The sun., 1904-05-22
THE OLD TIME
FIRE FIGHTERS

The death OF one Of the old Fire Depart
ment bell ringers was announced the other
day with the added information that he
was the last of his kind. II seems that that
was a mistake. Since then two more of
the old time bell ringers have been heard
Of.
One is Henry Jacoby. who joined the
Volunteer Fire Department in 1858 and was
appointed ringer OF Mount Morris bell In
1884. The other Is John Campbell. who
became volunteer fireman in 1s4s and was
put In charge in 1853 Of the jefferson Market
bell, which he rang for nine years.
Before 1885 the bell ringers job was the
only paid ono in connection with the Fire
Department, and in nearly every case the
appoint ment was secured by one who had
served with zeal "a volunteer fireman
There are younger generations Of Man
hattanites who find 1t hard to imagine a
time when engines hose carts and hook
and ladder trucks were dragged through
when fire alarm boxes at the street corners
were unknown; when the first news OF a
fire came from a changing bell in tower
top And yet firebell towers were in vogue
until less than thirty years ago. and paid
fire department was first heard of about
nine years earlier.
In the opinion OF most OF the older genera
ton the equipment of the Fire Department
of forty years or so ago, compared with
that OF the Fire Department now, was
miserably Inadequate. Nevertheless, there
are old time volunteer firemen, some OF
them still in active service III the Fire De-
partment, who are not quite ready to ad-
init this and have lot to say in praise OF
the old ways.
lhe bell ringers, too, think that had the
nerves of Manhattanites been stronger
bell towers and bell ringers would still be
valued features Ct the Fire Department.
Said John Campbell, who, at 7s. works from
7:SO o'clock in the morning till o O'Clock
in the evening, six days in the week:
Martin B. Brown and Philip ". Enges were
Fire Commissioners, and the rule was
to give seven rounds Of signals for every
fire But before long orders came to give
only five rounds, and again to let up at three
why? Well, there were some nervous
people who OBJ jected to the noise, we were
told. But besides the three. rounds, II a
fire seemed to be getting headway we sent
out second alarm Of three rounds more,
and often a third alarm.
We didn't find 1t so, the towers were 100
feet high, topped with an octagon shaped
glass cage something like a pilot house,
and the ringer had powerful marine gless
to help him in his search.
"There were eleven OF these wooden
towers in what is now Manhattan-the
farthest north situated at Mount Morris.
That Ia now the only one left standing. I he
bell. though, is used only to strike the hour
at O O'Clock in the morning, at noon, and
at Q O'Clock in the evening.
Some of the other towers were at Eighty
sixth street and Third avenue; at I hirty-
third street, near Tenth avenue, at Jefferson
Market. at Spring and Varick streets. at
Essex and Grand streets, at Marion and
Spring streets. at Liberty and Nassau
streets. and at Union Market, at the foot Of
Houston street.
aNew York was pretty thicxly populated
around Eighth street even then, and Jefer-
son Market bell was one OF the busiest.
Every tower was Dected with the others
and with Fire Department Headquarters
BY telegraph, but not with the engine
houses, which was q help to the bell ringer
You see sometimes he might have his back
to fire which was Just starting up, be
looking the other way, and perhaps the
fire would be spied by the man in the next
nearest tower. In that case, as soon as he
spied 1t he would send a signal to tap the bell
which ought to give the alarm.
why, yes, we could guess pretty nearly
right, even at night the location Of a fire.
for it was part OF our business to learn
the exact position Of every conspicuous
building. the church steeples. fagpoles
and different sorts OF lights which would
serve as landmarks.
"There were three of US ringers to every
tower and each was on duty eight hours
out of the twenty -four taking turns, of
course. at the night trick, as we called it.
Each got 1900 year-pretty good pay
for those days.