half paper of
tobacco, and leaned more comfortably
against the honse. Time wore on, the
crowd increased in numbers, the flames
appeared coyly at the base of the CHM
ney, and began to advance toward the
ridge pole. It was curious crowd. One
half was made up of lazy negroes and
open mouthed children, and the other of
round-shouldered, hollow-oheeked and
dull-eyed men. All wore scraggy boards,
and were invariably il-kempt and SLOW.
emily.
After the fire had been burning some
time longer the man with the red beard,
who seemed to be the most vigorous and
bustling citizen of them all, opened his
mouth several times with the palpable
intention of saying something. The
prospect of going to so much trouble
discouraged him three times, and then
he drawled:
sSeems time as how TIL people in tn
haouse might be told Nv that there fab,
eh ?"
This suggestion did not meet with
much encouragement, and the red
whiskered man lapsed into permanent
silence. A moment later a tall, dark
eyed, and willowy young woman dashed
out of the house and appealed excitedly
to the crowd:
"The house is a burnin' up Gentle
men, won't some of yo' go an give the
alarm, an please come in and help us
put it out ?"
Not man moved. She was very
much excited, and, leaving the crowd of
stolid men, she ran down the street and
started fat checked young man at the
telephone. He yelled "Hel-l-o-o-o-o"
twenty-six times before he caught his
breath, and the girl left him still at it.
She hurried back, and found that q
young negro, who bore the somewhat
unexpected name of Haggerty, was on
the roof of the extension pouring water
on the flames. After ten minutes work
the fire was all extinguished; but the
crowd of sombre men stood there for
nearly an hour thereafter, saying and
doing absolutely nothing. Eventually a
boy was sent down to relieve the fat
checked enthusiast who had bawled at
the telephone disk until his voice had
become husky cross between sough
and cough.
Before the last traces of the event had
disappeared white-faced policeman ar
rived. He was smoking q brown paper
cigarette, and carried big green UNI
brella under his arm. He looked sad,
and dragged his rather ample feet after
him slowly. After borrowing bit of
pencil from a small boy and a piece of
paper from the administered man, he
leaned against the post and drawled
mournfully, "Iu jis' wait -heah until
some un comes out O de haouse an then
make a report"
An hour later he was still waiting.