The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
TROUBLES OF OLD FIREM EN-.
Primitive FIre-FIChting and the Many Com.
plications Attending II.

Af
In tho days of tho old Volunteer Fire Depart
ment in New York. q glimpse of which Is oc-
casionally brought to light through the demise
OF one of the "vamps," matters were not regu-
lated and ordered as they are to-day, but nearly
everything depended upon the judgment or
foresight OF the individual. and there was. prac-
tically. no public authority TO enforce COM
pliance with even the most reasonable regula-
tons. A quito large item Of domestic im?orta-
tlon during the years preceding the civil war
was cotton chiefly from Now Orleans. Mobile.
Savannah. and Charleston. This cotton was
stored In cotton warehouses and when n fire oc-
Cured in one of these it lasted. usually, not
several hours. but several days. One such con-
hagration in the first year of the century at the
corner OF Roosevelt and Front streets lasted
three days, at the end of which the walls stood
intact. Some years later in another fire in u
cotton warehouse 1t was thought necessary To
blow up an adjacent building IN order to pre-
vent the flames from spreading, as tho watcr had
frozen and there was n high wind blowing.
Tho owner Of the premises refused to give up
the keys and. as the iiromen had no right to de-
mand them. an Interview was arranged with the
Mayor TO talk the matter over. The Mayor
recommended that the keys should be demanded
lin tho name of the city" The owner CON
tinned to refuse until; finally. the police wcro
called. Then he gave the keys.
Another cotton warehouse fire occurred in
New street. When it was supposed that there
would be no further cnnflagratiun, the tlremcn
werp told that they might better go home.
They went home, leaving one company only on
the spot playing on tho cotton mill daybrsak.
As the cotton continued 10 shoulder the propO-
sition was made that the time might be saved
by the adoption OF a new plan OF hre-tightiug
and SO the originator of It, Xophar Mills, went
down TO the wharf and hired some laborers Al
the cotton out Of the windows into tho street
and pumping water on II through hose. Thus
as Mr.. Mills described the method. /" bringing
tho water IN contact with every particle of fire"
Tho Kindly deeds of great public benefactors
are seldom appreciated by their contemporaries
The next day Mr.; Mills sought out tho Insurance
companies which had policies on the cotton
saved and presented his bill for the money paid
the wharf labnrers. IL was about SIS. Mr., Mills
thought the companies would pay IL promptiy, as
by his original method of cotton saving iney had
been saved several thousand dollars. Tie com
panies, however, refused to iiouidnts MIR. NIIls's
bill. and, as he ADDED in his memoirs All was
With the greatest difficulty / Got nv money
back, promising myself not to do thu like again =
Under the organized rule OF ne prcscni Nav
York Fire Department, the engagement OF dock
iaborers 10 throw, cotton out OF window nj 40
cents an hour would be Regarded ms a somewhat
primitive method OF hre-hghtIng' and the nres.
e~nIatlon BY the foreman OF a 6re company Of a
bill TO some Insurance. company would probablv
entail as II penalty his removal from The force
and he. too; might promise himself mot to do
tho like again.. --