St. Paul daily globe., 1888-03-11


parade, their blue clothes and brass
buttons looking as bright as possible,
and their hands incased in white cotton
gloves. There is any amount of work,
and hard work at that, to be done
around an engine house, and the fire.
men are obliged to do this work. Yet,
despite the hardships of fireman'S
life, there are hundred or more can
didates for every vacancy. Probably
not one reader in hundred knows how
to proceed in order to become fireman.
Many have an idea that a man obtains
his position through political influence
or personal friendship. Such is not the
case, as many man who has tried to
"work" Chief StetSOn has found to his
sorrow. When there are vacancies to
fill, all the men who have applications
in are notified to appear at some hall to
be examined. On reaching this hall
they are numbered from one up, and
subjected to a severe physical exam
inatiOn, such as running. jumping.
lifting, climbing a swinging rope
and the like. The men standing the
highest are then subjected to medical
examination, and those found all sound
| are taken on probation, or as many of
them as are necessary to fill the vacan-
cies. Those remaining give in their
names and are placed on the sub list,
and may be appointed to position at
| any time. After being appointed on
| the department each man purch ases his
| uniform and as many extra garm ents as
| he may want. He is then assigned to
one of the engine houses, where he re-
| mains for two or three months on trial.
If found all right he is given a perma-
nent place. By this time he is an ex-
perienced fireman, so to speak, and is
not fit subject for the rest OF the men
to play jokes on.
The inside of an engine house is
curiosity in its way, and is we'll worth a
visit any time. The engine stands on
! one side of the room and the hose cart
Oh the other, pretty well back. just
back of these is the stable, where the
horses are kept day and night: The
harnesses are suspended by swinging
rings over the tongue OF the engine, and
are so arranged that by means OF one or
upon the horses. The gong, which
strikes the alarm when a box. i
pulled, is connected with cleo
tric wires, which. when an alarm
is sounded, release the springs which
keep closed the doors of the horses
stalls. AS the doors fly open the trained
animals come rushing out, seemingly
bewildered. But this view is at once
dispelled by seeing them jump into
their places, and wait, trembling with
excitement, for the harness to be
snapped together. While two men are
| Harvesting the horses the driver jumps
| to his seat on the engine, dressing as he
| goes. On reaching his seat he pulls a
leased from the rings which held them
up, and the doors of the engine house
fly open. With jump the horses start,
the firemen swing onto the apparatus,
| dressing as they go, and i'll less than
half minute from the time the alarm
| first sounded the engine is tearing down
the street.
The sleeping rooms of the firemen are
in the second and top story of the en-
CINE houses. In the center of the room
is big round hole, and passing down
through this hole, and firmly fastened
| into the floor beneath are two brass
pipes, probably three or four inches
| thick. These pipes are polished to
| high degree, and shine like FURNISHED
| gold. When an alarm is sounded at
| night when the firemen are in bed, they
| do not wait to dress and come down the
stairs, but grasping their clothes make
one Jump for the stand pipes, which
| they throw one arm and one leg around
and slide to the bottom with lightning
| like rapidity. But woe to the man who
grasps the pipe with his hands. Those
useful members will have the skin pretty
well torn from them by the time the
owner reaches the bottom. There are
two men detailed by the captain of the
company to stand watch every night.
The retiring hour at each house is from
9 to 10, and at that hour the first watch
goes on. He remains on duty until 10
or O'Clock, when he awakens the sec
| ond watch, who relieves him. This
second watch remains on duty until day
break. 1t is the duty of the night watch
to keep an eye on the engine house, see
that nothing goes wrong, and in some
cases 60 up in the tower and look over
| the adjacent neighborhood.
| No matter what the weather is, fire.
man is always expected to be ready to
answ to cali, ready to stand for
hours in drenching rain. or slowly
| freeze in storm. He is machine, so
| to speak. but there are no jollier, more
obliging men in the city.