Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-02
rescue q large heavy girl whom I had
never even met and who was in her bare

rescue q large heavy girl whom had
never even met and who was in her bare
feet.
A volunteer fireman has too many so
cial strains to stand for the salary he
gets. Another time was fined for not
attending a fire because was asleep at
the time it occurred. was very angry
when learned that was. fined again,
and for such trivial offence, too.
then offered my resignation. What you
want, said with scathing and searching
scorn, sis q somnambulist. am not one
of those. Search elsewhere for your
6remen. ana not lacking in courage,
but am not constructed according to
your plans and specifications"
Once / was fined also for seeing .
young lady esAme after the alarm OF fire
had been given. appealed, but lost my
case, and had to pay for simply an act Of
common gallantry. Others, presume,
would leave bright young lady stand
ing in the street, where the cars might
run over her, and rush wildly off to fire,
but l could not do that. never could.
Socially was a great triumph as a
volunteer fireman, and no one in the his
tory of confagrations and hairbreadth
escapes could ''call Off better at fire.
mems ball than l, but when l would get
smoke in my lungs and retire to the
, orchard to cough, the foreman would
curse me bitterly and say that "he
wouldn't be likely to take but little
more off me-" Then he would report me
and fine me. was found s. that way
three times.
There are two sides to the great war
on Staten Island, but in the mean time
an occasional house burns down before
the Perth Amboy fire company can come
and chop hole in the roof.
! Possibly before this is printed the
trouble may be quieted in some way, and
all be again at peace. Otherwise l see
no way but for a few of the wealthy
taxpayers to meet at my slosh, opposite
the reservoir, and form a company Of
volunteers to be called the Damp and
Noiseless Squirt Company of the Kills.
I AS it is now, can point out thousand
young villages of the new west with
$500 people that would easily shame this
wealthy and populous town of over ten
times the population and dozen times
the wealth
My own experience as volunteer
fireman teaches me that we cannot hold
volunteer fireman down to the same
rigid requirements that we can paid
department, and possibly the best way
out of the trouble Is, after all, to unite
with the United States at the same time
that Canada comes in.
Staten Island has many very attract
i've features aside from her fire depart
ment, fisheries, night blooming cereus
oil refneries, Constable Hook (and Lad
der company, Sabbath baseball, suicide
and summer street railways, which rur
when it is not too stormy. All these anC
many other reasons are urged why W,
should enter the Union, adding Sout!
Beach, the great Newport of Richmond
county, to the desirable watering places
for stock especially, which the Unitet
States could then claim. With lar =
cool tunnel open at both ends and con
Meeting US with Brooklyn we might be
come an important factor of the futur
great metropolis. The present Unite,
States minister to Staten Island, o
course, is good man, but as a citizel
and taxpayer, also Veritas and Pro Bon
Pubico, / would favor annexation.