Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-02
The London Firemen.
The Cornhill Magazine.

In the same year was established a
school of instruction for recruits.
Every man who joins the brigade
has to undergo 8 period of instruction,
during which time he draws pay. He
has to be clothed, taught, housed,
and In every way looked after, and
for considerable time gives no ret
urn whatever for the expense, which
is calculated at about e100 per man.
After time he gives little, and at
about the end of a year becomes
thoroughly useful. The recruit must
in the first place be a seaman, under
20 years of age and unmarried, mast
measure not less than thirty-seven
inches round the chest and is genes
rally preferred at least five feet five
inches in height. He must be a man
of general intelligence, able to read
and write, must pass a medical in
spection, and produce certificates of
birth and testimonials as to character
and service. The pay at FIRST Joining
is 24s week and it rises to 27s sd, 3Os
10d, 81 Sd, Ais and As Cd. The uni.
from is supplied yearly, and there is
now liberal arrangement for grat>
ulties and pensions, with which the
men appear to be in general satisfied.
The candidate reust be a seaman Ito
that rule there has been no exception
for thirty years., and he is preferred
when coming from the merchant SER
vice rather than from the navy. The
reason for preferling the seaman to
the landsman is plain; his familiarity
of climbing, with the handling of
ropes, with doing work at height,
all give him primary training of the
highest Importance. The preference
extended to the merchant service arr
ses from the fact that nowadays two
thirds of the navy men are merely
engineers and fighters, men accus<
toned to work on deck rather than
aloft: and though no doubt there are
among them still many good climbers,
they are not in the same proportion as
in the merchant service where the
greater part of the mems work lies in
the rigging. On presenting himself
at headquarters the candidate has to
undergo very severe physical test,
in which if he fail, he is not further
examined. A fire escase is laid hori>
zontally on the ground, and by an
arrangement of ropes and pulleys has
to be raised to vertical position. It is
calculated that for the first twelve
pulls this test represents a strain of
800 pounds, after which there is a
gradual dininution of the weight, as
the worst of it is over and the escape
begins to rise. The men are drilled
daily, except Saturday and Sunday,
and before passing into the brigade
wait for certificate from the chief
drill instructor. The drill is of an ex-
ceednigly diversified and ingenious
character. They jump from windows
into sheets; they pick each other up
and carry each other down ladders;
they are slung out of windows by
ropes. representing the chair knot
used in courts and alleys where the
escape cannot penetrate they rescue
each other when In a state of insen-
sibility; and some OF them, attired in
what is known as female dress"
are send head first down the netting
of the escape in which uncomfortable
manner it appears ladies in peril are
brought out of danger. The coach
men in No. sc do not belong to the
brigade, IN the sense that they have
nothing to do in extinguishing fires;
they have only to look after their
horses, which, at the pace they travel
"a mile in about four min utes-must
take them all their time. They are
placed under the charge of the head
coachman, who, before engaging,
tries their capabilities in crowded parts
of the city and makes report. He is
for the horses, OF which
there are 131 jobbed by the board,
for the sake of economy, and not
bought.