The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-17

EXHIBITION
Thrilling Performances
In Presence of the
Legislature.

Thrilling exercises We're performed in
an exhibition given by the fire depart
ment for the benefit of the members
of the Legislature at o'clock yester-
day afternoon. Instead of the now rath-
er stale method of sounding a false
alarm and giving the machines run
to some point for practice, the perform
ances on this occasion were given at the
central fire station and mostly with the
manual implements of a modern fire
fighting equipment. The only run with
horses was that of a hose wagon in
hose-laying exercise.
There was varied practice with the
scaling ladders, followed by lifeline
shooting, practice with the ground ex-
tension ladder and with the Iife-sav-
upon the 60-foot high practice tower
behind the station, those with the
ground extension ladder being upon the
tower of the main building.
Every seperate performance was
heartily applauded by the onlookers,
as the agility and nerve displayed by
the fire laddies we'll deserved. Chas
H. Thurston, Chief Engineer. had gen.
eral charge of the exhibition, while
August C. Deering, Assistant Chief
Engineer, gave the orders to the fire
men.
Those who viewed the exhibition
comprised President Isenberg of the
Senate with most of his colleagues,
Speaker Knudsen of the House, with a
large majority of that body; Frank
Hustace, Jos. A. Gilman and Arthur
Berg, Board of Fire commissioners;
A r. Gurrey, Secretary Board of Fire
Underwriters; a. ]. Campbell, Insur-
ance Commissioner; Geo. Z. Smithies,
Deputy Insurance Commissioner; c. S..
Holloway, Supt. of Public Works; j.
H. Howland, Asst. Supt. of Public
Works; J. S. Holt, Tax Assessor; E.
G. Keen, Building Inspector; j. D.
Gaines, Supt. Pacific Gable Office; F.
A. Schaefer, J. o. Carter, Judge Lind
say, Deputy High Sheriff Rawlins
Deputy Sheriff Vida, Father Valentin,
H. H. Williams and many other citi-
zens.
Before the exercises began a few
minutes We're spent in inspecting the
interior of the station. The ground
floor with the horses, engines and
wagons was as bright and clean as
well-ordered kitchen. Upstairs the
dormitories with their inviting beds,
the reading room, the gymnasium, the
switchboard room and the hose tower
were all admired for their perfect
order and cleanliness.
The first performance was a sort of
setting-up exercise by four men with
the scaling ladders, which they han
died as dexterously as trained soldiers
do their arms in similar exercise. Next
the same number of men gave an eX-
in scaling the wall of the prac-
tice tower, sixty feet in height with
three windows at successive stages of
the ascent Two men repeated the
performance with two ladders, then one
man with a single ladder. Each lad
der is about IA feet long, having rungs
fastened at the middle across a supple
pole. This is the kind of scaling lad
der that has been in use for many
years in large cities on the mainland,
by which firemen climb perpendicular
ly from story to story up the outer
walls OF tall buildings. a long clutch
hook at one end of the ladder is
thrust through a window overhead, the
fireman climbs to that window, another
ladder is handed up to him and so
on, until the firemen gain access 10
the top of the building if desired.
snaffle-j jointed ring is fastened to the
firemans belt, with which he secures
himself to one ladder while handling
another. Our Honolulu fremen yester-
day running up the side of the tower
like squirrels, showed that they had
been thoroughly trained in the scaling
business.
Next the lifeline was shot by means
Of gun over the top of the tower,
where it was grasped by a fireman
who by its means drew up a strong
rope. This was fastened to the top
and thereby the next exercise pro-
ceeded. One after another the fire
men taking a blight or two of the rope
N their safety ring, slid down the rope
With great rapidity-frst, taking a rest
1t each window ana then making the
downward fight Without pause. The
lext thing was the rescue feat. One
nan would place his arm about an
,ther-the latter supposedly an injur
ID fireman or maybe the escaping in |
nate of a burning house-and bring |
lirn safely down to the landing net |
Continued ON Page ~