The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-25
TRAINING CITY FIRENEN
low NOVICES ARE DRILLED TO
THEIR DUTIES IN NEW
YORK
WORK THAT TRIES THE HEART
Delicate Way in which Men Are
Accustomed to Dangerous
Risks That They Have
to Take.
New YorR Mail and Express.

New Iork Mail and Express.
Easy now, easy! Swing away from
that wall there. or you'll get hurti"
1t was Chief Instructor McAdarns who
shouted In Sc dir ections to one of the
members OF the FIRE department s
awkward quad, who did not seem to lie
enjoying life to the full. dangling some
sixty feet above the ground, and only
supported by two. turns of the rope
which, flung from the roof of the rear
addition to fire headquarters, in East
Sixty seventh street, to the drill yard
below, had been twisted round the
afety hook alta he'd to mis- belt
Il tel you, this is the kind of work
that gives them palpitation OF the heart
at first remarked the Instructor to 81
intel ested group OF spectators, and there
was not ono but thoroughly believed
aim, and mentally concluded that he, 100,
would have palpitation, or something
worse, if he had to slide downward from
the fifth story of a building on a sing
rope, even when s6lemnly assured that
it was made of the best Manila"
But it is TO feats like this that our fire
adde's have to be drilled before they can
become full-fedged members Of the de-
Dartment If YOU are possessed of the
dea that firemen, like poets, are born, not
made, Instructor McAdams would soon
dispel the illusion. His opinion is worth
omething, for during his eighteen years
IF service he has drilled over $4,000 men
GOODNESS COMES FROM TRAINING.
Time and again. at the numerous de-
structiVe blazes which have visited this
eity, the work of the firemen has been
the subject of universal praise and ad-
lniration. Yet most people take their
wonderful deeds Of daring as matter
If course, and never stop to think that
the ability to effect thrilling rescues in
a fire like that of the Windsor hotel, or
the more recent Warren street disaster,
comes by agility and GOODNESS that are
acquired only by dint of hard training.
The place where the firemen of New
York are trained is the drill yard in the
rear Of headquarters. This brick-paVed
.ncICSure Is about che hundred feet
square and admits of drills and evolu-
ions with the engines and large trucks.
ct, quite as important as the yard, for
he purpose of drilling, is the seven
story addition built in the rear of the
main building expressly for the use of
practice crews which can pour tons
II water through the windows without
iolng any damage or inconVeniencing
anybody. The windows of this same
structure hold a certain terror for the
novice for by their means the use of
the scaling ladder, rescuing by the rope
and jumping into the fire net are learn
cd. When the men are turned over to
Capt McAdams they have passed the
civil service examinations, but they are
simply regarded as probationers, and
draw pay at the rate of $500 per annum
the amount prescribed by law.
The first thing for me to do when I
set a new bunch of men is to try TO
give them confidence in themselves
declared .the instructor. 'Why. man. do
you know if l We're not careful to avoid
scallng them at first, l would never get
one to, go through the thirty days train
ing which is necessary. Nervous is no
name for their condition when they first
e, cone Ct t? me- = Do | have any trouble
the first seven days [ have to handle
them most gingerly. If a man stays as
long as that he generally has the grit
70 sue suck 1T out Now, Just watch these
IelloWs geale that wall there as high as
me nth story have had them for just
ten days"
DIZZY CLIMB.
The Instructor gave the order. and the
men, shouldering the stout white ash
ladders, consisting of center pole with
long barbed iron hook caDab!e of bCino.
elamped to window stills Of various sizes,
GeSan 10 mount, passing the ladders
a, nSnd over hand until the last one clicked
story designated. Ordinarily a practiced
crew could have mounted the distance
IN less than two minutes. It look these
tII men nearly i9 ten but in spite of good ma
euIeo !lGes which the inspector would
from time, to time. deliver in criticism,
ne seemed pleased with the progress
they had made in so short a time
NOW, It may sound queer. but do Won
h Atr' II order those fellows 10 go one
2 ,.o,o hTlsher they would go all to pieces
remarked the captain lyon wor1d not
uraIly think that after being able r.
lCaIu such an altitude they could easiiv
90 ten feet higher; but they can't Theyy
nave 70 take the heights gradually,
coming down on a rope from a great
leignt, with the load of another person
20 carry, looks risky indeed. Yet after fen
GayS OF practice the man who were I'M
Get Ihe instructors supervision behaved
WIN rtultfkab!e GOODNESS, although their
movements could not be termed a~iIa no.
ulelr bearing over competent
IN pIdcuclne on the rope, the only two
Tcciuehts occurred which the men 1n]ar
instructor McAdams have met during
ms el8EI2en years service A defective
Lope was the cause. The INSPECTOR hqd
peSceHded from the roof to the drill ward
On On, II IN safety. Two men attennted n
tt0SiioW' put the rope broke between tFe
MN ana sixth stories, and they were Sa
NeielY injured in the resultant fall
JUMPING INTO NET.
Jumping into the fire net is nrohal7,,
ne easiest feat to the novice Ruf 6e.
ore they can attempt a jumr such ee
IIlItHIah Seabold made the Other d5V
.lley nave to gain a great deal of c~11T
TSe 10 test a new net, Seabold iunned
rom WINDOW on the fourth story -
lelSht OF flfty-hve feet. and landed S9fe1
- without hardly receiving a Jar.
When a net Of this pattern received