The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27

HE clock had just ceased striking
twelve. Out on the street the
quietness of night had settled
EZCNgN1 over everything and the stiffness
- was only broken now and then by
an owl car or some belated pedestrian wiz
was homeward bound. The man on watch
at the engine house was lying comfortably
back In the big arm chair which stood be-
fore the Gamewen desk or ticker as the
firemen call It, He was on the first watch.
which lasted until 100 O'Clock a m, when
he was to call another man. who was to sit
up and wait for alarms of fire until day
light
In the little tower room where the desk
stands were a couple of men on their way
home. but who had stopped to smoke last
cigar before retiring. 1t is not strange that
citizens should drop into engine houses at
this hour of night and talk to the man on
watch Many would imagine that men of
business. as the majority of these visitors
are would prefer going home. but there is
fascination about the firemans life and
conditions are so different from the day,
when everything is in a hurry and hustle
that they acquire the habit and can be
found in the same place every night. of
course. the man who happens to be on
watch does not dislike it. for 1t gives him
company and helps TO pass the time away
which otherwise drags very slowly after
IL O'Clock.
The hour OF midnight affects these vari-
Gus firemen the same 1t does every one
else And who does not feel in a more or
less reflective mood when he hears the
clock strike twelve and knows that another
day will soon dawn? The men who follow
this vocation never know what the next
twerty-four hours will bring forth. The
average man can at least speculate with
some degree of certainty on what he will
do the next day. but for these men 1t Is pot
safe to do this When the clock strikes
midnight Il also puts them in a communi-
cative mood and carries them back to the
past-and many Is the big fire that is fought
over and over again by the man at the
desk
on this particular night the man who was
on watch had just finished eating his lunch.
and after lighting his pipe he lay back in
the chair and watched the blue smoke
ascend to the ceiling. When the pipe had
begun to draw very easily and was sending
out quite cloud of smoke the fireman be-
gan TO talk. Fully TO appreciate the stories
he told the listener had. however. TO read
between the lines, so TO speak, and draw on
his Imagination TO an extent
1--WE don't often get the fires now like we
used to-" said the fireman. but you can
never tell Just when one is coming This
last winter and early spring things in this
business have been very slow, and no doubt
the reason for 1t is that there is no natural
gas 1t used to be that people went out
for the evening and would turn the fire on
so as not TO let the house get cold while
they were away. and not few times il
happened that when they returned the
house would be burned down. Then every
body let the gas burn all night. and after
u o'clock il would come up, and before the
people in the house knew il the fire wagons
would be driving up.
IN NATURAL. GAS DAYS.
But speaking OF natural gas" he con-
tinued, after again lighting his pipe. which
had gone out reminds me of fire we had
In the northeastern part of the city about
tw years ago. A German who could no.
speak word of English had moved into {
house He tried TO connect his own stove
with the gas. In doing so he accidentally
turned on the valve and started flow o.
gas before he got the pipe to the stove. HI
had a lamp sitting on the floor TO give hin
light while he worked, and this lighted tn
gas When we arrived there was fiam
about two feet long shooting out in tn
room.
The German was like wild man. He wa
running from the pump TO the fire. carrying
at each trip a bucket of water. which n
threw on the fame. but, of course. il had NJ
effect on the blaze whatever. We tried Z
get him 10 stop but none OF US could tall
German he didn't know what wer
saying and kept throwing water.
What We wanted TO know was wher
the gas was shut off in the cellar. but a
no one could tell us we had to explore 70
IL. and found il after while and turned tn
gas off, When the German saw the fir
20 out he was so overcome that he fainte
and his room looked as IL we might hav
had four streams OF water put into il. II
had spoiled everything and caused damag
OF about 800 where there should have bee
no loss, but. poor fellow. he was scared 5
ing"
There is no doubt that you have man
funny experiences in your line of work.
observed one of the visitors.
yes. we do The funniest experience
ever had was the night the five and ten
cent store on Washington street burned. Tn
experience turned out to be funny. but q
Is the time II happened it was otherwise
This fire was I'm the back part OF IN
cellar and had been burning for some tim.
and 10 put IL out the seat OF il had TO b
reached. so the chief ordered another ma
Anc me to take line Of hose and 60 aftt