The sun., 1894-03-11
JOHN 1oRSET's CASE ~ COURT.
Gao Veteran FIremsn In C'vii service Places
B- Arhitr.riiy Rrmovsdf

Caa Veteran Firemen In q vii service Places
Br Arbitrarily Removed
All veteran fremen in town are or ought to
be. interested in the outcome Of the test case
which John Torney has been prosecuting In
the Superior Court BY chapter SIT OF the
Albany session laws OF 1892 the exemption
from removal. except on charges. enjoyed by
war veterans was extended to veteran Hremen
In civil service places. The Volunteer Fire
Department went out OF existence In this city
In 1895. and its surviving veterans are now. for
the most part. elderly men whom it was the
purpose OF the Legislature Of two years ago to
protect from arbitrary removal. The volunteer
iiremen OF other days received no pay for their
services. These were gratuitously given TO
the city. and often included grave danger to
life and health. old New York being a some-
what inHsmmAbls town. and the precautions
against disaster being materially fewer than
they are to-day.
The first steam engine introduced into tho
department was In lS4O 1t was brought
from Philadelphia. The volunteer fremsn re-
fused to have anything to do with It The
foreman OF Pearl house t2Sl on Chant ers
street, near Centre Was appealed TO By the In
suranes com pAnies to use II. aud the company
agreed. but after year the experiment was
abandoned, This fire engine. the pioneer
steam fire engine OF the United States. was
fourteen feet long. and with great effort
pumped water through . twO-ineh pipe TO the
height Of seventy feet. New York was later
than Philadelphia Baltimore. Boston. Buffalo,
and Cincinnati in utilizing steam engines for
hre purposes. Their adoption was practically
one OF the chief reforms which followed
closely the establishment Of the paid
fire department In old days of self
conducted. hand pulled engines and trucks.
h. Lii
zen who volunteered 10 serve in the DEPART
ment earned certainly the gratitude Of legisla-
il was in eonsideration OF these facts. no
doubt; that the msmbers OF the legislature
thought that the surviving exempt nEemsn ot
the old volunteer department should receive
the same sxemp ptlon from removal that Is en-
ioYsd BY army and navy veterans In positions
John Tornsy,. the plsintin in the present
case, has been ior some Years an attendant In
He iA well known on the west side OF town.
ssPsei1ilT IL eo1nestloa in,S WITH tWEish W Phrli.,
trlet Court. on Jan. l. he resolved to put this
point to a test, sad accordingly removed Mr.
nsrs Ia Bis T Place His coSStlaetion Do oi the Ia.
Tos1ss insPtutsd % R05 az acton ioE i@Gs 9shsts.
IrI sSd It came up last week before
which Is the usual method Of sniorcIng ! claim
70 Siies possession 81 Whish I, IL dispute snd
should be granted, He dlsmls Used the Appllea-
tion. declaring that the remedy Of an agETisyed
party was an action By quo WArranto against
the Incumbent. such has not been the usual
course, And there are maay deelslons against
IS 99I sSSss.I Sss sS'ss49S sS may be tested IN
warranto all yolu ntssr nIsmsn are Interested
10 the determination Of the question whether
With honorably disehargsd soldiers Gnd sail
ere. undsT tie law Of 1854