The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-05
AMUSING PARIS FIREMEN.
THEY MAKE 4 0ALLAET snow, BUT
CAN'T y ut FIRE.

TneJ furniAhcd sport for - Group OF NV
cana-sercniecn Minutes Answering tho
Alarm Sad Accident to - Lieutenant.
PARIS, Nov. 23.--All Americans know, or
should know. that tho fire departments OF
American cities arc uncqualled throughout tho
world in any particular whatsoever. II Is difficult
TO make n European believe this, for each ma
ton Clings to the idea that its own little opera
bouffc organization ia without n rival. no VIII
doubtless smile politely when you tell him but
he will think thoughts OF you and forever AFTER
regard you with suspicion.
The fire departments of European cities, from
London TO st. Petersburg, are built upon tho
same model, and q curious ono It 10. All tho
meritorious features are copied after American
methods, but with such notifications to suit the
hide.bound ideas of foreign officials that 1t Is
difficult to recognize them. Most self-respecting
cities scnd u commission to America at least
once in ten years TO find out what Is new In fire.
lighting appliances; but when that commission
reports back to its Government IL usually tie
clares that it found nothing in America worthy
of imitation. Then. after a respectable interval.
1t adopts q thing essentially American. claiming
it as an Invention. Straightway oil the members
of the commission are decorated with medals by
the Government and puffod by the newspapers.
and the nation hugs itself.
Hero is a case in point Some timo ago tho
French Government, upon the recommendation
of a commission, adopted the American sliding
post for engine houses and tho telescope ladder
for high buildings. To this day the French be-
lieve firmly that such things are in existence no.
whore outside OF Paris. Not only that. but they
rub 1t in. Tho following ia an extract from a
Paris paper which discussed-for what reason
will never be known-the subject OF copfiagra-
tions in America:
"why do not the Yankees have the honesty
to adopt French ideas when they are better than
their owni Is 1t because they are SO firmly
fixed in their vainglorious boasting that they
will not acknowledge that there may be n bet
teri Seriously, when the infant nation resolves
to have some sense it will find tho now course
greatly to its welfare. Who knows, for exan-
pie. II all these disastrous confagraticns in the
United States would have taken place had the
American Government adopted the Paris sys-
tenn of lighting fire : Why do not tho cities of
the New World build greet telescope ladders
like our owni They arc expensive, but the
Yankees do not care for that! Al rith0! 90
ahed, Then there are the simple rods by means
of which firemcn may descend from the dormi-
tory to the engine without coming downstairs;
all Partisan fro companies, as our readers know,
are equipped with these ingenious %contriv-
ances."
As all good Americans are interested in fire
companies, from the volunteer hose" Of the
village to the city companies which work like
beautiful machines, and as few American trav-
oilers have had the luck to compare with them
the Paris department, it may be worth whilo
to give q little picture of the Paris system of
lighting fire so much extollcd.
Late one afternoon in September the reading
room of an American banking house in the
boulevard Haussman was crowded with travel
lers. Suddenly there arose from the street a
pandemonium of shrieks. Everybody ran to
the balcony upon "nich the lour WINDOWS RnVc.
They saw a score OF men rushing pell.mell in
every d;rection save that Of the building.
r,ona tho Amorioans who tool IN Stand IN
the balcony was a stately old man who still had
IN his hand the copy of THE Sun he had been
naaai,n W. IooSa5t from ono ~ ,rotbor NJ III,
reading. lie iooked from ohe 10 unotner IL the
people on the balcony and smiled grimly.
"A fire" he said, and Immediately took out
his watch. Nooody khe" "hat nc dia tna1 TOT
until a~fterward.
: h.,.o,r = w. ,;,,yo throad Of .r,oto con,inn
inc oaicony 80" . -, 'ntoau u y coming
the banking house, which occupies the second
a. Tho n,ooo ,v,s a ,omn shon ord ..vor,I
of the women wero afraid Of an explosion.
Don DC aiarnlcu, saio 'ne gu 9ian. no
snop IN pnris t yer c,u usrr dama n s''c Wait AMI sas
the show; I'LL oG worm s seeing " n t-i,r,,o 4,
lnFee y s;,ns ~ th seiIe eWon sHnn IN y e;da
or the triangle Is lhe rear or the opera House,
ana the open spaSe oi weli'pTEou streeL e9,eTs
ABOUT a Quarter OF an acre. Inc potice nay tnis
spaSe ana ~ Inc stretts ,enu, n ih'p q eionreu
withln n'e mihuses' tne niarno NY y - uJe ou M
en- Irom tMo ooAes ~ ~ n9Ienoo nooo' III
eySrythihG was rcauy ior thc nrethon.
me enslne nousc nuare q u ano sceht ~ ahe
nre Is distaht lusl auout W MStres' WnlGh rs u
nttle iurtnoT than TOUT snort Sew 3orh CITY
DOCKS AS lme pa5seu anu NJ ehRine AM
INTO view. me alnerlcans on tne naicony ne-
came impatient ana some OF Lhem Haac snrcas-
nc remarks; Inc p9iicehen IN the ) reefs,
however, ana nc crowds OF peopie ~ INC DacE.
ground, looked LOT an tne world as ~ ihey were
WAITING tor q mliltary PROCESSION which was not
yet Que. MANY OF them seatea theuiselNes on
tle Suroslohe. IN IL nieantImo .ne sIlohc 'rohi
the lamp SHOP was becoming more aehse. u.
AZ ihsI lhcr9 WIS d pec1'in, .9oIims; uhiikc
anything else N the way OF sounds. IN the DIS
lance. IL was INC engine. iaris DIZZY, les. horse-
less carriages. IRE engines; ana strcSt cars are
proyldcd WIN log norhs ilslend ol oeiis, thS hrc
engine Is uistlnguisheu py us to9t, whlSh Is
continuous. nrsta hlgh note tnena low, ana u Is
the most lusuprlous morse the AGENCY ol mar
ever made. A siren "histie Is meloolous III
comparison. - A..
Two minutes alterwara Ihe people on lne