Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-01-01
PHOTOGRAPHIC FIRES.
Stirring and Picturesque Scenes CauG III
by Amateur Iir"I0rrs,

Stirring and Picturesque Scenes Caug ht
by Amateur Iirrs",rs,
There are III the city unu(u II
photographers who l"akun II rtiu4 y
of fires. hut whose !.~tUg,alhic in
tcrest in fires j., after ali, but * G.
ondary. They are primarily inter
listed in fires and i,roMvn. They Il 'e
firegoers, and with them, though
they may be well advanced il tie
art, photography but adds to thc IN
terest they find in fines ald serves
for the preservation of stirrii Z
scenes OF W, ,,lcrful fire and s,u@l O
effects and Of the working Of the ii'e
department under Ill sorts Of CUntl-
tons.
There are probably not moro than
half a dozen of the iIre photoGr.-
piers here referred to. Many PIN
tographers at one time and al
other get IL picture Of Il fire. Int only
casually, as opportunity u,> ents. \
fire is not like scenery, ~ Il hOus",
or q bridge, that one can 80 out AZ l
photograph when one wants to 'r
when the conditions are Favorable, :,
but it springs up UNEXPECTEDLY at !
sorts of hours and in various place.,
and to get Il photograph of it on 3
1-nn,,- l,,i,,,, of tln f.,
freedom of movement and Il Gamer /
always at hand, besides command Cf
facilities for work after getting II
the fire. These requirements ncce,.
sarily limit the fire photographer :
to Il very small number, confined II
the ranks of fin egoers.
There is probably no man who's :
blood is not stirred by tie sight Of a
fire engine dashng along the stree
to fire. Everybody is fascinated
by the spectacle Of the fire itself; III
arc Interested in lie fire dopal tmen
and its work and everything pertain
ing to it. There ale some fOr whom
these things have absorbing interest
These are the TRIGGERS. with an in
tense interest in the fire department,
and in everything belonging to i.
and a like interest in fires.
The fregoer may he business
man. He is likely to bet man whos'
time is more or less at his own com
mand, who can come and go as hi
peascs. OF course he has fir,
badge, so that he is free within the
fire lines. He is familiar with tn,
working of tie department. An ap
parntus going along the street has
for him significance quite LeyUnC
that which it would have even fol
one interested in such subjects, but
not familiar with them There arc
various things about the movements
of apraratuscs that 10 him convey
definite informal ion.
If the tircguer is also an amateur
photographer, he has a camera at
his place of bus mess or his office
ready, but he photographs many
other things about the department
besides fires. Eo has, fUr example,
Il picture of the men turning out on
an alarm, tho scene i'll the bunk
room, with the iircmen jumping ont
of bed. He has pictures of the hook
ing up in the engine house, with the
horses dashing for their |a,es, ard
pictures of speed exhibitions taken
at public displays of the department
and pictures of drilling men, men
| jumping into nets, and that sort of
thing.
At the fire he may take, besides
pictures of the fire itself, Il picture
of big stream, of course, with the
pipe and the men holding 1t. One
who looks at a series of such pic,
lures realizes right away that he Is
looking at something out OF the ordi-
nary. The fire photographer takes,
perhaps, a picture Of the fire line,
with tho policemen holding the reo-
pie back, ard the men and the boys
composing 1.-THE fire line that ev-
erybody has seen. On still day he
takes q smoke etfect-a fire engine
with great masses of white smoke
rolling up from the smoEestack and
broadening out into Il great, rolling
plume above
After the fro he may take pictures
| of the wrecked buildings OF OF q
striking interior. He takes next day
it may be, the burned building as ii
looks covered with playbills. 1t Is
not always possible to get satisfac
tory picture of the fire. 1t is com.
paratively easy to get good pictures
of the incidental happenings. Alto
gether such pictures make series
of great interest. The photographers
gives copies tn his friends, and some
/ times ne has them mounted as 'a'
tern slides. Thus enlarged an(
thrown upon q screen, they make
pictures of u most striking and in
teresting character. New iorl
Sun
ar. and n ovid VI IN