Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1896-02-19
LONDON FlREMEN.
bostly Recruited From the Sea-Must Be
Men of Nerve.

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Men of Nerve.
A member of the Metropolitan fire
brigade, seated in his street shelter
and scowling ut the curious public
who peep in at him or hurrying
from one 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
teresting body of men. Most of
them have been sailors, and, as a
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 few
men whose duty it was to attend
outbreaks of fire and do whatever
they could to prevent the oonfagra-
ton spreading. Their only equip
ment consisted of a 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 lace
on 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 a
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 a much more effective bri-
gade under James Braidwood, olev-
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 aocus-
toned to danger, who can climb era
zy, swaying rope ladders in a storm,
and at an emergency can even make
their way to the yards without the
assistance of ladder, make by far
the best fremen. They possess, as
a rule, the soundest Of constitutions
and the strongest of nerves, both
being absolutely necessary for fire
brigade service. Before being al
lowed to assist at an outbreak of
fire the 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 a 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 a first rate
The rescue drill is the
most interesting and probably the
most exacting and taxes the nerves
and the muscles of the men to the |
utmost. A building is supposed to
be on fire, fire escape is run out, !
and two fremen climb up like mon
keys and jump into q room on the
second story. One Stimulates half |
suffocated person, while the other
takes the role of rescuer. The for
mer of course remains quite still,
while the latter raises him and car
ries him down the ladder to the
opening of the shoot. Here the res
ouer places the supposed victim head
downward in the net, and, throwing
himself into the same position, pro-
3eeds to work his way to the ground, !
taking care 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 a window
over 90 feet from the ground into a
sheet held out by their comrades be-
low. London Sketch,