Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-06-28
iApAN's FIRE sR,eArz
'"s t'rsn'sn % N. MIkaa.,s n..,,. -.
F;srtHtEh Once, x...a.4 10

- IN
, !, as Janan- In one week f,oo
n 7, were burned down N Tokio
aIn'e AMI IN the next week * nno
houses were destroyed N that - a.
Mhiie Sir Rutherford Alcock stats,
.nat Toxic loses as many houses d
.pns''t'ite the entire city every ten
years. The houses, with the aycar a.
'ion of the tiles On the roof arc ~,
structed entirely of wood and ~
windews are formed of fine ana
often beautiful lace work. .over.., '
with paper. "'yeree'
some buildings in Janan 40
matched, while the roofs ~ otha,s'
are formed Of little slatelke fakes ~
y. won' put these 80 readily take fire
Y sparks fall upon them that w
Japanese prefer taking the risk ~
injury from falling tiles during the
earthquake to being in even greater
laneer IRON fires than they pecessa-
riiy must even now be. II Il st,anoo
that in these days. when 90 MAN.,
young natives have come to Eurone
" STUDY the sciences, that their ac.
quired knowledge of chemistry has
not caused them to adopt some means
OF rendering the wood Of which tha;,.
houses are constructed, and even the
paper OF the windows, incombustible
lhey have, however, in the largo
towns most efficient fire bligades and
nave even the newest and hest fire.
engines OF European or American
make. but these are of much less ,,se
than might be imagined. for the SIM.
ply OF water is limited and the en-.
glne without water is mere mock.
cry Over every house door is placed
sign indicating that there il me
Wen on the premises, or sometimes
we see two or more signs. indicating
that two or more wells will be found
IN that building, and thus the firemen
KNOW the sources Of their water SIM
ply, and from these wells alone can
water be had
The scarcity of water renders il
necessary that all buildings surround
ing any that may have taken fire be
pulled down, so that the burning
mass be isolated. for there is no hone
OF preventing the spreading of the
contiagration by the water from the
engines, and it is this necessity which
causes the fireman's drill in japan to
appear so strange and grotesa,,e to
the European. Each fireman is fur
nlshed with a sort of hook. intended
for use IN pulling down the houses.
but the question arises as to where
the man is to stand while engaged in
his work of destruction. A ladder is
held upright by number of men.
who hold it firmly by these hooks;
and it is up ladder thus held that
the firemen go to pull down the
houses which are to be DESTROYED in
case of a fire.
The chief exercises of the men con-
sist in ascending the ladder and
leaning out from it in horizontal
manner, using the hook while hold
ing on by the feet, and in all sorts of
acrobatic feats which seem calculated
to aid them in their work. Some
times a man ascends the ladder and
stands in an inverted position on the
top round At other times he grasps
one side of the ladder with his hands
and throws his body out horizontally,
50 that he may have free use of his
feet-and it must be remembered that
the Japs can do much more with
their feet than we can with ours
but the chief exercise consists in
holding by the feet and using the
hook with the hands.
The firemen are arranged in corps
each of which is headed by the
bearer of a large lantern in the form
of some curious distinctive device,
from which cut papers. a religious
emblem, depend, and we have seen
a corps slowly and solemnly march
ing to fire, headed with this in
sigma, just as though it We're taking
part in a funeral procession, instead
of hurrying as becomes those con
celned in subduing that fearful ele-
ment, fire. London Graphic.