The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-01

to be found in the patrol of fire wardens
who work the same system OF fire in
spection as is employed in New York.
This does away with dangerous cond-
tons before those conditions are permit
ted to become threatening.
Larchmont is not yet provided with fire
alarm telegraph. but the place is town
of telephones and an alarm may be sent
in quickly over the wire. fire in the
yachting season is a highly picturesque
event. At the first clamor of the big
alarm bell, which serves to call the MEM
bers, the local storekeepers and their
clerks who belong to the department
come rushing up in their shirt sleeves.
Then come the permanent residents close
ly followed by the contingent from the
yacht club Finally from the spick and
span yachts at anchor in the harbor
small boats put out madly racing for the
shore, and from them leap men in starch
ed trousers and pipe clayed canvas shoes
who sprint for their posts of duty tear
ing off neckties and collars as they run.
When an alarm comes in the cool Sep
TENDER evenings, the Larchmont depart
meDt can turn out greater number of
It's members in evening dress than any
fire organization in the country. Before
the horses were used when the engines
were manned by the men themselves
someone said that an evening alarm of
the Larchmont department suggested a
parade of Mystic Shriners. save for the
fact that the men were mostly barehead-
ed instead OF wearing fezes.
After Hugh Bonner was retired as chief
of the New York fire department, he and
Frederick w Gooderson, chief of the
Seventh Battalion, were the guests OF
Chief Bronson, at the Larchmont Yacht
Club. They formed the center of a little
group around one of the tables in the
dining room, where various points re-
garding the Larchmont department were
brought up and discussed, with Bonner
acting as the referee whenever he could
not escape the somewhat thankless task
Horses had just been installed as the mo-
tive power in the department and were
stationed in nearby livery. The ques-
ton arose as to whether or not the horses
would be ready by the time the members
had collected, after an alarm, and the dis
cusslon waXed warm. Finally one of the
members said to an opponent who had
been arguing against the equine system:
There's only one way to decide this
question, and that's to test it. 1t costs
$50 to turn in a false alarm. We will
send in an alarm from the club house
here. race down to the engine, and If
we get there before the horses, I'll pay
the fine. If the horses are there first, you
pay"
This is the sort of men the Larchmont
fire department is composed OF. Each
was convinced that his theory was the
correct one and was willing to pay a fine
to demonstrate its value to the depart
ment. They were about. TO put the mat
ter to a trial when Mr.. Bonner inter
fered, pointing out to the main room,
where dance was In progress.
''If Won ming that alarm ne said.
there will be a stampede of members
here that will leave half Of the ladies in
the place without partners. Try it some
other time" So the test was given UP.
Among the members of the department
who are well-known in the commercial
world are President Joseph Bird of the
Manhattan Bank, Frank Hardy, president
of Larchmont village; II. e. Payson,
president of Perrin, Payson & Co.; G. e.
Ide, president of the Home Life Insur-
ance Company; w. l.. and Andrew Nc
Creery of James McCreery & Co.. F. F.
Proctor, head of the Proctor Vaudeville
Syndicate; r. ]. Schaeffer of the Schaef-
fer Brewing Company; G. A. Singer and
j. Nelson, respectively president and
vice president of the Larchmont Railroad
Company; ]. G. and Charles Mclaughlin.
publishers; ]. II. Sterling, r. w. Flint,
w. Murray Augustin Monroe, C. ID.
Coin, Willard Fisher. Marmaduke T1lden
and A. Marshall. all of whom are we'll
known men of money and affairs.
Hugh Bonner former chief of the New
York Fire Department; r. E. Gooderson,
Jr chief Of the Seventh Battalion, N. Y.
f. D.; II. w. McAdam, chief instructor
N. Y. F. d. and inventor of many of the
life-saving appliances in use to-day; j.
]. Scanned. commissioner N. Y. F. D.:
r. d. Rich, the publisher. and o. Sander
son of the Wilson Steamship Company,
are honorary members.
E. w. Sargent.