The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-24
FIGHTING FIRE IS
LIKE WAGLVG WAR
Chief Canterbury Tells Hoo the Campaign against the
Iuhuu,uu Enemy Is Planned and Eeecnted-Light-
ming. Onick Decisions and Fearless Act
ions of Firemen.


Is the science of warfare against the
flames as exact as the science OF war
against q human foe?
Interest in this fiercest and most fas-
cnating of games has increased in pro
portion to the interest," awakened y by the
which several human lives were sacr1-
feed.
Modern war, with it's war colleges,
it's boards of strategy, war boards, etc.,
has been reduced to a science as exact
as any other profession. tire-fghtlng
is q species of warfare as valOrous and
as hazardous as the contests OF armed
men, requiring on the part OF tire
chief supervision as general, m1nd
equally alert and a readiness to take
advantage of any opportunity or to
meet any now onslaught OF the foe, as
quick as that which the general in the
field must exercise.
Can this species Of warfare be re-
duced to a science as exact as that
exercised by the war boards Of nations!
This was the question put to Chief
Canterbury of the Minneapolis fire de-
partmcnt.
The analogy of the ire-fghter and
the man who meets an armed foe, rifle
n hand, is al exact one. There IS this
difference: The soldier fights a foe
who wages war under, more OF less hu-
name restrictions, and, altho flying at
mercy to a conquered foe.
The fireman battles with an lnsld-
iOus enemy, treacherOus and aggressive
an enemy that knows neither pity nor
mercy.
The loss of two men in the recent fire
in Minneapolis shows a percentage OF
loss not less than that which is expert
enced in the conflicts waglng ON the
plains of Manchuria or in the death
grapple at Port Arthur.
Like Battle Of Arms.
The analogy can be carried farther.
The commander of an army lays out
his plan of campaign, has the. different
arms Of the service at his beck and
call to cope with the strategy Of the
enemy, and from his central position
directs the battle.
The chief of a department. fighting
fire is also the command der of an army
and is battling with the flames, and fire.
auently conducts battle in which the
strategy of Won Moltke or of a Ma
poleon, Is necessary to brln{g victory victory
He, too, has the different arms Of the
service at his command. There is the
different fire apparatus, the different
branches Of the service, the pipe lines
the aerial trucks, the water towers, the
engines, the hook and ladder depart
ments, ETC., and all Of these, with the
wisely in hand by the chief; ur... .-
A battle against fire, Chief Canter.
bury thinks, is even more difficult than
a contest waged against men. What
men may do may be inferred by other
men. What O. fire may do can never
be determined in advance. -"
How do you plan your campaign
against q fire9'' was the very general
nneapolis neps,Gs department.. dep A'NN ~ '
'Find the Fire; Put It OUT
'tThe first thing sententiously re
piled the chief, as he whirled in hi
chair and looked grimly at his ques
toner, "is to find the fire. The secont
thing is }sPati to pat it j; out. There you have
The statement admitted of no argu
ment, but the fre-fghting chief was in
duced to indulge in little more de
tail.
"That explanation, is more explici
than @a it con continued d. tae chief
lay out a plan of campaign against {
fire. Neither can you formulate gen
eral theory of fire fighting to be uset
in certain contingencies. This is be
cause no two fires are alike. They var,
with the condition and: place of origin
with the condition and shape Of, tn,
building. etc. Besides, you can It tel
how a fire will act until you have j
extinguished. That is why your frs
duty is to find the fire, and the secont
to put it out.
What is the hardest kind of fire tt
fght2' was the next question.
HWcll,' the chief continued, as h,
puffed refectively at cigar, 'Eleavin,
out the question of material feeding tn
ames' me- 1ne mGs5 h1na OF mr.
Having warmed up to his subject, th
fire chief went into wealth Of detail
drawing freely on the recent fire tt
illustrate his explanations.
81 cant explain this to you better,
he said, ethan by relating in part tn