, 1886-10-12
THE FIRE ladies.
GETTING TO BE MORE EXPERT IN
ANSWERING FIRE ALARMS.

ANSWERING FIRE ALARMS.
Gotham's FIremen Have Got Their Bust
ness Down to a science-Time 1t Takes
Fireman to Dress-The Horses Har-
ness.
Every day the brave fire ladies OF
Gotham are g 'tting to be more expert In
swiftly n -wering fire alarms, and are on
the lookout for improvements that will
cut down even shorter the few seconds at
present occupied In hitching up horses
and starting the engines of trucks rafting
on their way TO the fire. The sliding pole
was an improvement on the old fashioned
pell-meu rush down the stairs that saw d
nearly a minute of preparation. Quick
dressing Is one of the eatures OF fire lad
die activity nowadays that fill every lay
man with Amusement. Tae laddieS have
got the business down to such a science
nat they literally jump into their clothes:
Every fireman GOES TO bed VIII his red
fire shirt on. HIS trousers are always
kept tucked into the legs of his heavy
rubber boots, and when he retires he
retires simply lets the troI,.r, sLlsoi
him and down over the DO u leg aud then
steps out of the DootS. Wnen he wants
TO dress h. steps back into the boots
again, yanxs the trousers up around his
waist, fastens them with n spring buckle.
and makes dasnes for the sliding poe
quick us a wink. comp .etely dressed.
II AVERAGE
Twelve secJnds Is tne average time II
takes "A fireman to dress when an alarm
Starts him out of bed at night" Serst.
S.nitn sad, and III bet 500 to 81 rs
many times as anybody wants 10 take tue
odds that we ave men here who can
dress in SIX seconds every time they want
To-"
The essential thing In putting fires out
In II hurry Is 10 get the machinery there,
as well as the III m who hanIlu it. And
1t is in this essential tning about the
science OF handling fires that our hre
commissioners think The department
com = MS near perfection "a it Is possible
Tor human ingenuity TO reacn. Improve
ment af ,er Improvement has been made,
until now the los, Of time in hitching has
been reduced apparently absolutely TO the
minimum There are only Two things
about IL that aren't automatic These are
the movement of the horses fiom the
stalls TO Their PAGES beside the engine
shaft, and the swapping of their collars
over their necSs by the Waterman And
DOlI THESE hIt uOnt III suCn a. ptTltCl way
that they are as good as OF nny-
how. Automatic machinery does all OF
the rest OF the work quick enough to
make your head swim if o try to time
the details. the instant The operator at
fire headquarters opens the circuit to send
an alarm tue current drops IA metal ball
right beside the gong the ball strikes,
presses down n bar OF brass. and pulls u
steel wire that automatically unhItches
the springs Mt the sides Of the stalls that
hold the hulters of the horses. The ham.
mer of the gong. simultaneously with the
first alarm stoke, stops the little record"
clock that Is perched on II shelf besiue the
gong, and thus automatically keeps n rec
ord Of the time Consumed in going to a
fire, putting 1t out and returning. BY
comparing the little clock with the big
clock on the wall that is going all the
time, the captain OF the company can tell
at n Z ance just how long It took to do
any gwen piece of work.
THE HORSES HARNESS.
The harness is Always suspended over
the shalt 10y an iron "hanger. y
1t Is held in position there by springs.
When ths driver grabs the reins the ten
sion loosens the sprln Is, the harnesse.
drop down upon the horses, the watch
ma oiiblS AHt 1OiAlAo aiOatiA Wv 1
necks, and automatic weights attached /,
little puileys ln-ihe ceiling carry tn,
framework OF the "nanger' up over heat
out of the way. improvements ar
s~teauily being made in the collars thai
tue fire horses wear. They are made IN
Two sections, fastened with "A hinge ut the
top, and snap together at the bottom with
al steel spring lock Collars
made OF cast IRON have recently been in
troduced in some OF the engine houses.
They ARE sixteen pounds ligAter than the
leather collars, wnicn weigh tnirty-slx
pounds each, and they are considered
more durable AMI ser~viceaoIe. These col
lars can be fastened around the horses
necks in II fraction OF a second.
Great us is the efficiency OF the appar-
atus Tor e~xtinguishlug tires, sui further
Improvements are contemplated. Com
missioner furroy is trying to have an
e.ectric liant, IN perfected mat will enable
tue iiremen 10 See into buildings through
thick smoAe, and that won 20 out aud
leave them in darkness, hs the present
oil lanterns do. Tn ommiss o1er's
brother van 10 rig up a double stage ar
rangement III every engine house, that
Will enable two engines To be kept IN each
house and thus double The capacity OF The
department to light fires. " men one ell
liue has lone 10 II fire, the otLer. by the
oe.hr anu he kept in instant readiness TO
answer "A call tor reiniorcements. New
York sun.