The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-13

After the parade there was a bountiful
| collation. served at knobb's. silent toast
was drunk standing to William Curtis
| Gibson, the Dean of the Vamps OF America,
| and then the firemen and their guests sat
| down to the tables, which were groaning
/ with the weight of viands, including ice
! cream and assorted cake. The ice cream
! was served in little PAPER mache red shirts.
! While the banquet was being served all
| the ra''., rendered Comrades"
Th" real fun began. OF course, after din
I rcr. when every Vamp with his red leather
J tel, let out to the last hole, to sur
! round the collation., plunged into the run
| ming and squirting contests for the glory
| of his company. First there was the hub
| and-hub race for ladder trucks. and Hook
! and Ladder / of milestone won in 80
! seconds.
There was trouble in the running. coup
! ling and squirting contest for hose COM
! panies. At the outset there was false
| start because three men of the Indians
! stopped to readjust their badges. so that
| they d show on the side Of the road fanked
| by the bigger crowd Then, after another
f! start, the Columbias got into trouble at
. the most exciting moment of the squirt
itself
. A thirsty little nuisance Of black-and
| tan dog stood up on his hind legs and drank
! up Columbia stream as fast as 1t came
out of the nozzle. The stream was so
powerful that once or twice the dog almost
|! lost his footing
Measure the dog" yelled a rival Indian
/ in derision, land we'll allow it to the tail
| for the official measure on your squirt"
On the third attempt, Engine and Hose
Company / of milestone won in Ia As
seconds.
A man prematurely announced the re-
suit through an ordinary pasteboard mega
phone and was severely reprmanded by
the SquirtYest Committee on Prize Trumpets
and Floral Tributes. Then the official
! announcement was shouted through gold
trumpet, beautifully festooned with smilax
! and sweet peas.
| By far the most exciting contest of the
| day was the manikin race between the
Holocaust Hunters Of Hicksvie' and the
, Dare to be Trues" of Winfield.
! Eight large rag dolls, thinly attired in
| nothing but night clothes, were placed
on the ridge pole Of shed 500 feet down
the road from the starting line and the
| test was to show which company could
run down the road, save the most nlanikins
/ and get back to the starting line first.
| The starter removed small floral horse
shoe from the hell of his trumpet, suitably
engraved, and yelled, THE fire bells are
ringing Who will save them folks?"
| 1t the word sire" the Holocaust ore"
and the "TrIes" were of, and the widest
excitement seized the crowd. There was
even little betting on the result. The
women especially seemed to be beside them
selves with the abandon Of the moment.
One member Of the "Dutiful Danes
| of the Vamps, all aquiver with excite
ment, exclaimed:
The Trues, the Trues' Oh, I'll bet
anything, I'll bet my weeks cooking on
when do YOU bake'" asked fair sup
porter of the Holocaust Hunters"
"Thursdavs.r
"I'll bet you my baking against yours
Five pies, three loaves of bread and a
! layer cake.
The other woman merely nodded There
I was no longer time for words Both COM
panies were nearing the shed and the Dare
! to Be Trues" seemed to be in the lead.
They are at the shed, all in bunch, and
| that structure seems to be really afire as
| the red-shirted heroes shoot up to the
| caves in twos and threes The glare of
the uniforms, relieved only by the glistening
J Of the shiny helmets, spreads quickly over
the roof And then the first twisting,
| sCrIirmng spinal column of red Is at the
ridgepole and grabs a rag doll.
| In the first flash of excitement the crowd
wildly cheers the deed, without waiting to
see whether the rescuer is Dare to Be
True, or Holocaust Hunter from Hicks
VILE" Nobody knows yet, for the COM
panies disagree The second man to reach
| the ridgepole was "True" anyway, but
| he lost his advantage, for instead Of grab
| bling a doll and hustling back to the finish
line he lost time in posing, on the slantns
| roof where the crowd could see. and then
raising his silver trumpet to his lips, shout
| ing in clarion notes. Onward, boys, on
| ward''
| That's really what lost tho race to the
-Trues.r for when they stopped to wave
| their helmets and cheer their comrade
with the trumpet the "Holocausters," who
| k,l hatr trrnu hefl