New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-21
CALLING OUT THE ENGINES
THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS SYSTEM.

COVER THE FIRE TERRITORY.
Is there a man with blood cold that the sight
OF gstenng fre-engne. with the discordant
clang clang, clang. Of the alarm bell as II rushes
along the street at night, has not sent thrill
through his frame and unusual shiver down his
spinal column? II there is such person he ought
10 be appointed hangman for life. His lack q
emotion would insure steady hand.
No doubt n good many interesting questions
arise In the mind Of the average citizen as no
watches a big fire and hears the pun, pun pun.
and sees the sparks fly from score or more OF
engines In the neighborhood OF the blaze. He Won
ders perhaps where all those engines come from.
by what signals they were directed to THIS partc-
uar spot and, the most important OF ALL "has
would be the result If fire should break out IN
the district from which these engines came while
they were away.
rest assured that all contingencies are provided
for by the ingenious arrangement of the different
parts OF the department.
DIVISIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT.
The whole force consists Of one department or
It might with propr!ety be termed brigade. with
Chief Hugh Bonner the brigader-general He
has two deputy chiefs or colonies. Francis ).
Reilly and Charles ID. Purroy.
The department Is subiiv!ded into thirteen bat-
ta.ions but It has met any great il-.uck on
that account The batta.ions are again divided into
ntty-nine engine companies and twenty-five hook
and adder companies. Ten OF the units in the
organization are what known double COM
panes" and they are extremely important factor4
as VII. be shown later. Three Of the engine conG
NAMES are in charge Of the freboats New-YorEr
Zophar Mills and Wiam +. Havemsyer Natui".y
| these engine and hook and ladder companies are
So distributed throughout the city, as far as possible
as 20 leave no part unprotected.
Each engine and hook and ladder company has
a hook giving the locality OF every street. private
, tic a arm in the city. Opposite tae
numbers o. these alarm boxes the numbers or
the engine and hook and ladder companies wncn re-
snon1 % the srst second. third. fourth and NTH
signals The sigma: always sends three or four
! engines ana a; east hook and adder Conn
many 70 the scene Of the trouble. When the fire.
men arrive. they can readily tell wehther or not
| they need more assistance. II they 90 second
alarm is sent out and this brings six or eight moro
! engines and another hook and ladder company or
two from the district nearest the IRE 80 II goes on
10 10 I'VE s,gnas each signal bringing an increased
number OF engines from districts further and furtnef
away from the fire.
| Using THE "DOUBLE NINE.
r,,au, :, those five signals do not bring enough
engines successfully 20 fight the fire special alarms
are sent out for specific companies from whichever
| districts the chief in command deems best "hat
| ia known as the double 8 IS used Tor the last
call First the call Of the alarm station is souhueo'
then the double and last the number OF the DIS
]
every company in the city can be called TO par
t,cular spot but this never happens This is "here
the double companies" come H.
Those ORGANIZATIONS are exactly what their name
indicates They are double companies having t"o
sats Of apparatus and twice the number OF men OK
| the ordinary companies. One-haf OF 'he "ouo'
company is always ready TO respond to can" TO.
examno II the first half ordered out, the secohd
half is Immediately put in readiness 70 respohu !"
| a subsequent call The protective part OF 'hs ss'.
| tenn IS that when the first half is out the second
half never responds call out OF its district eA-
cept on special orders in cases OF very srea' uan
| ger For example, II the ntth alarm should pI,ms
the first half OF double c3mpany Wnose -, not the
in the negh6oTh s qr fecod half would not
respond 10 any calls which the hrst nan Wou nn
district rI '''
DISTRICTS ALWAYS PROTECTED
r.o .,s.r,c,s If these ten double companies cover
ha ,,,,re civ 60 there Is never a time when there
orc no. 4, leas, one or more engines and one NOOK
an, ladder company ready respond 10 hre IN any
par, 0, the city OF cours. It Nigh; happen ,nai
wb.n taIrI a.rm came in. ana then there would
be no regular company 10 respond bu, even u' Ia
nee Win he complete and effective signals now
in use to another district such remote contngen n.
ces canno; be guarded against With fore OF size
WIS" Tsa N.WYorS ci;y force consists of about lloo
ali told This GS hl.sn ' q, FT re Marshas
me Bureau Of Fire Alarm Telegraph and Electrical
nPP.pn me hanes are ex;.nguished, by any means
Their detective instinct must come mo P'y ~
! origin There Is much Of this sort OF tnng con.
,nuaiy going on IN big SIty se IF the names
get well under way the evidence Of guilt OF This sort
usually DESTROYED But the pSee n ne ss n S
mes. OF the remen in stamping out the flames beISIo
thsy have devoured su-picousl looking lot Of highly
combustble material
MEN OF DARING DEEDS.
The members OF the department undergo innum-
! .r,be barlships especially in the winter. Fear
however Is a word not In their vocabulary. A Dig
fire seldom passes without discovering hero. VINO
can remember watching an important blaze WIFI
OIL, more than once seeing rubber-coated nremen'
with helmets pulled well down over their heads 10
positions which made the spectators hear' a''o''
Stop beating for a few seconds, ,-,,aorv good
deal Of their time is pleasantly spent. and at such
hours they can only be excelled by the oid salts n
terrible dangers which have cop within heIr ss
psence suh fires as ho an two Ins or three blocks
OF buildings destroyed; the Nev,fork central
railroad elevator 6az The She Al are %Sn
memory all furnish topics or interesting s taes
Nearly all Of these re ,rrotisn by ali except those
One Of the remarkable sights OF the city streets
viii clear street which appears hopelessly nloexea
with trucks and all sorts Of vehicles No matter iss
drivers find means OF getting out OF the way o an
engine minute before they might nave na pen raa
| mak,ng the air blue with their oaths, ana me Po-
| iIinnmaS night have been vigorously perspring IN
an unsuccessful attempt to clear the bocside; But
When the harsh cang q engine bell IS, heard Rsd
the trucks seem 10 part Ike the waters OF me nea
! Sen and allow the fire fighters 10 pass AGAIN IKE
those historical waters the sea OF Trucks comes mes
together again after the engine passes tnrougn anu
by the time the sound of the a.arm pen grows d'fn
IN the distance the blockade Is as pad as evSr -,
This is only an outline Of the general workings OF
! n most Important part OF the municipal nacn.hery.
Every subdivision such as the several bureaus al.
ready mentioned would furnish interesting materiai
| Ior story So would each OF the eighty-one
| n,a,ne .nd hook and ladder companies. But most
| ~ ,hem have been written about often and their
| workings are generally understood.
prsrJrS or A RELIGIOUS REVIVAL.