The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-19

Some outsiders were of the opinion that
the man at the pipe usually held it too
,hiph and lost valuable feet and inches
by so doing. But that was expert work
which the outsider had no business to
bother himself about. So far as the ar
rangements went there seems to have
been no chance for fault f nding.
The best opportunity for seeing the
work done and enthusing over it, land
what is the use of going to such place
unless you do get enthusiastically was at
the playing platform. Here things moved
along in the most business like manner
possible. When one company had USED
it's time and returned its machine, an
other was ready to SO to work. ihere
were no long delays. They would not
have done when there was such nelo
of starters, to borrow turf phrase as
Gen. HARRISON who looked SO carefully az
ter the interest of his townspeople mlght
properly do. When the men had arranged
themselves and the old fellows VINO COM
manded had got ZIP where they could see
and he heard and felt, the up and down
work began quite gradually. The pur-
mise was not to tire the men, but to
watch the wind, to wait the opportunity
and at the right moment to put every
mound of muscle into play. Each COM
many or at least most of them had their
musicians close by. These would start
some stirring tune in quiet way. The
old foreman, bare. HEADED. probably.
would mark the time for them as we'll as
for his men. Gradually he would in
crease tt and when he had a good stream
would work up to a climax with the
band playing for all it was worth in
quicker time than 1T ever played before
and in many cases with the friends of
the company yelling as energetioally
as the foreman.
That was the most stirring of the scenes
on the ground. At the other end of the
straight fine Of hose was another plat
form, and every point was carefully
measured and marked, it must bs re-
rnembered. At the edge of this stood
the pipsroan, controlling the stream OF
water It is no great sight to seq a
stream issue from the end of line of
hose 80 no one watches here except those
who liked to see the way in which these
important officers dill their work. A
hundred feet farther along there was an
increase of interest. For the last hun
dred feet of the wire fenced course very
carefully laid and measured and marked
platform received the water. Part of
that, the part where there could be any
doubt. was covered with thick paper,
freshly laid after each eompany's trial
so that the more remote drops might not
escape attention, and usually they did
not. The judges were men of experience
in the work and of character and stand
ing in the community. No tests could
have been fairer.
There are always elements of chance
which enter into these combats, wind
end weather, the physical condition and
vigor of the men of the companies and
various other things, but each had as
good an opportunity as the other. So
all through the long afternoon the strug.
gle continued. The leaders were never
headed. The brakes continued to work,
the spectators moved to and fro, the
tired withdrew, the machines which had
had their turn wsre carefully prepared
and hauled away toward the boats an6
the railroad station, the fremen scattered
themselves through the town and al
went along monotonously and peacefully.
1he record had been made at the start.
Wonderfully quiet and orderly was
everything. The fakir was quite con
spicuous and the pedler likewise, bu
they had decent respect for their Gus
TONERS, and gambling was not the strik
ing feature as it is at country fair. L
was a Law. abiding crowd from one enc
to the other. Let us congratulate oul
visitors on that. We can speak well o.
them now because we know them.
And we hope and believe the veterans
enjoyed the day; even those of them who
got no prizes. For this they will be in
debted to the local fremen ana veterans
The decorations, though not specially in
tended for the occasion, except in such
instances as at Mr.. James W. Plaisted's
on green street, and some Others, were
j new and bright and pleasing. 1t was
: really bright and memorable day fol-
Portland.
THE STREET PARADE.