The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-17

OHlNEDE ufe Dil5nAS 70 '-o d
~ most gorgeous pageant i'm !
~ aqinable, aud the way its
members 20 about the work
Of fighting a fire is worth the telling
Honekong, with its cosmopolitan
population and its strange comming-
hno AT palatial stone structures and
fimsy. top-heavy frame buildings, Is
peculiarly susceptible to great CON
aaerations. And in addition there
are dangers that confront hremen
there which are unknown elsewhere.
Most Of the old buildings in the ma
tive quarters are Of cheap wooa'
erected bv Chinese with their own
neeuliar IDEAS of construction. Nearly
all Of them are three stories high ana
supported on the framework over
everv outside door and window are
blocks of granite. When attacked by
fire more often than not from an over
turned opium lamp, the dry wood
craekles like tindeF, and the granite
blocks fall one after the other with
numbering crash into the street, a
continual menace to the lives OF hre-
men.
There are Eve separate modern hre |
departments, or "brlgades, as they
are called in Hongkong, the police
auxiliary brigade and the English
German, French and Russian Dri-
oades. All Of these stand very hlgn
n equipment aad service. At all hres
ne chief Of the police auxiliary has
fnll control. The various national
brioades are composed Of volunteers,
vonne men who give up their time
and money for the general good.
mt outside all these are the fire
tonqs" of the Chinese population
Great numbering, glittering armies OF
sillr and tom toms that add the ele-
ment Of comic opera to every Hong
kong FIRE. There are i've OF these
tongs. with a total membership num-
herring nearly $4,000. Each is dis
tin0ulshed from the Others by the
uniform Of its members, wonderful
full-length silken dress having en-
4 broidered on it in various eolors the
I word "Yid'-f -fre-crowned with an
enormous rush hat with the name OF
I the particular tong on it in big white
: characters.
As soon as the city bells ring ont
. the alarm these Chinese "hremen
tumble out Of stores and dwellings,
7 like ants, and, dragging on their uni
! forms as they so, lope down the hills
and winding streets to their various
4, engine houses. These places are
simply sheds, and the tre-hghtinG
!. paraphernalia they contain must b'
n h seen to be properly appreciated. Il
consists OF two long bamboo ladders
A few hundred feet Of rubber hose
Z several thousand ancient pixies will
!. iron and tin heads, a dozen grea
!. rvaterproof lanterns aud an assort
q meut OF g6ngss Each brigade con
y tains five divisions--the ladder men
"a the hose men, lantern bearers, gon
4. men and 'spikers." The ladder me
20 are supposed to Chamber up to tn
=. third stories Of houses and rescu
" nerishing inmates, though nobod
has ever web seen them attempt any
AZ thing so foolhardy; the hose me
- carry the hose to the fire on thel
- shoulders like a huge snake, and th
- thousands OF ''pikers' hold the
~ weapons in both hands and march Q
- 10 the scene OF the blaze in an u
n. wieldlv mob. What these men wii
-. mixes are for was never able to
- certain. The Chinese never use Il
weapons for anything except to star
~ in front OF burning building. hol
,~r- ~ inc them shoulder-arm fashion al
~ R occasionally pointing them at the tr
hal The duty Of the gong men IS TO ke'
49, up. without ceasing, the most hideo'
W ain their instruments are capable
"a "a prodncina. As for tho lantern bei
- ars. they might better be called la
m tern-makers. for most OF th'
-, time between fires is t@ken up
' manufacturing new covers to repla
ant those smashed at fires by the poil
y a. and foreign brigades.
.s The chief Of one Of these pict1
s esoue mobs is generally a well-to
~ chinese merchant. When he hei
1a - an alarm of fire he proceeds to ma
=. his fire toilet, an operation that tai
several minutes. Then, calling
- ~ his chair coolies, be is carried
: pressively to the scene Of the hre.
& y generally happens that it is un'
control v hen he gets there, a con
ton of affairs that be treats with 81
lime indifference, and he finds
He'd. thousand OF the members Of his
teau pade being roundlY cursed for bio
} b. ing the road by IT, 'loreign dew
-aint who are working. The chief desce
and from his chair. Is saluted by his .
mer. with a mixed shout, and then blow
the whistle. The pikemen form IN u
was on the sidewalk opposite the burn
ourt- house, the gongs begin the hene
dur noise. lantern bearers fall all
clav their precious burdens aud hose
the rush frantically round for water
view to find that the white hremen are
,tim. rected With al the hydrants in 81
calls The iabbering aud "hi-yahs
with crease to a continuous yell. i
ried. the red-turbaned Sikh policemen
/. for keep order at Hongkong fires,
has WHO have the eternal Indian hatre
IN to the Chinese. begin to make thing
"a all t.~oatino They mix IN among q