Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-02-01
LONDON FIREMEN.
Mostly Recruited From tho Sen--Must 10
Mon OF Nerve.

A member of the Metropolitan fire
brigade, seated in his street shelter
and scowling at the curious public
who peep in at him or hurrying
from ono station to another, with
his Ak and helmet slung over his
shoulder, is not seen to advantage.
He looks surly, and that is precisely
the feeling that is most seldom dis
played by firemen. They are an in
terosting body of men. Most of
them have been sailors, and, as n
rule, they retain the free and easy
jollity for which seamen have al
ways been celebrated. The brigade
of which they are members has been
in existence for only 80 years, but
the origin of the fire brigade move
ment takes us back to very ancient
history indeed. There were bri-
gades before the great fire of 1866,
when each parish employed a few
men whose duty it was to attend
outbreaks of fire and do whatever
they could to prevent the confagra-
tion spreading. Their only equip.
ment consisted of few ladders and
hand squirts about equal to those
used by our gardeners, and they
could not venture too near the fire
lest they should spoil the gold laca
pn their uniforms. In spite of the
terrible fires that from time to time
arose in London, no serious effort
seems to have been made to render
the fire brigade more efficient until
the end Of last century, when q
brigade was formed by the insur-
ance companies. Thirty years later
the question was again brought for
ward, and the result was the forma-
ton of much more effective bri-
gade under James Braidwood, a clev-
er and fearless Scotsman.
The men who compose the brigade
are mostly, if not wholly, recruited
from the sea. 1t has been found
that men who have spent number
of years at sea and become accus-
toned to danger. who can climb era
zy, swaying rope ladders in storm,
and at an emergency can even mako
their way to the yards without tho
assistance of ladder, make by far
the best firemen. They possess, as
rule, the soundest of constitutions
and the strongest of nerves, both
being absolutely necessary for fire
brigade service. Before being al
lowed to assist ut an outbreak Of
fire tho recruit has to pass through
a regular course of instruction and
drill and is taught how to overcome
or avoid the difficulties and dangers
that present themselves at every Sc
rious fire. Firemen have multi
tude of duties, and in all these the
recruit is carefully instructed before
being placed on the staff of any sta.
ton. The daily drill is very trying
and soon tells tales on any recruit
WHO does not start with first rate
constitution. The rescue drill is tho
most interesting and probably tho
most exacting and taxes tho nerves
and tho muscles of ; @ men to tho
utmost. A building il supposed to
DO on fro, fire escape run out,
and two f1remen climb up like mon
keys and jump into a room on tho
second story. One Stimulates half
suffocated person, while the other
takes the role of resouer. The for
mer Of course remains quite still,
while tho latter raises him and car
ries him down the ladder to til
opening of the shoot Here tho res
cuer places the supposed victim head
downward in the net, and, throwing
himself into the same position, pro-
ceeds to work his way to the ground,
taking caro- that the descent is not
too rapid. There are of course 9TH
er methods of rescue, and if the per-
sons to be rescued retain their con-
seriousness and calmness the danger
is not nearly SO great. An item of
drill that tries the nerve of the men
is that of jumping from window
over 20 feet from the ground into
sheet held out by their comrades be-
low. London Sketch.