Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-11-10
a2AoTio Ora ApdINa Fires.
Gtirslng aud Picturesque seenea gnux,,s
IS byS Amateur nj "a poa,. t : Z,


There arc Ia tho city alaatoar
photographers who make specially
Of fires, hut whose Photographic in
terest in fires is, after all. hut sec.
ondary. They are primarily inter
ested in fires and firemen. They are
tiregoers, and with them, though
they may bo woll advanced in the
art, photography but adds to the in
tereat they find in fires and serves
for the preservation OF stirring
scenes of w1nderful fire and smoke
etfects and Of the working of the fire
department under all sorts of condi-
tions.
There are probably not moro than
half dozen Of the fire photogra-
piers here referred TO. Many pho
tographers at one time and an
other get picture of a fire, but only
casually, ms opportunity presents. A
fire Is not like scenery, or house,
or bridge, that one can 60 out and
photograph when one wants to or
when the conditions arc favorable,
but 1t springs up unexpectedly at all
sorts of hours and in various places,
ami to got photograph of it one
must have knowledge of the fro,
freedom of movement and camera
always at hand. besides command of
facilities for work after getting to
the fire. These requirements neces-
sarily limit the fire photographers
to a very email number, confined TO
the ranks Of fiIegoers.
There is probably no man whose
blood is not stirred by the sight of q
tire engine dashing along the street
to fire. Everybody is fascinated
by the spectacle Of the fire itsolf; all
are interested in the fire department
and its work and everything pertain
ing to it. There are some for whom
these things have absorbing interest.
These arc the firegoers, with an in
fense interest in the fire department
and in everything belonging to it
and like interest in fires.
The firegoer may be business
man. He is likely to be a man whose
time Is moro or less at his own COM
mand, who can come and 70 as he
pleases. Cf course he has a fire
badge, 80 that he Is free within tho
fire lines. He Is familiar with the
working Of tho department. An ap-
paratus going along the street has
for him a Significance quite beyond
that which it would have even for
one Interested in suoh subjects, but
not familiar with them. There are
various things about the movements
OF apparatuses that to him convey
definite information.
If the firegoer is also an amateur
photographer, ho has camera at
his place Of business or his Office
ready, but he photographs many
"ther things about the department
besides fires. He has, for example,
a picture of the men turning out on
an alarm, the scene in the bunk.
room, with the firemen jumping out
of bed. He has pictures of the hook
ing up in the engine house, with the
horses dashing for their places, and
pictures Of speed exhibitions takon
at public displays Of the department
and pictures Of drilling mon, mon
jumping into nets, and that sort of
thing.
AT the fire he may take, besides
pictures of tho fro itsolf, a picture
of big stream, of course, with the
pipo and me men holding it. One
who looks at series of such pic
turos realizes right away that he is
looking at something out Of tho ordi-
nary. The fire photographer takes,
perhaps, a picture of the fire limo,
with tho policemen holding the peo-
pie back, and the mon and the boys
composing 1.-THE fire limo that ev-
erybody has seen. On still day no
takos smoke etfect-a fire engine
with great masses of white smoke
rolling up from tho smokestack and
broadening out into n great, rolling
plume above.
Alter the tire he may take pictures
of the wrecked buildings or of
strikiG s interior. He takes next day,
it may be, the burned building as it
looks covered with playbills. 1t is
not always possible to get q satisfac-
tory picture of the fire. 1t is oom-
paratively oasy to got good pictures
of tho incidental happenings Alto
gether such pictures make a series
Of great interest. The photographer
gives copies to his friends, and some
times he has them mounted as Ian
tern slides. Thus enlarged and
thrown upon screen, they mako
pictures oH Il most striking and in
terosting character. New York
Sun.
"Jilson has a most unhappy way
of expressing himself"
ole told me he was going to pro-
pose to that charming grass widow
from Chicago"
"lle did. But his clumsy effort to
be ff-hand easy spoiled it. He
had read these illusions of Chicago
divorces until he thought they were
true"
"What did he say to the widow ?"
"IIe asked her if she was engaged
for hor next wedding."-Wa ashington