The sun., 1901-06-30
MILLIONAIRE FIREMEN:
y.RruuoyTs vOLUNTEERS IN A CLASS
By THEMSELVES.
The, Answer Firc Alarms In Evening Dress
Upon Occasion. and Are So Emoient That
Insurance Rates Are Away Down-Hard
Training Done by the Member.

Ipon Occasion. anu Are 30 hmese"t A"ss
Insurance Rates Are Away Down-Hard
Training Done by the Member.
Every suburban town whose population
u made up largely OF men OF wealth ana
more or less leisure has Its own particular
,,d In one place il is golf. In another
,annis. in a third, polo. Larchmont was
,or many years famous for its yachts; but
Of late there has come new and hvener
,ntsrest 1t has turned from water 10 fire
and to-day the town has the distinction OF
nossessing a volunteer fire department
tho aggregate wealth OF whose members
amounts to many millions.
Half dozen Of the fremen are Million
.,res and a score Of others are worth half
a million and upward each. What Ia OF
Oar greater importance In the local
.s,imation is the fact that the depart
uent IS regarded by professional
ere,nen as the most effective volunteer
Are organization in the country. Menu
bershlp in it is open TO any man who has
,ha reouisite strength. intelligence and
,menability to ita rigid discipline. and in
ia ranks the railroad magnate viee with
thc day laborer and the millionaire sub
urhanite with his coachman or gardener.
When the Iarchmont Volunteer Fire De-
partment was organized In 1880 its equip
pent was such IA might be expected In
country town Of 1900 inhabitants, an old
tne brake engine, hose reel and small
collection of ladders. lts discipline was
on a mar with its outfit. As the department
grew older It's discipline improved some
What. but il was not until last year when
Nayhew ". Bronson became chief that q
hIgh standard was reached.
Mr.. Bronson Is man OF conslderaDle
wealth and has leisure TO follow out his
liking for flrc-fghting. Three years ago
he ioned the Iarchmont department, and
becoming convinced that the way 10 learn
fre-hghting was to go TO the men who
make n life-work OF II. he succeeded in
gaining the privilege OF probationary
course IN the New York Fire Department.
He took the regulation thirty days in the
training school under Chief Instructor
Mcldam. and afterward was assigned to
duty with one of the engine companies az
an ordinary fireman. lie was made chief
instructnr OF the IarChmont department,
and organized its lfe-savfg corps in tho
spring of last year. and kept his two yachts
out Of commission all summer In order
that he might have more time 10 devote TO
the organization Of the department.
The actual working force of the de-
partment now numbers 2is men. IL has
an engine hose and hook and ladder COM
pany. a litp-saving protective corps and
an ambulance corps, in addition TO three
auxiliary details, each provided with a
hose reel. stationed at outlying points.
where they may quickly answer alarms
I'm their districts. The men forming the
auxiliary details live near the reel houses.
and the scheme ia worked remarkably
well The assignment Is so arranged that
there are always some men in the neigh
borhood of the house. and they are able
20 get water on fire In from ten 10 twenty
minutes before the steamer arrives.
The apparatus is all Of the type employed
IN the large city departments, with swing
Ing harness all ready TO drop on the horses.
and the boiler of the steamer IA always
hot So efficiently has the department
done it's work with the improved apparatus
that the insurance rate in Larchmont s
80 cents, which is only cents more than
the premium asked In New York. and from
10 TO 80 cents cheaper than the rate in
smaller cities.
This efficiency has been reached by hard
work and rigid discipline. No favortism
Is shown by the department commanders.
The wealthy members Of the organization
take their full share Of the hard work. and
this Is said TO be the only volunteer depart
ment where the same treatment Is ac-
corded to all.
one of the most interesting summer
sights in LarChmont is the training school,
where the men are drilled in the lite-saving
manual. A in the New York department,
every fireman il supposed 10 be able 10
handle the scaling ladder, to 20 up and
down the ropes. to jump to the net, TO
swing from the windows. and To employ
various other tactics included in the manual.
Tie men are also supposed 10 he able TO
take anunconscious person down the ladder,
e. carry him down n rope or TO swing him
from one window To another.
Az the men are trained in squads, very
often the spectacle may be seen OF a man
worth several million dollars carrying
down the ladder the COaChman who drove
him 10 the school II is a matter Of chance
whether the millionaire carries the coach
man or the CoaChman the millionaire;
since each Is supposed to be able 10 perform
the duties, 1t does not matter IN the least
g. the Instructor which way II goes Every
member must be up 70 the standard, and
trying as the constant drilling ls, the men
never shirk II. Men who under ordinary
circumstances would never enter a gym
nasmm 20 To the training school and work
as hard "A though they were being paid
by the day. and II may be said right here
that the lfc--avlnG drlil Is no joke. To
climb up the side ~ hOus" on pegs Tro-
jccting from n long polo and 10 carry an
other of these poles with You as YOU 20 IL
the spectator
A. a recent fremcns convention in
Yonkers, the larchmout department was
selected TO give an exhibition drill. spec
tatOrs Informed a. to volunteer fire de-
rartmpnt affairs stated that there was
no other unpaid department which even
approXiTaIcd the efficiency OF the larCh-
mont organization. After course of train
Ink at l.drcnmOGt a man i qualified 10
jOln any one Of the big paid departments,
for he hls received exactly the same school
Ing and the same amount of practice aside
from the actual work Of Fighting fires that
he would have hal IN New York city, for
Instance
In the period covered by the last annual
report but four alarms were sounded
and the prompt eXtingushing Of these
ilzee reflects great credit upon the depart
mont Property Insured for S-2.UOO was
threatened, yet the actual damage done to
buildings and contents was only 81 $50
Part of the credit due for this record Is 10
b. found in the patrol Of fire warions. who
work he same system of fire inspection
a. IS employed in New York. This does
AVA with dangerous conditions before
tl",r conditions are permitted to become
nrs1'.'.rg.
La,Nw,ut has not yet flro alarm tee-
grdp1 rs' fhs place ~ a town OF telephones
and tn alarm may be sent IN quickly over
the Wit" fire in the yachting season
IA hshIy picturesque event. At the
fr-' sound Of the big alarm bell which
eer,p, 10 tvl tho mpmBpTg the store