The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-19
THE NAN on THE TOWER.
Watching for the Outbreak of Fires from
Dizzy Height Above the City.

''Ihe man on the tower" is a subject Of inter
est to many people who see him walking, day
after day, around the railing away above the
courthouse CLOCK, looking like little boy SO
great is the distance from the ground. In these
long summer days ne seems to have an easy time
of it, having nothing to dc but to look out over
the city and note any fire that may occur. He
is certain to catch the breeze if there is
any, and he certainly gets to see
more than anybody else. He has
the highest position in the city. though he does
not draw anything like the salary that is paid
the Mayor or the Governor. He occupies po-
sition which, in the eyes of the small boy, at
least, is romantic and fascinating, and the small
boy thinks he would rather have the place of
the man on the tower than that of the Mayor or
Governor. The man on the tower, however. is
lonesome in his greatness. and nothing delights
him more than to unbend to a visitor, which he
is always glad to see. and tell him what the
tower does and is doing for the city.
To a reporter of the Journal, who arrived
breathless on the scene after climbing seventeen
fights of stairs and ladder forty feet long, the
tower man said that, on the average, onefourth
of the alarms of fire are sent in from the tower.
Three men take turns at the watch, one coming
on at 8 o'clock in the morning and going off at
named hour and remaining until midnight, at
which time the third man comes up The little
room IN which the tower man stays
contains q stove, a telephone, and a tele-
graph instrument, with which to sound the
alarms Life mp there is comfortable enough in
summer, but the weather in winter is so cold
much of the time that it is impossible to stay
outside. Nearly all of that part of the tower is
of iron, and this absorbs the heat so rapidly that
if a man stays outside for two minutes in the
coolest weather he gets almost numb Formerly
the breath froZe on the inside of the glass in
winter so that it was very difficult to see out,
but last winter this was remedied by having two
panes of glass half inch apart in each window.
The watchmen who are on duty at night know
every light in the city visible from the tower,
and can tell just where it is. Every new light
that springs up is carefully studied and remem-
bered This knowledge of the lights enables
them to distinguish fire with little difficulty.
In the summer time, especially during the day,
the trees cause delays sometimes, their foliage
obscuring the blaze, and often the Waterman
scans for long time smoke from FIRE kinded
in somebody's back yard on wash-day.
A great deal of skill has been acquired,
and he can generally tell from the
manner in which the smoke rises whether the
fire is one for the department to put out When
there is any doubt, the telephone is used and the
nearest engine house is asked to send somebody
to see about the fire. When an alarm is sounded
the first pressure the telegraph key turns
loose thirssEfour horses. opens their stall doors
and wakes up eighty men. A large field glass is
used to aid the sight. The view from the tower
is fine one, and on bright days one may clearly,
by the aid of the glass, distinguish the
various houses at lrvington and Brightwood,
and even further away, and may see the chapel
and monuments at Crown Hill. At night the
headlights of the locomotives on number of
roads may be seen for several miles out. The
Big -Four headlights may be seen when twelve
miles away.