davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

We got at that time was served to us
green. and We had TO roast and grind it
ourselves.
Now, there were two reasons why
these processes were rather difficult;
most of Us had dispensed with our cook
ing pans. the only utensil for roasting cCf-
fee we ever had as useless without any
thing to cook. We had nothing at all to
grind the beans with while thirdly, and
lastly. there was no fuel for fire, and
to cap The climax, the rain was coming
down in torrents. Now you will acknowl-
edge that to make poor PADDY Burns
cup of hot coffee for his cramp | had q
few little difficulties to contend against.
But / made the coffee all the same. |
had kept my cooking pan, and so far so
good; now for the fire.
We'll, ] got hold Of hardtack box.
which had contained our last supply Of
hardtack. broke the box up into
kindling, shielding the precious fragments
of wood from the wet by holding my SOM
brero over them. Then lit the pile. and
Getting one of the boys to keep the hat
over the fire took off my heavy army
boots, and my jacket. l put the coffee
IN one of the pockets of the jacket, and
pulveriZed it by hammering with my boot.
Then | put ii into the pan along with
some water, and boiled it, and put some
pepper into it. and gave il TO Paddy. The
big Irshman sG1s today that that cup of
ccflee saved his life. and it is fact that
his cramp left him the minute he swal-
lowed the dose.
when we had been upon the march for
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

are falling into the sere, the yellow
leaf" Tall, and very muscular. with huge
shoulders and chest Gourard gives evil
dence of his nativity in his thick. sensu-
Gus lips, fattened nose, and dusky com
plexlon, unlike that Of an Indian. He
says himself that he merely remembers
the fact that as baby he was brought
from across the water. By long living
with the Indians, however. he acquired a
perfect knowledge of their habits, tradi
tions, and even methods of thought.
He was Invaluable to the army when it
was called upon to march against the
hostile red men. The following account
of the part taken in the campaign against
the Sioux at the time Of the Custer mas
sacre by General Crooks command, and
the figuring therein of Gourard and "Buf-
falo Chips" another famous scout. may
prove interesting; it was narrated by Po-
lice Lieutenant Jordan, who was pro-
NOTED TO the rank of non commissioned
officer during the expedition.
I'VE started from the mouth CT the
Powder River" continued the lieutenant.
I'VE drew rations from General Terry's
supply boat, and received intimations
that We might move at any moment.
Which way was asked by all of us, and
Don't know was the answer. We learned
that Buffalo Bill had ridden all alone
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

down toward the Glendiye, bent on scout
to ascertain If the Indians were attempt
ing TO cross the river. Such a jaunt. sixty
miles through the Bad Lands, was moth
ing for Cody. We waited until he came
back with his report, and then, unfortu-
nately, he had to leave for the East TO
fulfill his engagement with 4 show But
We had two famous scouts with us still
James White, or Buffalo Chips and
Frank Gourard.
Il may as well say here that | never
met a man with the faculty of Gourard
He could tell footprint in the grass,
where the ordinary observer would notice
nothing. Moreover. he would tell whether
the footprint was left by white man
or an Indian, and, if the latter, to what
tribe he belonged.
The Indians, as you doubtless know.
when on the warpath. march in single
file. those behind treading in the foot
single pair OF marks. The vehicles for
the transportation OF the squaws, chill
dren. and supplies are formed of two
poles lashed together. one al each side Of
the horse, with the ends trailing along
the ground. These were OF the same
width, and one was driven In the path of
the other. But in spite of these precau-
tions Gourard could tell, with practical
eXactness, the number Of warriors,
squaws, and papooses that had passed
along trail. the quantity of supplies
they had with them, the time of their
passage, the distance they were ahead
and the probable place of their next en-
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

sion in question that our men continued
falling. although all the Indians had ap-
parently retreated. Then it was that
Buffalo Chips cautiously. en- hands and
knees, made his way over TO some under
brush that had only then caught our at
tention. He halted. brought his rife close
under his shoulder in readiness to aim
raised slowly TO his feet and peered over
4 rite shot rang out; but it was not his
lie sprang convulsively in the air, clasp
ing his hands to his breast, cried oh. my
God. boys and disappeared from our
view. He had fallen heavily down into
the ravine, shot through the heart
Almost at the same moment an aged
squaw. wrinkled ana hideous. and looking
Tor all the world like an old witch. crept
from that deadly underbrush. and, falling
on her knees. with tears streaming down
her face. besought Us for mercy Gour-
ara translated &c Us what she said which
was an appeal for the lives OF her people
who remained in the sept. We assured her
through our scout that no harm would
come to those who surrendered. and then
we were introduced 10 quite a family
party. There was another sguaw two
warriors. and two papooses, or children.
Young Crazy Horse lay in the ravine, Il
bullet through his chest, and evidently
dying; he lasted but a few minutes
1T was sad ending Tor poor Buffalo
Chips He was fine scout and worthy
companion of Gourard and Buffalo BILL
He was great 'chum and admirer of the
latter; his 'pardner. as he called him
self. a simpler minded, gentler frontiers
man never lived"
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

ten or eleven days the last two of which
we rad been practically without prcyi-
sions, we began to discover signs that we
were close upon the I1dians The timber
the valley. the fords and crossings, all in
dicated to the trained eyes of the scouts
their recent presence. 4 force of 15G men
OF the Third Cavalry, myself among the
number. had been ordered ahead under
Major Anson Mills. with Instructions to
find the Black Hills, buy up all the sup
plies that could be obtained in Deadwood.
and then hurry to rejoin the main body.
"GouTard and Buffalo Chips were with
us and the second afternoon after we
started these scouts came riding back to
report that body of Indians was en-
Camped ahead. We made preparations for
the attack. and during the night Gourard
and Buffalo Chips entered the Indian
camp and exchanged their jaded horses for
the two finest ponies they could find. By
this wonderfully daring exploit they prob
ably saved our lives, for. in the engage
ment that followed, the Indians We're re-
enforced. so that We were completely sur
rounded. IN this extremity Gourard rode
back to our main body. which arrived just
in time to rescue us from annitIlation
Buffalo Chips was killed in that battle,
and the Indians lost young Crazy Horse
in the Custer massacre, and who was Sit
ting Bulls chief warrior.
Buffalo Chips and Crazy Horse were
killed in the same little SEPT. or rayine,
a treacherous feature of the ground. of
which the Indians never failed to take
full advantage. We noticed on the occa-
The Washington times., 1902-04-06
ON ZTLE KUNr

the place from which the alarm has been
sent and the water begins to play. The
engine has had its boiler constantly filed
with steam while standing in the house,
ard the fireman has built ERE beneath
1t while the run is being made, so the
pumping begins at once when the coupling
Of the hose has been made. and 7C0 gal
Ions of water every minute is poured by
one engine onto the flames.
The Fireman a Machine.
The fireman is as much a machine as
tho engine. He has his duty to perform,
and acts OF heroism are so frequent that
they are scarcely noted by the compan-
ions Of the men vino risk or surrender
their lives. Into the binding smoke and
fame they 90 with as little concern as an
ordinary man would display in a stroll
down the street. On the tops of the
highest buildings they stand and chop
their way to the root of the fire. any mo-
ment likely to be their last by the col
lapse of the roof or any other Of the
hundreds Of calamties that are possible
at fire. 1t is perhaps the most hazard
GUS of cailiRgs, and the insurance com
panies take due note Of this in writing
their policies for the fire laddies
Covers Sixty nine Miles.
The fremen of Washington lead strenu-
Gus lives. The department covers a ter
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

ritory Of sixty-nine miles, each company
having an average district OF two and
four ffths square miles. This is double
the territory covered by company in New
York and Philadelphia. three times great
er than in Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati,
or New Orleans. four times larger than
in Louisville and Milwaukee, six times
larger than in san Francisco and seven
times larger than in Boston.
1t has been estimated that it costs not
less than So TO respond to an alarm,
this being for the general wear and tear
on rolling stock. horse shoes. harness and
the like, and the coal burned in the en-
giues. There were oighty-two false
alarms last year, thus entailing an un-
necessary expense to the municipality of
more than 81 COO Beyond this expense
the lives of the frcmen were needlessly
endangered eighty-two times. for the
horses are driven at full speed, and the
breaking OF an axle. a wheel or an i'm
portant piece of harness. a collision or
the fall of horse means probable in
jury or loss CT life to some one.
Pay of Firemen.
Privates are paid $40 a year. Gremen
and drivers, $500. There are a total in
the department of Isl men at present, but
this force will be increased by onc-third
if the bill now before Congress passes
that body. This will give the men the
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

campment, as he possessed q thorough
knowledge of the country.
81 suppose he estimated the number
OF the enemy, and the amount of their
supplies, from the depth of the footmarks,
hut the method of his inductions ] never
clearly ascertaincd His life among the
Indians naturally was of great aid to him
He would notice twJ sticks crossed upon
the ground in a peculiar manner. and they
would convey to him a sign or warning
left by the Indians for their people. There
are many OF these marks by which the
red men inform one another.
The Indians, as you doubtless know
are very keen observers. You will never
be able to catch their eye. perhaps, or 10
know just where they are looking, bu;
they will see much more than the aver
age white man. The only occasion when
an Indians gaze seems fixed is when he
dcscries some object at great distance.
They have a way, OH the plains, OF sweep
ing the horizon, shading their eyes with
one hand she while. But to return to
our expedition.
Burns life. You see it was this way
Paddy was a great big lrishman, but all
his pluck and physique did not save him
from a terrible cramp, as we stopped TO
bivouac one night upon our march. Why
what's the matter. Paddy | said to him
as he sat doubled up like bootjact. oh,
be gobbers, Don't. don't talk to me; I'm
kilt with this cramp.' All right, cheer
up, Paddy, I'll fix that said and this
is the way :; did 1t. What little coffee
The Washington times., 1902-04-06
TIITCHING CT

good disposition. well and sound and bay,
brown. black or grey in color.
When they come to the service they
are taken IL hand at once, and their train
ing begins They are taught to UNDER
stand what the bell means. how to act
when they hear It, and as their stalls open
by electricity and they are free, just
what to do and how to do it. 1t is Won
derful how quickly they take an inter-
est in their work and become perfect.
No thoroughbred racer receives greater
care than these giants of the equine race.
and their coats, the true test OF healthy
horse, show the effect of the labor spent
on them. After several years Of service
in the department, where they begin at
the age Of not less than five years nor
more than seven. they are transferred to
other branches of the District govern
ment, where they serve faithfully and
well for many years.
Instance of Equine Heroism.
An instance of the heroisn that is at
times displayed by horses was shown by
one belonging to a local engine company
in 1890. This horse was officially known
as Number -" Hc was running to
fire on March 90 of the year mentioned.
and had gcne with his engine and mates
half the distance when his hoof caught in
the switch Of car track.
So tremendous was the momentum OF
the weight of engine and horses that the
hcof was torn frcm the leg at the fetlock.
The agony of that dumb hero is inde-
scribab Bile. but he never finched. and the
driver of the engine did net know that
anything had happened until the scene OF
the fire was reached. For eleven blocks
the terribly injured horse kept up his
run. and not until the driver began to
unhiteh his animals did he discover the
accident.
Wonderful Grit.
What was his horror then to see the
bleeding stump of the right foreleg where
the hcof had been when the start had
been made from the engine house! The
noble animal had run fer those eleven
blocks on the stump of his mangled leg,
and he had not given evidence, even by
limping. Of his agony and mortal wound.
With tears in their eyes his human
friends had TO stand by and see him shot
to death, the nOblest animal that ever
honored the Washington Fire Depart
ment. The hoof is now CHASTITY souve-
mir in the private museum of the depart
ment.
The Washington times., 1902-04-06
The Capital, Standing Foremost in Many Other
Things, Pndes Itself Upon the BIue-Coated
Ladies' Who Compose the Local Fire De-
partnnent- Mr.. Roosevelt Says the Horses
Are the Finest Animals He Ever Saw. ,. D.

the volunteers, but as the city took on
metropolitan airs and manners the old
volunteers were relegated TO the back
ground and the paid department was born
through an act of Congress. 1t grew from
that moment until now, in effectiveness
and perfection Of equipment for its size,
it stands in the first class. When Chief
Shaw, of the London Fire Department,
visited this country 4 few years ago for
the purpose of inspecting the various de-
partmonts and comparing them with his
own, he gave praise to the Washington
boys that was not exceeded when he spoke
to New York or any other of the proud
cities where the fre-fghters are held in
high esteem.
Lead Strenuous Lives.
Right here it is pertinent to remark
that while the ireneG are looked upon as
heroes Of a class one notch above the
police they are The hardest-worked and
poorest-p paid OF any OF the citys en-
ploycs. Their hours are the longest, their
pay the smallest for the work they do,
and to be a fireman means to be recluse,
for there is never time for aught but
work
In this city they are ON duty for twen-
ty-four hours five days in succession; then
on leave for one day. When a fireman is
on duty it means that he sleeps in his
clothes and is on the watch every hour
Of the twenty-four. Look into a fire.
house and see the men as they live during
those I20 hours OF continuous duty.
Always Prepared.
On the ground floor, facing the street,
are the stalls of the horses, in its place
the engine or truck, the harness hung
above it, ready for instant dropping into
place when the alarm sounds that releases
the many pieces of mechanism that make
up the whole OF the perfect machine. Sew
eral of the men are sitting about the
room. talking, or indulging in games Of
cards. Above are the mems sleeping
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

twelve hour shift, instead of forcing them
to be on duty twenty-four hours for five
days at a stretch. 1t has been recon-
mended that their pay be increased, and
this may be done.
There are fourteen engines, but the
chief thinks there should be at least
thirty in der to bring the department up
TO the highest standard. AS it is now,
there is no department in the country that
can surpass it in excellence and efficiency.
but Washington is favored with broad
streets and low buildings, and the runs to
fires are eorrespondingly rapid while the
work, when the scene OF action is reached,
is systematic and beautiful.
Tests of Speed.
On several occasions there have been
tests made by the department to ascer-
tain how quickly certain sections could
arrive at given point after an alarm had
been sounded. The White House was
taken fer the test on one occasion. and
while figures as to the actual time taken
to reach it convey no special meaning to
those unfamiliar with speed records, it
is interesting to note that one engine
reached the White House and had a
stream playing on the fountain on the
north front in much less time than has
ever been required for the came distance
in any other city Of the country.
The broad asphalt streets and smaller
amount CT traffic than in other cities was
contributive in no little degree to this
end, but the horses are Of the best. and
could have probably done nearly as we'll
anywhere else.
Perfect Animals.
These horses. the pets of the fremen
and every woman who visits them in their
homes. are combinations of all that goes
to make perfect animals. They come
mostly from Maryland. This is accounted
for by the head OF the department by rea-
son OF the fact that they are more easily
acciimated than those that might come
from a distance. There are 13S of them
in the service in the District. and they
cost an average of $3.50 each. The great
est care is taken in their selection. and
before being accepted they are subject
ed to not less than fifteen days trial.
They must be not less than sixteen nor
more than seventeen hands in height,
between 1900 and l,5C0 pounds in weight,
free OF bad habits, and well broken, of
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

~ the famous Indian scouts OF for
mer days Buffalo BILL" or Col.
" William F. Cody, is undoubtedly
best known to the general pub
lie. But there are, and have been. others;
men OF exceptional ability, as well as dar
ing whose feats in the days of the wild
West in all its glory read more like lic-
tion than actual fact. The reporter who
chronicles these brief "reminiscences of
fast vanishing class recalls sitting near
the late Gen. Philip Sheridan at one OF
Buffalo BiIl's" well-known public per-
formances.
AS the scout reined up with his in
imitable equestrian grace in front of the
Rrandstand his quick eye caught sight in
stantly of his old chief among the crowd,
and he took of his sombrero, while the
general doned his hat In return. The
spectator could not but be impressed at
this greeting between the master mind
who could direct operations through a
trackless and unexplored waste with such
certainty and the dauntless instrument
who executed his commands. Buffalo
Bill" is an able man and true as steel,
but for detective ability that Sherlock
Holmes himself might envy Frank Gour-
ard, Hawaiian, brought up among the
Indians, stands probably without peer.
Like Buffalo Bill's," Gourard's days
The Washington times., 1902-04-06
llrIRE! Fire! Fire.

r. That cry, so familiar to the
L ears of the people q generation
ago, is thing Of the past. Like
the horse car. it has been relegated TO
the byways, 10 the villages, to the non
progressive portions of a country that is
trying its best to send the horse the way
of the other relics of past perfection.
The still alarm has taken the place Of the
bell, made musical in poesy by the i'm
mortal Poe; the morse and the automobile
have usurped the position once occupied
by man alone as the motive power OF fire
engines.
President Rcosevelt's Opinion
Washington, standing foremost in the
United States in many things, takes 10
second place in its FIRE department. At
the recent review by President Roosevelt
Of the men, horses. and machines that
constitute this branch Of the District ser
vice. the President said that the horses
were the finest lot of animals ne had ever
seen. Whatever may be said of him by
his political opponents. there is no di-
yergence Of opinion when the name Of
Theodore Roosevelt is connected with the
Judgment OF horse.
Due TO Smooth Streets.
There is a very good reason for the
horses of the Washington Fire Depart
ment being particularly hearty. 1t IS
largely due to the smooth streets. In
New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, AM
other large cities the streets, because of
the heavier traffic than obtains in the
non n-commercial Capital. are largely paved
with granite blocks. The wear and tear
on horses and rolling stock in those cities
is far IN excess of that of our depart
ment. Few cities in the country are so
well equipped with smooth pavements as
the Capital. and the engines and trucks
are correspondingly well preserved.
The Washington Fire Department be-
gan, as all others in this country with
The Washington times., 1902-04-06

quarters, much like the ward of hos
pital, the hunks ranged in rows.
Quick Descent.
The fireman not on duty has gone 10
bed. He sleeps in his underwear, his
trousers at the bedside. tucked in his
boots, his helmet on a chair beside the
bed, his coat beside that. Suddenly the
bell clashes forth the alarm. Before tbe
second stroke of the hammer has fallen
the men have sprung from their beds,
their trousers and boots go on with one
motion, their hats and coats are caught up
on the run. and they fly for the hole in
the floor in the centre of which is a
smooth pole three inches in diameter.
1t is a quicker means Of descent than
any stairway could possibly be, and down
they go like monkeys as the horses, re
leased by electricity, dash to their places,
the harness drops and is snapped on in a
jiGy, and they stand ready to dart cut
with their loads. 4 man is at The indi-
Gator, and as he reads the figures he calls
them out. If the-hox from when the
alarm is sent is within the territory Of
his company the driver Of the truck or
engine lets his horses go, the men spring
to their places and they are off to the
scene Of the fire, the changing bell warn
ing people 10 clear the way. The horses
are more eager than the men for the
game at hand, and they go for all there
is in it,
Act by Instinct.
by instinct 1t seems they know Just
what to do and when to do il, and no
horse has a higher order of intelligence
than is possessed by the fire engine
Pegasus" He is a living part of the
machine. the very spirit of the flame, the
life OF the corps. and no automobile Will
ever give to the men the satisfaction that
they now derive from the splendid horses
that whirl them to the iaming building.
Everyone is familiar with that part of
the system when the engine arrives at