The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-26
HOFSTETTERS WHOGOTOFTRES
THERE ARE THREE or THEM, 4
FATHER AND THO SONS.


and Find Thrills In Watohins Battles
Win F1ames-In Return They supply
Exhausted FiTemen With Hot Coffee.
II you mention the name OF Hofstatter
az any Of the engine houses in a certain large
district Of New York you will hear the
remark that the Hoistetters are the real
thing. Pursuing the investigation, you
may learn that the Hofstetters are a tho,
a father and two sons, who are known a.
fire cranks.
Don't think that we are the only ones, .
said Edwin Hofstetter Mt his home In East
Nineteenth street. by no means. We
are only a part Of the crazy bunch.
If you look along you will find DR.. Archer
who turns out with his bag Of Instruments
and surgical appliances at every Are he can
reach. and patches people up for the fun Of
the thing. Then there il Lieut.. Col. Thurs
ton Of the Twenty-second Regiment, who
lust goes and looks on; James lie Baron
johnson, who used 10 be the worst crank
Of all when he was chaplain at the Grace
Church Settlement and still runs TO every
fire now that he Ia with a big insurance
oompany-oh, and lot Of others,
We've been at il going on now about
fifteen years, and II Is not a hereditary
trait, unless teaching your father tricks
makes them hereditary. The old gentle
man never took much stock in fires until we
boys taught him, and now he trots out
with the rest Of the bunch.
For the first few years we never missed
a FIRE, but after little while we got 10 be
particular and nothing but second or a
third alarm would drag us out. We lost
too much time and strength getting into our
togs only 10 find after we reached the FIRE
that IL was over That Is the usual e1-
perience Of people who start of as soon as
they hear the call.
"Olr initiation among the non-profes-
sional firemen was an easy enough matter.
Right opposite our place Of business IL a
large engine house, and, naturally attracted
by the horses and the excitement Of the place,
We became acquainted with the men, and
from watching them start OF and occa-
sionaly running TO a fire ourselves we have
developed into what you see us to-day, men
who start as the horses do when the alarm
sounds II is a fad, like golf or yachting
or any other sport.
Il believe that the most hardened New
Yorker gets a thrill when be sees an engine
three abreast straining every muscle, the
men throwing their fire clothes on and
ready to face any danger without any
more fear than a Jap displays when he
goes into battle. / have heard people say
that is the one thing that gives them a
genuine thrill real up and down sensa-
ton, and believe il.
But when you talk about sensations the
mere sight Of the trucks and engines isn't
in il with the fire itsslf. There you get
the spectacular effect, the danger the
hand to hand conflicts. Every big FIRE IL
! battle, Just as terrible and just as in
spring, and the cause OF just as much
1eroism as the better advertised ones that
all the papers
The Hofstetters show their interest In
hremen in a very practical way. Edwin
Hofstetter spoke modestly about this.
'Oh, we've been supplying them with
coffee and sometimes sandwiches for q
long time now he said in answer TO a
question. IT'S very little TO do, and it's .
great pleasure. don't know that It is any
more expensive than any other fad.
How do we manage III Well, you zee
~ soon as we get TO a fire We know imms-
diately whether II is going to be . hard
Eight or whether II will be over In q half
hour. II the latter, we simply see it out,
u the former, We hunt around until We find
some restaurant in the vicinity and dicker
with them for a supply OF coffee to DO given
the men.
you don't realize what a cup Of hot
coffee means TO a man who has been tight
ing a IRE In bitter weather until he u al
most exhausted. have seen many . one
Just ready 10 keel over who braoed II ghtup
after his drink and went In with renewed
ooure re.
Coffee has another property besides
lie stimulating effect and It's warmth. II IL
a good antidote for the fumes that a fire.
man is constantly inhaling. These fumes
are most prevalent In cellar fires. II IL not
infrequent for half dozen frenlen 10 be
brought into the air morn or less unoon-
soious after fighting q cellar FIRE . few
in such cases our great remedy IL seltyer
ana milk, II the case Is too serious TO be
treated by the hot coffee method. No one
IL allowed TO give q fireman whislxey or alco-
hol In any form. They generally revive
quickly after our doses Of selt1er and milk
and go right back TO the FIRE again. In
fact, usually the first thing they cay when
they come 10 Is, let me 60 back
Both OF the Hofstetter brothers beooms
enthusiastic when they speak Of Chief
Croker.
'He IL more than q fire chief; be II In
reality a great general, said Edwin Hoi-
stetter.
HE comes 10 FIRE and takes IN tts points
a. a man would study battlefield, the forces
OF an enemy, his own chances Of conflict or
escape, There IL nothing that escapes
him, and he probably attends personally
more hres than any chief has ever attended
before him.
1T is an amusing thing to watch him.
He Is all nerves and all energy. He IL here,
there and the other place, and suddenly
you see him take OF his fireman's hat, put
on a SLOUGH hat and poke huge black cigar
between his lips, and then the initiated know
that the fire is practically over and that
they might just as well go home; the SLOUGH
hat and the cigar are infallible signs.
There are certain professional secrets,
as you might call them, about fire that are
known only 10 the elect, For instance,
there are many places In New York that are
on the black list. "A soon a. a fire breaks
out in one Of them you will hear . second
and even a third alarm right of, for the fire.
men know that any kind Of FIRE In one Of
those places means danger.
eve All have A RDecial LIST Of hOAela and