The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-01
RICH FIRE FIGHTERS.
BY SIDE WITH THEIR COACH
MEN.

ment Has Reached So High "A De-
gree of Discipline and Efficiency
That the Insurance Rnte Is Almost
as Low as That of New York City.
when an Alarm Is Sounded, Out
Turn the Firemcn In Yachting
FIanneIs or Full Evening Dress,
According to the Hour-Hard
Chief Bonner Once Saved "a Dance
From Disruption by IA False Alarm.
Copyright, 1901 by E. w. Sargent
New York, June 2S.-Every suburbaN
town whose population is made up large
ly of men of wealth and more or less lei
sure, has its own particular fad. In one
place it is golf, in another tennis; in a
third, polo. Larchmont, one of the most
beautiful Of the suburbs of New York
city, has for many years been famous
for its yachts. But of late years there
has come a new and livelier interest The
Larchmonters have turned from water
to fire and to-day the town has the dis
tinction of possessing a volunteer fire
department the aggregate wealth of
whose members mounts far up into the
millions. Half dozen of the hard-work-
ing fremen are milionaires, and a score
of others are worth half a million and
upwards, each. What is of far greater inn
portance in the local estimation, is the
fact that the department is regarded by
professional firemen as the most effective
volunteer fire organization in the coun-
try. 1t is open to any man who has the
requisite strength, intelligence and amen
ability to its rigid discipline, and in it's
ranks the railroad magnate vies with the
day laborer and the millionaire suburban
lite with his coachman or gardener in an
equal rivalry.
When the Larchmont Volunteer Fire
Department was organized in 1890, its
equipment was such as might be expect
ed in a country town of 1500 inhabitants;
an old-time brake engine, a hose reel,
and a small collection of ladders It's
discipline was on a par with it's outfit.
AS the department grew older dts disci-
pline improved somewhat, but 1t was not
until last year when Mayhem w. Bron-
son became chief that high standard
was reached. Mr. Bronson is a man of
considerable wealth, and leisure to fol-
lew out his bent for fire-fghting. Three
years ago he Joined the Larchmont De-
una becoming convinced InaI
the way to learn fire-fighting was to go
to the men who make a life-work of It,
he succeeded in gaining the privilege of
probationary course In the New York
Fire Department, taking the regulation
thirty days in the training school, under
Chief Instructor McAdam, after which he
was assigned to duty with one of the
engine companies as an ordinary fireman.
He was made chief instructor of the
Larchmont department, and organized its
life-saving corps in the spring of last
year. and kept his two yachts out of com
mission all summer, in order that ne
might have more time to devote to the
Organization of the department.
The actual working force of the depart
ment now numbers 2l8 men with an en-
gine hose, and hook and ladder company,
life-saving protective corps and an am
bulance corps, in addition to three auxil-
iary details, each provided with a hose
reel, stationed at outlying points, where
they may quickly answer alarms In their
districts. The men forming the auxiliary
details live near the reel houses. and the
scheme is worked remarkably we'll The
assignment is so arranged that there are
always some men in the vicinity of the
house, and they are able to get water
on fire from ten to twenty minutes be-
fore the steamer arrives. The apparatus
is all of the type employed in the large
city departments, with swinging harness
all ready to drop on to the horses, and
the boiler of the steamer always "hot."
So efficiently has the department done its
work with the improved apparatus, that
the insurance rate in Larchmont is 30
cents, which is only S cents more than
the premium asked in New York. and
from 10 to 30 cents cheaper than the rate
In the smaller cities. This efficiency has
only been reached by hard work. and rig
Id discipline. No favoritism Is shown by
the department commanders The wealthy
members OF the organization take their
full share of the hard work, this being
the only department where the same
treatment is accorded all.
One OF the most interesting summer
sights in Larchmont is the training school
where the men are drilled in the
life-saving manual. AS in the New
York department, every fireman is sup
posed to be able to handle the scaling lad
der to go up and down the ropes, TO
jump to the net, swing from the windows,
and employ various other tactics includ-
ed I'm the manual The men are also
supposed to be able to take an uncon-
scious person down the ladder, to carry
him down a rope or to swing him from
one window to another. AS the men are
trained In squads, very often the spectacle
may be seen of a man worth several mill
lion dollars carrying down the ladder the
coachman who drove him to the school.
1t Is a matter Of chance whether tho
millionaire carries the coachman or the
other way around since each is supposed
TO be able to perform the duties, Il does
not matter in the least to the Instructor
which way dt goes. Every member must
be up to the standard, and trying as the
constant drilling Is. the men never shirk