The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-02-25
GrCcnVillc'S ITircmcn:


Tho Greenvillo Daily News OF the
18th instant says: The statement of
the PlcEenS SENTINEL regarding drunk
enness in the Greonville fire depart,
mcnt during the Clcvclaiid block fire
IS untrue and has very slight foun
! uatloli IF fact. Probably ten men
of tho two hundred and odd tircmcn
drank enough liquor to effect them
visibly, but if there was n drudkcn
fireman present that night, nobody
here knows anything about it, or can
name Om. If the drinking Of liquor
IS ever flGht or necessary, it WAS on
that night when men worked six
hours without sleep or food, with
their clothing III many cases armors
Of ice and their hands freezing to
what they touched. But rs matter
of fact thore was littl, drinking and
those who used liquor did it moder-
atcly Certainly no officers of the
department We're un ler the influence
of liquor, for they are, almost with
out exception, mch Nho never drink
under any circumstances.
1t is hard that men who work as
faithfully and intelligcntly and in
the face OF SO many har,!ships and
danger as o6f tiifemen should be slan
dcrcd by an accusation of drunken
ness and failure to do their dutv
based apparently ON statements o.
people i'll their own town, who prob
ably stand by Mt fires with hands
comfortably in their pockets and dc
nothing but get i'll the way.
Cur Plckens friend would not, VIC
are sure, maliciously slander body
of brave and public spirited meu and
good citizens, and has doubtless been
nislnfoTnod. Justice to- Grecnvillo
city and her department requires
chat he should correct the statement
ho has made; justice to himself re
quircs that he should give the source
of his information.
The Grccnville correspondent Of
the News and Courier.
GREENvGLLE, Feb. 12.-The MEM
bcra of the Grcenvillo fire DEPART
rncnt and many citizens Of Greerville
are indignant at the statements and
insinuations of the Pickcns SENTINEL
III It's issue Of this week in its account
of the burning Of the Cleveland blocl,
on Thursday night last. The SENr1-
NELs comments make the impression,
If they do not directly charge, that
drunkenness among the fremen was
the cause of their failure to stop the
fire. Tho SENrMEL's remarks aro
entirely ut ynrience with tho facts,
for all the evidence points not only
to the most valiant aud heroic work
on the part of the firemcn, but to
the undcniable fact that they fought
theilamcs brayely in the most intense
cold, the mercury being in the neigh
borhOOd Of zorro. The fire was over
before there was any relaxing of
their efforts. The bravery of the
tiremen was put to the severest test
Their hands froZe to the nozzlcs and
the rounds of the ladders, their feet
tro2e to the ground and the water
from the engines frozc into great
long lclcles and sheets of ice on the
roofs OF the burning buildings. In
numbers OF instances the fremen
were drcnchcd and their clothes bo
CAME solid masses of ice. The hand
OF MIR. p. II. Reilly, chief of the de-,
p&ftment, became frozen before he
relaxed his efforts; and the brave men
uhder INN worked with unAincbinr
moor without exception until the
block was burned down, First Asa;e
tant W. L. Martin taking commonJ
As matter OF fact there ,ynrn ~"
signs of drunkenness until the five 0
had done its disastrous work onG
even then there was no drunken f,o
lie that would call for criticism, II
such a time MS the fire department
had on that night drinking would be
excusable if ever, but there was q re
markably small amount Of it. THE
Sentinel. has been grossly ,Disfnfor
med and will doubtless correct the
misstatements and erroneous insinu
ations it has been led iato making
The firemen deserve praise rathe,
than censdre,