The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-23
now A FIRE ALARM AFFECTS oAmo.

Allah. Allah the FIRE fiend is upon
us shouted Ali Ida Ben MOhammed'
=, the gray-bearded old muezZln, as he
rushed out of the Egyptian temple on
Midway plaisance just before midnight
Thursday night, reports the Chicago
Herald. With his long red skirts bulged
out like toy balloon by the zephyr
from the turbulent bosom of Lake Mich
lgan, the ancient Egyptian priest hled
MIN with the speed Of a swltt-tooJed ga
Zelle down the street of Cairo. Peace
fully pacing his weary beat up aud down
the front of the village, Guard Burton
was thinking of the midnight hour when
he would be relieved. Suddenly, like a
bomb, a. L. B. Mohammed burst upon
the poor guard His shrieks for aid were
couched in the mintelligible tongue
OF the Egyptian, but two long,
skinny forefingers helped quicken
the astonished guard TO understand
the foreigners affection. To rush TO ire
ooX near by, open the door and ring IN an
alarm was but the work of an instant.
Then, In a couple of minutes and long be
fore the frightened Egyptian had quite
understood the strange Christian ways Of
graphing with the dread flames, or what
made the guard act so relieved after
pulling at little red box, changing OF
bells was heard in the distance. In mo
ment more up dashed a fire engine with
showers of sparks sputterlng from It's
smokeStack and leaving a fiery trail be-
hind TO mark its course. More engines
and chemicals, with a hook and ladder
truck and a patrol wagon filed with Co
lumbar guards in their shirt sleeves,
followed helter-skelter in quick success
sion.
Inside the village of Cairo everything
was in state of indesCribable confusion.
The shouts of their muezzin had awak-
ened all the sons and daughters of Egypt
who were sleeping here in this strange
and foreign land Alarmed by his cries
of fire, they jumped from their cOuches
and ran out into the street. All were half
clad Some of the men had forgotten
their red and blue and bright embroid-
cred clOaks; others wore their baggy
trousers wrong side before. Still others
carried these useful articles in their
hands. But each was too scared 10
know or care whether he had anything
on. The women had rushed out with
even less thought of dress than the men.
One woman clasped a babe to her breast,
and, wrapping it and herself in a green
and blue shaw, darted out from the muez-
zln's house where the fire started, think
ing herself in imminent danger of burn
ing TO death. The fire engines, when they
dashed up, added to the Egyptians ter
rOrs. Frightened as much by these new
4dltsI6u Calglu6S lJlIlllG ire anu SLloA6 dS
by the flames they thought behind them
the poor creatures ran around wailing and
tearing their hair
Fire Chief Murphy soon discovered that
the fire which had scared the MOhamme-
dams so badly was what we should call
false alarm. A stove in the muezzins
bedroom had been filled too full of shaw
ings. A flame shot up through the chin
ney. The fire died of its own accord,
having first nearly frightened Ali Ida
Ben Mohammed to death also. The fire
men turned around disguised and went
home. Ben shouted something to his
picturesque though scantily clad flock.
Both men and women seemed to realize
that the panic was grOundless and sheep
ishly they crowded back into their de-
serted hUts One feature of the fire that
should not be forgotten is the discipline
shown by the Columbian guards. Over
500 of them were at the scene of the
petty blaze almost as soon as the engines.