Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-01-18
A DOG THAT KNEW.
His Memory Cherished by Firemen
Whom He Saved.

Fire Company No. 10, which is sta
toned at the corner of Third and Law
renee streets, was at one time the
proud pOssessor of a large NeWfound-
land dog named Jim. When the COM
pany responded to an alarm of fire Jim
always went with it, barking for pu e
joy as he ran ahead of the hose wagon.
Jim is dead and gone now, but Com
pany 10 will always remember him, for
one night he saved the men and horses
from injury and perhaps death. This
is how it happened
One dark, stormy night, about l or 2
o'clock, when Jim was coiled UP asleep
at the back of the horses stalls, the
men upstairs dreaming, perhaps, Of
their wives and their little boys and
girls at home, and the man on watch
was hoping that no fire would cali
them out on such night, the Joker"
dropped, registering an alarm of fire
from Third and Central avenue. The
men leaped from their beds and slid
swiftly down the poles, the horses
sprang from their stalls and ran under
the harness, and jim, wide awake now,
stood by the door, watching with eager
eyes to see if it was go" Third
and Central avenue" yelled the man at
the ticker, the big doors of the engine
house flew open, and, in less time than
it takes to tell it, Company 10 was
tearing down Third street, with Jim in
the lead
1t was very dark night and the rain
dashed with such force in the faces Of
the drivers that they could scarcely
see where they were going. But they
urged the great horses on until they
seemed to be flying, for no time must
be lost in going to a fire.
Four or five squares were passed and
Jim was running about 100 yards in
front of the hose wagon, when sud
denly the driver saw the dog turn in
his tracks and face the oncoming
wagon and heard his bark above the
clatter of the horses hoofs On they
went but still Jim stood directly in the
path Of the hose wagon. What could
| it mean? The dog was barking franti-
cally now, as they swiftly bore down
| upon him. Surely something was
wrong with the dog-he would be run
over; and the driver yelled to him to
get out of the way. But Jim stood
| firm, barking in the face of death
Then the driver saw something that
made him pale, and with a cry, he
! jerked his horses to one side just in
time to escape dashing head over heels
into a great hole that opened up in
/ front of them. Jim gave a bark of JOY
when he saw that the hose wagon had
| been saved, and waited for the big
engine that was following close behind
Jim's bark and the signals from the
men on the hose wagon came just in
! time to save the engine from dashing
| head first into the hole.
! 1t seems that the gang Of men which
had been repairing some pipes beneath
the street had gone home that even
ing without hanging out lights which
would warn pople from the big trench
| they had dug. One can easily imagine
what terrible thing it would have
| been for the hose wagon and the en-
CINE to have galloped straight into the
hole You may be sure that jim was
made much of that night and that his
memory is always kept green in the
hearts of the firemen of Company TO-
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.