The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-22
Stand by the Firemen,

| Mr.. Editor: The firemen throughout
the State appreciate your editorial in
Tuesdays issue in which you call upon
the citizens of Raleigh to stand by your
local fire department and help them to
make the coming convention and tour
nament of the State Association a
marked and pronounced success.
Let me say, Mr.. Editor, that indepen-
dent of any obligations that your citi-
zens may feel, or pride in your local de-
partment and in it's membership, that
the July event is to them a matter of
business-one of dollars and cents, that
they cannot afford to let go by without
raping it's full benefits. The experience
of every city where we have met has
been that as a mere question of money
making to the community there is no
other public occasion that pans out so
well as one of our annual three day con-
ventions and tournaments. Let any of
your business men write to Greensboro,
Charlotte, Wilmington or anywhere
where we have met and they will re-
ceiye ample confirmation of this fact.
The city of Charlotte don't wait for
State affair, but quite frequently puts up
because it draws such crowds and pays
SO well.
The event lasts three days. The first
is devoted entirely to the business af-
fairs of the association and the other two
days to the tournament, which consists
of series of the most exciting and in
teresting exhibitions of hook and lad
der, horse hose reel and hand reel con-
tests in which the picked athletic teams
of the entire State are competitors
These contests come off upon your
streets, are free to everybody and they
draw large crowds from all parts of the
country. The competition between the
teams and the high degree of skill is
such that invariably the winner of our
first prize only wins by the fraction of
a second For instance last year the
winner in the hand reel contest won in
80 seconds, while the second prize was
won in 1929 seconds. and when l tell
you that the rules for hand reel contests
call for them to start from a standstill,
run $50 yards couple hose to hydrant,
lay 100 feet of hose, attach nozzle and
throw water all in 80 seconds you can
well realize the skill and efficiency re-
quired. All of the other contests are
equally as interesting if not more So
AS bushes investment to your mer-
chants, hotels soda fountains and deal
ers in all kinds of liquid refreshments,
as well as to your street railways,
livery stables, etc, l know of no other
occasion that will pay SO we'll as this
State event
Let me assure every one of your peo-
pie that not one penny of the prize
money will ever leave Raleigh. 1t and
twenty times as much at the very least
will stay right there The firemen don't
go to tournaments to make money. Just
the contrary. Lots of them have been
saving up for some time just to blow it
In at Raleigh The prizes are necessary
to insure vigorous competition and
large attendance and to give zest to the
event. The medals are carried home,
the cash spent where it was won. Your
business men should make it gala oc-
casion. Advertise it thoroughly and
bring everybody to Raleigh for fifty
miles aound. besides those who will
come fom all sections of the State.
All indications point to lage attend
ance and | hope to see evey town and
city in North Carolina represented
Let your citizens look upon the oc-
casion as one of profit to them and not
as money given as a gratuity to the Raj
eigh firemen, as the profits, which will
be large, will all go to the business men
of Raleigh, while as usual the firemen
will have to do the work and have all
the trouble for their share. The real
obligation is in favor of the firemen,
for had it not been for them the event
would have gone elsewhere and the city
of Raleigh and it's citizens would have
been just that much the loser. My adj
vice to every business man IN Raleigh is
to go and see Mr.. Brown"
Respectfully,
JAS. d. MCNEIL.
Fayetteville, N. c., June 16.