The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-03-18
JAPAN'S FIRE BRIGADE.
Tho Firemen Of the Mikado's Realm at
Their Gymnastfo Exercises.

The Firemen of the Mikado's Realm at
Their Gymnastfo Exercises.
No country is so much exposed to fires
rs japan. In one week recently five
thousand houses were burned down in
Toxic alone, and in the next week fif-
teen thousand houses were destroyed in
that city, while Sir Rutherford AlcocS
states that Toxic loses as many houses
as constitute the entire city every ten
years, The houses, with the exception of
the tiles on the roof, are constructed en-
tirely of wood and the windows are
formed of fine and often beautiful lace
work covered with paper.
Some buildings in Japan are matched,
while the roofs of others are formed Of
little slate-like flakes of wood, but these
SO readily take fire if sparks fall upon
them that the Japanese prefer taking
the risk of injury from falling tiles dur
ing the earthquake to being in even
greater danger from fires than they
necessarily must always even now be.
1t is strange that in these days. when
SO many young natives have come to
Europe to study the sciences, their &C
quired knowledge Of chemistry has not
caused them to adopt some means of
rendering the wood of which their
houses are constructed, and even the
paper OF tho windows, incombustible.
They have, however. in the large
towns, most efficient Are brigadcs, and
have even tho newest and best fire en-
gines OF European or American make.
nf I'm
might be imagined, for the supply of
water Is limited, and the engine with
out water is mere mockery. Over
every house door is placed sign indi-
eating that there is one well on the
premises, or sometimes we see two or
more of these signs, indicating that two
or more wells will be found in that
building, and thus the fremen know
the scources ohtheir water supply and
from these wells alone can water be
had
The scarcity Of water renders it neces-
sary that all buildings surrounding any
that may have taken fire be pulled
down, SO that the burning mass be
isolated, for there is no hope of prevent
ing the spreading of the confagration
by the water from the engines, and it
is this necessity which causes the fire.
mems drill in Japan to appear so strange
and grotesque to the European.
Each fireman is furnished with sort
Of hook, intended for use in pulling
down the houses. blu t 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 a 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 consist
in ascending the ladder and leaning out
from it in horizontal manner, using the
hook while holding on by the feet, and
in all sorts of acrobatic feats which
seem calculated to aid them in their
work. Sometimes man ascends the
ladder and stands in an inverted posi-
ton on the top round. AT other times
he grasps one side of the ladder with
his hands and throws his body out hori-
zontally, SO that he may have free
use of his feet-and it must be remem-
bered that the Japs can do much more
with their feet than we can with ours
but the chief exercise consists in hold
ing by the feet and using the hook with
the hands. London Graphic.