Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
RUNNING WITH THE HOSE.

railway men believe in the providence Of
God"
RUNNING WITH THE HOSE.
How "Jimmy" Doherty Once Did 1t
Down a Hotel Elevator Shaft.
From the Chicago News.
All large hotels that are not of the most
modern construction maintain fire depart
ments recruited from among their en-
ployes. Even some that have been built In
the most careful manner. ffreproof from
foundation to roof have learned from the
experience Of similarly erected Office build
ings that it is best to have their people
trained to act promptly in case Of an emer-
sency. So the porters. the bell boys and
the clerks in the front of the house. and
the cooks. yardmen. engineers and others
in the back of the house. are assigned sta
tons and are drilled from time to time,
when 1t can be done unobtrusively.
During the second fire. on July IA. 1874,
II was thought more than once that the
Grand Pacific would have to go. The va
can't ground between the hotel and the
Lake Shore and Rock Island station, now
filed with massive business blocks, was
one of the factors that saved 1t, and an
ether was its own amateur fire depart
ment. The city to the south, from Polk
street down, was a seethng mass of flame.
Great sparks rose from the acres of fire
sailed cometlike through the air and light
ed upon the roofs to the south and west.
All business was stopped through the after
loon, and the evening saw the house large
ly deserted. many of the guests leaving the
city. with their belongings, terrified by the
memories Of the fire two years and nine
months before. OF those who did not leave
the hoCse-and there were many. like
Frank Parmelee and Thomas Gaylord, who
were in the hotel as long it kept open
a large proportion were In the so-called ex-
ChdnRe. diSa probabilities
Of the future. Meantime the fire depart
ment was on the roof keeping away the
famed.
The old Grand Pacific had two inner
courts, neither of them Of any great size.
The hotel engines in the basement provided
the force for the eight standpipes which
carried water to the roof, and the four
companies into which the employees were
divided were all busy for time. When the
danger grew less imminent the cheerful
rivalry between one Of the companies from
the front of the house and another from
the back set them to playing the hose on
each other across the court. Both sides en-
tered into the spirit of the thing. There
was not much force at the moment, and
the two parties drew near the edge of
the roof as possible. One of the ppemen
was George Fassett, who Will be remcm-
bered as a most lovable and charming fell
low, and he was almost hanging over the
edge trying to wet down his opponents
when a sudden burst of energy from below
Strengthened out the hose in the ugly man
ner a hose pipe has-and George found him.
self dangling over the edge of the roof IN
The mcst alarming position in the world.
He was q large man, then. but fortunate
ly had lost none of the earlier strength in
his arms, and 50 hung steadfastly to The
smooth brass nozzle until his companions
could bring him back safely once more
Later Fassett was connected with the
Baldwin in San Francisco and went from
there to Honolulu where he died. He grew
so stout before the end that he had TO be
Ioa1 o1 In, .hoi lint hn n
his cheerfulness and geod-nature up to the
last.
little yardman named Jimmy Doherty
had a more curious experience at dress
rehearsal in the fremont House few
years later. The laundry being the most
dangerous part of any hotel, by reason of
the heat and dryness of so much OF 1t, II IS
a favorite plan to bring the hose Of the
amateur fire department to bear upon it;
beside, it frightens the laundry girls,
though never SO much as they pretend.
Three lines were serviceahle-one from the
engine room. one from the lower hall and
a third from the pantry, two long flights
above. 1t was to this last that Doherty
was assigned. At given signal the men
left their usual occupations and ran to
their stations. To the surprise OF all con-
cerned, long before the two lines Of hose
nearest the scene could be used. Jimmy ap-
peared from midspace with his, highly
elated at his success.
When the cause for this record-breakins
event was inquired into 1T appeared that
Jimmy had jumped on the freight elevator
leading from the door Of the engine room
to the top of the house 1t had occurred to
him that as the pantry hose reel stood
within a few feet of the elevator door,
much the quickest thing he could do would
be to take the elevator up. get the hose,
and come back to the elevator with 1t. But
it turned out that there still more
expeditions way-and he did it. In his
hurry he forgot to stop the elevator as he
reached the pantry door. Stepping out. he
grabbed the nozzle of the hose with both
hands-it did not unreef readiiy-and step
Jed off into the elevator shaft. the cab
meanwhile having pursued it's peaceful way
toward the roof
InstjEctively Jimmy hung to the only
thing within reach, which was the hose,
and down he came sailing through the
darkness of the shaft, the hose running on
with plenty of speed. but still not so fast
that he was injured in any way. Sure,
wasn't hurried at ALL he said, when he
reached the bottom. Though the expert |
ment was never repeated. the memory of
the exploit deserves to be kept alive No
matter what other records are, 1t stands to
reason that you can make quicker run
with the hose coming down a shaft than
On level ground-and Jimmy Doherty holds
it..
Hn. Tnfk Ton