The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-06-02
PET OF THE FIRFMEN.
"Jaclk," a Chicago Fire Department
Dog, Saves Lives by Giving
| Warning OF Danger.

Jack, the dog of the Chicago fire de-
partment has endeared himself to the
men of the trucks and the engines by
many smart tricks, in some OF which he
has shown more than ordinary canine
intelligence, but when few weeks ago
he saved the lives of the crews OF two
pieces of apparatus he built a bond be-
tween himself and the men of the blue
shirts that nothing but death will sever.
Jack is not exactly home-loving dog.
He lives always in engine and truck
houses, but he stays in no single one of
them; nor does he abide even in any
half dozen of them. North side, west
side, south side, he goes, all over town,
with absolute impartiality, lodging
with marshal or hose company or patrol
or coal cart as fancy leads him.
Several weeks ago big downtown
fire mad called out all the business dis
trict engines and most of them just
across the river. At the third alarm
truck IA from the north side came tear
ing over Wells street bridge and south
ward on Fifth avenue to change its
quarters. At the same time engine
company H. coming from west side
house, where it had been on change
Of quarters, galloped eastward on Lake
street in response to the alarm. Its
hose cart was little in advance of it,
and as the pieces of apparatus hap
pened to be timed a collision between
the little hose cart and the ponderous
truck would have been inevitable at
Lake street and Fifth avenue but for
Jack
The dog had been visiting with en-.
CINE II, and, as was his custom, he raced
ahead of it to the fire. He was about a
block ahead of the hose cart when he
shot across Fifth avenue, piebald
streak against the dirty perspective OF
the pavement. The driver of the truck
then at South Water street, caught a
glimpse of Jack and without the loss OF
second shot home his brakes and
pulled back on the reins. But stopping
big truck, half running, half sliding
OF high speed in the smooth irons of q
railway track is thing for ten horses
not three. The huge machine shot
steadily forward, its speed scarcely
checked. Around the corner the hose
cart was coming at a Gathering gallop
Neither driver could see or hear the
other apparatus, and but for the glimpse
that the truck driver caught of Jacl
there would have been no warning OF
the danger.
This mans hard work on the rein.
and brakes decreased the Roadway o.
the truck slightly by the time the cross
ing was reached and that single fac
saved the firemen's lives. The un
warned hose cart was still gallopins
heedlessly east when the big truck sud
denly doomed ominously across it's path
way. The driver of the cart was quick
lie almost overturned his cart in tn,
sharp swerve by which he fairly threw
his horse to the right. His left whee
struck the footboard of the truck anc
! grated on it as the two machine:
damned into Fifth avenue together
Had the speed of the truck been greater
any such aversion of collision would
have been impossible. AS it was thu
hose cart brought up hard against al
elevated railway post, while the trucl
slid south under the structure. Severa
lives were in imminent danger ever,
minute until the two pieces of appara
tus separated.-Chicago Chronicle.