The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-08-26


everybody connected with the exchange
at night grew very anprehensive and
ruperstitious because they could ger
no answer 10 their questions. Several times
they called M our Office in the day time
md told us that this phone was being
ruaC every night or so. either ny shoSt
or some person trying 30 play Joke on
al,e,n. We tried IN every way 10 find ont
who OF what was causing all this trouble
and ANNOYANCE to the telerflnone peonle. but
our efforts were futile. Finally after old
Jim had been up TO his pran1s for several
weeks he succeeded In knocking the re-
Veiyer off the hook after h chad nibbled
at the bell and caused it 10 ring Jew
Times.
Hello there yelled the fellow in cen
trail Office.
..T-r-r-r-r-r-r-r.'' answered old Jim in his
accustomed tone Of voice.
"Oh. YOU old sinner shouted the man
at central office. I'VE caught you at last
I'm going to haze you arrested
..T-r-r-r-r-r-r-r' said old Jim defiantlr-
...You are Just talking that way, cried
the central office man in a tower of rage.
-becalse Won are at the other end OF TINS
line II YOU were here I'd smash YOU IN
fhe jaw
And Old Jim t-r-r-r-r-r-ed' again
The operator hung up the phone and the
next day reported Jim TO the Board OF
,.
four pecks of cats deducted from his week
nv allowance and was ordered to remain
confined in his stable, except when run
ming to fires-for a period of six weeks.
CHIEF PULLER'S STORY
No one attempted TO dispute the story
told by the superintendent, but on the
other hand each member of the little
group had a horse story Of his own. All
present were in one way or another con-
nected with The Richmond Fire Depart
rnent Chief Fuller spoke UP first
We'll. boys said he, scratching the
back of his head and neditating for
moment Il can't tell you such story
as Bill Thompson has just given yod, but
can tell you Of one Of the gamest horses
have seen since I first became connected
with this department This horse was
called Black Dick he was a great big,
BLACK animal and was always ready for
run. He had a diseased hoof and in some
way one night had torn the hoof almost
entirely from the leg. His suffering must
have been something terrible Way in the
might an alarm of fire came in. As was
and still is the rule all the horses were
n1:stabed automatically and went to their
places under their harness. Although ne
was IN that awful condition. Black Dick
trot1ed out OF his stable as gamely as any
of the others. there being ne sign of lame
ness about his movement.
IL happened lndl The SlediiieI ~ WHICH,
he was attached did not have 10 respond,
but the horses had to stand in readiness
for a given length of time. This animal
stood perfectly erect. and when it was time
TO send the horses back to their stables
At was discovered for the first tine that
BLACK Dick was shy one foot, or hoof.
His condition was quite serious for
long time, hut the l,oof finally grew out
again ard Dick did The department faith
ful service
Captain Kestier was the next man TO
talk horse. He declared that old Henry,
"a bay nag that was for nineteen years on
the horse-roll of the Richmond fire depart
rnent and that lived TO the ripe old age in
horsedom OF twenty-four years. was a
most remarkable "crit.er.'' .'Oid Henry
WAS connected with my engine company"
said Captain KeSstler. for eleven years,
and j am net eXaggerating when l tell
You that he knew every ALARM every tele-
phone call and every fire plu gin the city.
13e was veteran of the department and
the other horses showed Il degree of re-
Epect and Veneration for him that was
frequently remarked upon by the fire.nen
Nfaa noted this He was a smart old
fellow too. In latter years he did rot like
to be disturbed at night and would fire.
Quently play SICK
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.
superintendent Thompson remembered
this trait Of Old Henry. He said that on
one occasion an alarm was sent in late at
night, when one OF the truck horses was
laid up. Old Henry was called upon TO
take his place. The old veteran pranced
out of his stable as spryly as a three
sear-old thoroughbred. He thought he
was TO make his usual run with the light
supply wagon of the fre-alarm depart-
1nent. But he was mistaken. He was to
t.,il half Of one of the h ANY HAYES trucks
hat Rva Nhay, he
up against Old Henry lost his sprightli-
mess and began 10 limp. He looked sadly
at the big truck. and his lameness became
$50 bad as to make it impossible to go
ahead with him.
Take him back to the stable said the
Chief, who was present, and the old nag
hohbled back to his stall and another
horse was put in the truck harness in his
place.
Sam. the most celebrated animal that
Engine Company, No. S ever had. was the
most famous kicker in the department.
5Ie was the most vicious horse in the lot
also. He could lift his hind legs higher.
oftener with more force and in more diff
aerent directions at the same time than
any Other horse in the department Sam
got mad one afternoon because two of his
companions Were taken out for light ex-
ercise and he was left in his stable, and
he proceeded 10 kick a hole through a
BRICK wall two feet thick. The job was
completed before help could prevent 1t.
and Sam was none the worse for wear
and tear.
AssistsrtSCh!ef Shaw told pathetic
story In connection with the horses of the
Richmond Fire Department He said that
not many years ago two big gray horses
pulled Steamer. No. s. and that in an ac-
cident carriage pole was run into the
:;tonnach of one OF them and the animal
was so badly injured that he had to be
killed.
.gyp TO this time. declared the Ass.s-
FAINT Chief. these two horses had worked
admirably together. They We're very af-
Eect1onate, and when one of them had to
Ia Killed the other moped about his stall
ana was never any m ore good as a fire
department horse. Tie became nervous
and irritable and had finally TO be sold.
Wc. simply could do nothing more with
him. 2 .,..o,