Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-08-25
GETTING TO A FIRE.
The Splendid Horses of the American Fire
Departments and Their Training


F. S. Dellenbaush writes an ar
ticle for St. Nicholas on 1.-The Quick
Horse, !" devoted to the training of
horses for the American fire depart
ments. Mr. Dellenbaugh says:
When fire breaks out in America,
it is necessary to reach it at once.
The telegraph was brought into
service in sending the alarm. In
Munich some years ago the method
in vogue was to hang out a red flag
by day and red lantern by night
from the top of one of the Frauen-
kirche towers on the side in the di-
rection of the fire, but in America
such a system would have resulted
in the destruction of the whole
town. The telegraph is the only
thing for us.
But it is not enough to know i'm
mediately the exact location of a
fire. 1t is also necessary to reach it
Immediately. The steam fire engine
was splendid machine, with steam
always up and everything in readi-
ness for instant departure, but how
to secure this instant departure was
aquestion. Horses we're kept stand
ing in their stalls with the harness
on, but this was not quick enough.
Each seconds delay meant loss of
life or possibly millions of property
destroyed. So the first swinging
harness was invented-a harness
contrived in such a way that, while
always attached to the engine CT
other apparatus, it could be made to
drop instantly on the horses back
and fasten there. This seemed to
solve the question, but there re-
NAMED one more step, and this was
the training of the quick horse.
Not only must the engine and the
harness and the men and the horses
be ready, but the horses must be in
the harness at once-the operation
must be as nearly instantaneous as
human ingenuity and brute intelli-
gence together could contrive. In
every fire engine house in the United
States today, therefore, we may see
and admire the quick horse, sleek
limbed, clear eyed, with an alert,
intelligent air, standing not far
from the machine of which he is
the moving power.
The casual visitor saunters in.
He thinks the life of fireman is a
quiet and easy one. judging from
the appearance of the quarters. All
is serene. The machines are i'm
maculate in polished brass and red
paint Some of the men are read
ing; others are playing a game of
| checkers.
Suddenly there is a tinkling some
where and the stroke of a gong. A
snap, click, and through the wide
open doors the various machines fly,
one after another, until the visitor
views in establishment an empty
house. 1t is like magic-a wonder
full transformation scene'' He
gazes up and down the street, but
the galloping procession has vanish
ed as if it were a dream.
The quick horse has done his duty
and once more exhibited the power
of organization and training With
in the time required by the firemen
of the olden time to throw open the
engine house doors the complicated
machines of today are throwing wa
ter on the flames, and the brave fire.
men, having scaled the building
with the agility of acrobats, are deal
ing well considered blows against
the fire foe.
In almost every city there is a
practice drill at least once day in
the engine houses, and the visitor
may have an opportunity of inspect
ing the admirable development of
the American fire system and the
fine horses SO splendidly trained,
and he may also have an opportunity
at the same time of lamenting that
other branches of our public service
are not conducted with equal eff.
| clancy