The sun., 1903-12-25
HONoRS 10 DEAD FIRE CHIEF.
SgFpAKTMHNT OUT IN FORCE AT
(, COLEMANS FUNERAL.

Av.nv of His Comrades at the Impressive
services In Addition to tho Chlefs
VINO Actod - Paiibearers and the
Dosailsd Escort Of Forty OF His Men.
battalion Chief Martin NJ. Coleman. who
lost his life In the blaze In the Mott street
furniture factory on Monday night. was
buried Yesterday morning from the Church
OF the immaculate Conception. IN East
Fourteenth street,
Acting Chief Kruger had issued special
order detailing a deputy chief and five
battalion chiefs to act as pallbearers and
assigning forty men as escort.
The men assembled at the house OF Engine
Company s, In East Fourteenth street. at
o:so yesterday morning and marched to the
house of the late chief at 300 East Fourteenth
street They fled upstairs to the parlor
OF the little four room fiat and passed by
tho oak casket in which t cir old chief lay.
He wore the full dress uniform of bat
TALON chief. On his left breast was pinned
the Bennett medal. which he received in
1897.
On top Of the casket lay largo bunch
Of roses and ferns, sent by the chiefs friend
Mayhew Bronson Of the Larchmont fire
service. Beside the inscription plate was
the chiefs old fatigue cap and a small
bunch Of white roses bearing a card upon
which was written Dolly This was
what the chief always called Lille, his
youngest child.
There were many other floral pieces
banked up back Of the oasket. There was
ono from Deputy Chief Burns. who was
Coleman's immediate commander: another
from the men Of Truck 8, one from Engine
Company S. and another from Truck IL.
The employees Of the Hermann factory
sent a beautiful piece OF autumn leaves
and white and red roses.
After the men detailed to act as escort
had filed past the casket there followed
about two hundred firemen, who few
hours before had been released from duty
for their day of. Most Of these men had
served at one time or another under Cole
day to pay their respects to their old chief.
Then there came a lot of children from
neighboring parochial school. Coleman
had always been fond of children. and there
was not a child In the district that did not
know the big chief
At 10 o oclock the firemen acting as escort
were drawn up in double line, and while
they stood with barred heads the casket
was carried to the hearse.
Deputy Chief Gooderson, Battalion Chiefs
Shay, Beggins, Devanney, King and Maher,
acting as pallbearers, followed beside the
As the funeral procession started toward
the church the escort fell In line behind
mand of Deputy Chief Burns Chief Burns
and the five foremen in the escort each
carried a fire bugle bound with Grape at the
monthpiece.
Then came the firemep who were voun-
tarily attending Behihd-, them followed
,ioniproy St11ruis Taor
Chief Kruger, Chief Ahearn, Capt. Howe
Of Truck @, Capt Hauck of Engine 65, and
ex.Dep'ty, Police commissioner Thurston:
At the church requiem mass WAS cele- I
chief, being the celebrant. He was ssisted
by Fathers Hughes and Deans The ora
ton was delivered by Father Van Rensse-
laer, and Monsignor Edwards gave the last
blessing.
The uniformed firemen filed almost all /
the pews on the right of the centre aisle.
Just after they had taken their seats Lieut..
Steckel Of Engine 55 limped up the aisle. ,
He was the last man to see CHIEF Coleman .
alive. He called tn him, "Come ont, chief:
Steckel was pinioned by falling beams,
but his men wrenched him free, leaving
his boot caught in the wreckage. Mr., and
Mrs. McNally, the parents of the young
fireman who lost his life at the First avenue
fre year ago, sat in one of the side
aisles.
The funeral procession passed by the
houses of Engine Companies and %, and
Hook and Ladder Company 3, Chief Cole
mans old headquarters: The men attached
to, each company lined the curb and the
engines and trucks were run out. As the
hearse passed the men saluted and the
bells were slowly tolled.
The participating fremen lined up at
the entrance to the Greenpoint ferry and
gave their chief a final salute The carriages ,
containing the relatives and some OF the
chiefs followed TO Calvary Cemetery, where
the interment took place
THE Sun has received 81 from Charles
r. Wingate for the widow of r. j. Joyce,
the fireman who lost his life in the fire
on Monday night in Mott street. Joyce's
funeral will take place tomorrow morning.