Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-21
MINNIE IS A MASCOT.
Large Member of Feline Tribe Treas-
ured by n Fire Company.


ured by n Fire Company
Members of No. engine company. on p
street between 9th and 10th, have a mascot
IN their engine house of which they are
justly proud. This mascot is in the shape
of an extraordinarily large black and
white stumpytailed tom cat. Without
regard to its sex and simply out of pure
cussedness the foreman of the company
says the cat is called Minnie" Minnie
does not exactly go to fires with the men,
but knows as well as they DO when an
alarm comes in. In the daytime he
sleeps for the greater part of the time
on the hose carriage, but at the first stroke
of the bell he springs into an upright posi-
tlon, waits until the horses come forward
then bounds back and out of the way.
one day soon after he made the engine
house his headquarters the funny sounds
startled Minnie's ears for the first time
The two big things, which he had supposed
fixtures before, began moving, and he was
almost ground to death underneath the
wheels. This taught him lesson, which
he did not forget, SO when the loud thing
begins making its noise now Minnie goes
back as the horses come forth.
The cat found by one of the mem
bers of the company about four years
ago in the street in front of the house.
with broken hip and almost dead from
hunger. He was taken in, bathed in
hot water and arnica and his early re-
covery followed. From that time Minnie
began to fraterniZe with the firemen, and
seldom leaves the station house. He oc-
cas.ohally takes short trips to a grocery,
near by, where he is a great pet, but in
variably returns in a short time to the
engine house.
Minnie is as great a favorite with the
company horses as he is with the fire.
men. While they are lying down at night
the cat goes in their stalls and they rub
their noses against him, showing the great
est friendlness, which he recognizes by
purring and archins his back The horses
never attempt to lnjure him in any way.
Strange to relate, the cat recognizes any
bo0y In fireman's uniform, and is partc-
ulariy companionable with such persons.
While he will permit advances from any
body else, he receives them as If he did not
care for them at all, and will slip away at
the first opportunity afforded.
There is another cat at the engine house
which Minnie treats with dignified con-
tempt. No. 2 came there under much the
same circumstances as Minnie, and he
seems to recognize this fact, and evinces
no particular luminosity, but woe betide
any other feline which appears at the en-
trance or manages tc slip inside the engine
house. The fur flies in a minute. for Min
ME is a fighter, above all things. and will
not permit any intrusion. The cat is one
of the largest in Washington, and the
firemen are as fond Of him as they are
of their engine.
Since the time of Chief Cronin fremen
who keep dogs in the engine house not
looked upon with favor. 1t is rather
frowned upon by the department There
is reason for this. In a certain engine
house were two bull terriers. Chief Gro
min suffered from insomnia and was in
the habit of visiting the different engine
houses at night to see that everything was
in good order and the watchmen awake.
The watchmen in this particular house
where the dogs were kept had a habit Ct
going to sleep out in front in their chairs
after 10 O'Clock at night. Chief Cronin
discovered this in some way, and frequent
ly tried to slip up on the watchmen. but
prevented by the dogs, who would
bark and arouse the men when anybody
came within half block of the house.
This was what caused the barring of dogs
from the engine houses.