Smyrna times., 1886-10-27
A Fire Alarm.

An alarm of fire fortunately a very
rare occurrence in our town. started
the quick pulsations and set the mass
Of people on Thursday evening in the
wake of those who led the way to the
point indicated, the new residence
erected the past summer by the late
DR.. E. NJ. Cloak, and occupied that
day for the first time by his widow.
President Taylor and Chief Engineer
Weldon happened to be near together
when the first cry was made and off
they started to the Town Hall for the
hose carriage and truck, gathering up
further down the street Assistant En-
gineer Geo. o. Bailey, the latter being
the custodian, volunteering to keep
the apparatus in readiness for use at a
moments call. All it required was to
strike a match and light the lamps that
are kept well filled with oil, and with
the aid of other members of the COM
pany and volunteers, in minute or two
they were on their way up the street
in a run, but were met before reaching
the place by the returning crowd say
ing it was all out" and hence re-
turned, without chance of showing,
/
the water works, the efficient work the
Hose Company can do in times of peril
from fire. Our citizens hope it may
ever be thus, but also hope that on
every occasion it may find them
equally ready for immediate service.
Our people have learned in their long
schooling of taking care of the town by
! individual, earnest, speedy work, to re-
spond at the first call, and a fire will
have to get we'll under way if it can
not be extinguished without the aid of
an engine to deluge everything with
water. In this they differ, if accounts
are true, from the people of Sal
isbury, who could have put the recent
fire out by vigorous application of
water from buckets, but rather waited
the arrival of the fire engine to do the
work which to their dismay was found
useless from rust, and thus under the
direction of a brisk wind the flames
swept through the closely built up
part of the town at the rate of a house
in ever three minutes. Superinten-
dent Taylor, of the water works, like
wise hurried to his pumps with the
intention of giving the water the high
esb pOSSlDlS PRESSURE ana IN llllle
while had the standpipe running over
When a messenger went to inform him
that it was "all over" he found the
superintendent exercising his impor-
tant functions for all they were worth
in pitching combustibles under the
boiler.
The cause of the alarm was a big
smoke, not a blaze, issuing from the
woodwork in the rear of the chimney
and in a place that could not be
reached. Fortunately it manifested it.
self at z o'clock in the evening, rather
than after bed time, when the most
certain probability is the house would
have been destroyed. The wood was
blackened and charred and in very
few minutes would have been in a
blaze. As before stated, it was Mrs.
Cloak's first day in the house, which
for year past she had been looking
to with very different feelings from the
realization, and Of course it was Sc
we're shock to her nervous system.
but greatly relieved by the sympathy
and kindly Offices of numerous friends
The wall Of the open fireplace in the
dining room, in which the wood fire
had been built was too thin but has
J been or doubtless will be corrected.