The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-05
AT A BROADWAY FIRE.
The Afternoon Crowd Secs . Thrilling
Sight Not Down on the Bills.

The Afternoon Crowd sees Thrilling
Sight Not Down on the Bills.
OF all the sights to be seen on Broadway
none hits the people up more than fire
and II the fire happens to be late In the
afternoon when the great street lie most
crowded. the spectacle Is doubly worth
seeing.
Here was a little fire on q cross street,
just below Twenty-third street and just
of Broadway. Somebody In Broadway
had caught sight Of smoke coming out
of an upper window Of q tall building and
had started running In that direction.
Instantly more people, men and boys,
started running ssd tbsn iSs yordw Un
began to gather.
The building was on the south side Of
the street. People lined up on the sidewalk
ON the opposite side, and on Broadway
which view Of the smoking building could
be had.
II was a great and striking throng, that on
Broadway. with as many Handsomely
dressed women in 1t as men. II included
many sightseeing visitors to the he town own;
other 90 untriee as well. man from
Milwaukee stands next on the curb TO
man OF New York, and one from London
stands not far along; these all mixed In
WITH tne regular DfoduWdy CioNo VI -NS"
Workers, men about on business. or now
going home from 1t, and women shopping
or now on their way home from 1t; an assem-
blage such as would gather in its fullest
flower only on Broadway and only in such q
section Of II and at such an hour. 49,,
The first engine got to the fire within
two minutes an engine with galloping
three-horse-a-breast team. with big white
horse hooked In the middle. 1t came
booming up Broadway. glittering ma.
chine with the black smoke trailing stralghs
back from Its smokestack, the driver guld-
ing the big team around the corner, touching
nothing but wasting not an inch OF space
in the turn and keeping the great team on
the jump till he hauled the big horses Sc ~, up
building right next TO the one on fire.
A thrilling sight, for the crowd, this com:
ing of the first dashing fire engine; and
plumb after 1t came the white-painted
hose wagon; with scaling ladders k on noi the
on the jump. And in q minute another
fiying steamer comes tearing up Broad
way and taking the hydrant on the corner.
and stretches in, and another engine comes
just a whoopin' down Broadway; truck
appears; the battalion chief comes catter,,
ing up In his light wagon, gong a-boomin.
and his 2ao horse, head up, stepping along
gamely.
II stirs 'em all, all this does, stirs the man
from Milwaukee and the man from Londoni
woman; and then the throng. looking up
once more at the tall building from whose
upper story front windows the smoke Is
floating up lazily, sees a fireman come
to a side window. high up on that hoor'
and raise the sash to let the smoke out.
Everybody is fascinated by the sight OF
the fireman doing this. as people always
are, and the spectators note the fireman
perfectly cool and self-contained manner.
He looks down calmly for a moment from
the lofty height and then turns and goes
about his business. He knows the tune
o. day. the fireman does, and he never
loses his head ~
But it's soon all over. this fire; Il didn Z
amount 10 much, anyway, or the fremen
didn't let il: and the crowd dissolvcs WIN
it's customary moving elements But ne
visitors TO the city had seen the New lork
Fire Department in action, and me Ne"
Workers had seen something worth mem
tioning at the dinner table, a fire in Bioad'
wQV,