The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-08
GIBSON A REAL YAMP NOW.
THE RENOWNED william CURTIS
AWAITS A FIRE TO FIGHT.

Will Pay 80 Cents Fine n He Misses One
and 81 n He's Absent From Parade
Every Glory Of Membership in Ma
maroneck II. g. l.. No. 1 Is Now His
MAMARoNEcK. Sept. 7.-William Curtis
Gibson has ordered his eight cone hat,
his "black tie, his dark pants, his fatigue
cap" and his badge" Every glory that
accluss from membership in the Mamaro-
neck Hook and Ladder Company No.
is his. In his pocket hangs heavily the
key of the truck house. His soul Is bur-
dened with the duties Of every other mem
Der, so thrillingly described in the manual:
1t shall he the duty Of every member to
repair Immediately to the truck on every
alarm of fire. and 10 remain at or near the truck
while at the fire. unless otherwise ordered
by the foreman or officer in command. 1t
shall be the duty of each member to
dismiss from the truck or truck house all
minors or disorderly persona
To the thousands Of students Of history
and literature who have followed the course
Of Mr.. Gibsons writings on volunteer
firemen, and their uniforms and activities.
it will come as distinct shock that Mr..
Gibson never belonged to a fire fighting
organization until now. Heretofore his
interest has been altogether academic.
Mr.. Gibsons work, "Vamps Revamped,' is
the standard work Of reference on tn 9
subject: and his historical novel, based
on the fremens wars of Harry Howard 6
time, entitled Red Shirts and Tin Horns,
is part of the library Of every volunteer
fireman betwxt the Gulf Stream and the
Rocky Mountains. Eut Mr.. Gibson
Sr,a H., az .tl,, n 20
that he had been heretofore all too open
to the charge Of having manufactured
his local color. Not until within four short
weeks did he become a real vamp.
The thousands OF gray whiskered vet
Grams who have waited in line to tell their
stories to Mr.. Gibson at Houston and Null
berry streets, where for many years he
made his Office, never dreamed that he
was not one Of them. From them, by the
exercise OF that famous sympathy and
that intelligence which has made Mr..
Gibson's conversation the marvel OF
specialists in all the arts and sciences,
Mr.. Gibson drew out the dramatic and
tactical essence OF the firemen's lives. He
learned to q heartbeat the pulsations Of
q red shirt per minute at the moment OF
passing a reviewing stand on annual parade.
He knew the innermost emotions Of the
foreman who found that all his men were
busy across the street sinking schooners
of beer when they were needed to pass
water buckets to the rescue OF his own
woodshed.
But he had never lived the life. He had
never remained at or near the truck while
at fire. He had not first hand knowledge.
It hurt Mr.. Gibson's conscience. And II
the public knew Mr. Gibson's conscience,
it was said at his home in his absence yes
terday, the public would be surprised. Mr..
Gibson is getting very old. He Is no longer
able to 60 about Long Island as he did ten
or fifteen years ago delivering lectures on
the Spirit and the Squirt Of Our EARLY
Heroes and such. But he is not too old
to take a mighty pride in the fact that tho
boys Of Mamaroneok have honored him
with an election to their body and have felt
him qualified to be full fiedged member
of their force.
dye his whiskersl" exclaimed young
woman at MIR. Gibson's home yesterday.
.Why. am sure he never thought Of such
thing. Dye those beautiful curling white
ringlets? 1t would be a crime! They might
never bleach out again. I think, though Of
course it isn't for a woman to pretend to
have anv ideas about the appearance Of real
heroes. that nothing could be finer than the
way they will stream over his shoulders and
rustic gentle music as he pants along behind
the truck or course in cold sleety weather
he might braid them. The company Is very
strict about promptness In answering
calls, but with one 10 venerable as Mr..
Gibson they could make excuses.
who never before had real duties In fire.
fighting aggregation, is now and has been
since Monday, Aug: T.. a full member Of
Mamaroneck's first hook and ladder COM
pany. He Is not yet, strictly speaking, a
full edgea member For MS eiehs cone one
Of his glories. But he has his key; it is his
blessed privilege. and one which he has
already exercised with great good will
and vigor. to exclude minors and disorderly
persons from the premises. At present his
only assignment to duty has been TO carry
buckets TO water the horses when they are
hitohed after the truck company has gone
into action.
But Mr.. Gibson Is as proud and as merry
over his election and Its new responsibilities
nantly denies that he joined the company
because his green grocer, who Is also fore
man OF the company, would give him more
potatoes to the peck In consequence
cause and effect have become mixed, he
says. He denies with tears Of wrath that
sound Of late alarms from his ears. and points
out that he Is quite able out OF the fortune he
has amassed from his work In perpetuattng
the heroisms of volunteer firenen, to pay
the fine Of 80 cents for missing ftre
shas sf h. aSaa a~sy S% rs R%sas
out of than do either.