Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-09

How the POmpier Corps I'm ChiesgS
Works.

| BUILDINGS NEARLY ONE HUNDRED FH EFT HIGH
| SCALED IN AN INCREDIBLY SHORT SPACE OF
| TINE-rHE sPEEDIEsr WAY OF SAVING LIFE
| IN a BURNIN3 STRUCTURE.
From the Chicago Herald
Twenty-six nves were lost st the Southern
| hotel fire IN st. Louis in 1877, and ninety.
three lives at the Newhall hotel horror in
| Milwaukee in 1882. Those who witnessed
| the latter calamity will never forget the dread
| spectacle. AS many, as seventy charred
bodies-remains that were supposed to con-
stitute that number OF bodies-were found In
The ruins. TNenty-three people lost their
lives by jumping from the windows, their
quivering and writhing forms in many in
stances lying on the ice of the sidewalks until
the walls fell and formed a temporary tomb
over the horrible sight. s.. Louis was the Inst
city in this country which introduced an inno-
walton IL It's fire department that has since
then done noble service in reScuing human
lives at fres-the pompier corps. Milwaukee
followed suit, and at present every large
city in the United States has regulation
pompier drill connected with the hook
and ladder service of the fire department. II
is a fact but little known that not less than
twenty lives have been saved by the pompier
boys of the department in this city. Winter
and summer, rain or shine, the men are drilled
in squads OF four three times every week.
wooden towers having been erected in the rear
OF every truck station in the city. The tower
in the rear of hook and ladder com parv No 1,
on Pacific avenue, is ninety-five feet in height,
representing four stories. At an exhibition
drill given there some months ago IL took four
men one minute and twenty seconds TO reach
the top of the tower The service, as may he
| imagined. is not an easy one, aud the drill
never fails to attract huge crowds. 1t is APP
parently of the break-neck order, but calami-
ties at drill are rare; at fires there has been
occasion referred to but one was in active SER
vice last Wednesday when the Herald reporter
witnessed another drill. Two OF the men lost
their lives ut a fire in q South Water street
commission house, when they were buried
under the debris OF the burning building and
another was injured. and perhaps crippled for
life, at the recent fire OF Cribben & Sections
foundry. The remaining one of the quartet is
Henry schroeder, O heavy-set German of WON
van order. Thomas p Breen George Baumann
and George Cooke made up the practicing
squad OF last Wednesday. The men had hardly
recovered from the fatigues of the preceding
weeks fires, and the apparatus was slippery in
the extreme, but the manner in which the
holders.
Capt. Peter Trainor commands the squad. He
Is OF 1.-the but wiry build and his skin is tanned
deeds of the department in the Herald the other
day, Capt. TrainOr's name appeared more than
once in connection with daring rescues. His
men bear the same enviable reputation. 1t is
one OF the conditions OF the pOmpier service
that the men should know no fear, and should
act coolly in the face of the most imminent dam
ger. There must be no furry in the haste with
which their movements have to be executed,
and at q fire there must be no deviation in the
grips from those made at a drill, for the service
admits of but one method, and the mistake of
one man may precipitate his three comrades to
the ground and crush them.
The principal apparatus of the pompier
man Is scaling ladder about sixteen feet in
length. 1t has at its upper end wrought iron
hook with a serrated inner edge reaching about
ne IA
hook is wide enough to reach over almost any
window-sill and insures comparatively safe
hold even where that Is not possible. The lad
der has but one standard, which is of strong
light, pliable wood, and the rungs protrude
about six inches from either side of the stand
ard. The hook is strong enough to shatter ordi-
nary wooden shutters. The next article is a
broad belt worn around the waist of the POM
pier man. 1t is of leather and canvas about six
inches wide, and sufficiently strong to sustain
the weight OF several men. Attached to this
belt by very strong strap is large
man can secure himself to the bent of the hook
when in action, so that he is enabled to pre-
serve his balance while using both hands. The
snap-hooks serve another purpose. The men
can, by taking two or three turns of q rope
around the smooth iron OF the hook, secure a
sufficient degree of friction to enable them not
only to lower themselves by means of the rome one
in case OF imminent danger, but even to take one
or two men with them. The rope used in the
one hundred feet long, and of the finest quality
Of hemp. 1t is coiled in an ingenious manner
for carving ia and s weighs os only four pounds
eleven styles. including ground, ladder and
time drill, evolutiOnS on ladders descent
siGada ana ss ascending in Sbique drec
the ladder on the ground in O right angle
with the building the men fall into line, and
dress, attention and right face, the ladders are
raised, which requires considerable practice
because they are long. slender and top heavy.
First the ladders are raised to the breast and
then, by Strengthening the arms, overhead, keep
ing the ladders perfectly horizontal all the
time.
This movement is simply one of drill, and
designed to make the men acquainted with
the successful handling of the apparatus. At
ter understanding the description Of the the
drill, may be called Nos. 1, 2, 8 and 4, after
nns ahel5 proceed IN the fol-
position, SO that the neck Of the ladder
is turned into the Window over the sri. II IS
pushed so far that the two brackets on the in
side of the pole touch the wall, giving the man
then No. I starts up TO the second story, taking
hold of the pole OF the ladder. Having reached
the hook. and holding both feet close to the
pole, he fastens his snap-hOOk to the neck of the
ladder and straightens his arms downward by
leaning well back in the belt, steadying him
self for raising the next ladder This is handed
him by No. 2, and Is raised up to the third
story window by No. 1, while No. 2 climbs to
the second story. and there raises the ladder Of
80 ~ liz q SiihIidi HduueT the otuef men lOl-
low, until a chain is completed. or course
the "chain" may be heightened according to
the number of men in a pomper company so
that in cases of buildings known as sky
scrapers there may be continuous line Of lad
ders up 10 the roof, with man on each story,
here human lives are In dGnger-and it is for
the saving of lives that the pompier service has
been principally introduced-this is a matter OF
the greatest importance II Is also Of great ser
vice for hauling hose almost simultaneously
into each story OF a burning structure. A we'll
trained squad, such as that mentioned above
can reach the top OF any building In town by
three minutes, the ninety-five foot tower in the
rear OF Hook aud Ladder Company No. hav-
Ing frequently been scaled by four men in q
little less than two minutes.
In this manner the top OF the building Is
reached IN manner especially adapte to
buildings the rooms of which nave exception.
ally high ceilings, because man can reach at
least SIX feet higher by standing on the sill
Than by being placed at the neck OF ladder I'm
position. Your ladders can be raised by eight
men at the same time by this style of drill,
covering lour different parts of one front Of one
ana the same building row OF buildings
One man with one ladder can successfullv
mount TO top OF building, and the old
quartet OF hook and ladder company No /
has done this on the building in the rear OF
their house In two minutes. After reaching the
top OF the ladder the man straddIes the sill of
the window, lifting the ladder 10 the window of
the next story.
There are four pompler ladders with contin.
gent apparatus attached to each hook and lad
der company, but one OF the styles of drill is
calculated for but one ladder, by means of
which two men mount. The ladder is hooked
md