The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-29
FIRE DRILL EVEN FOR BABIES.
HUSTLED FROM BED no OUT"
DOORS IN 50 SECONDS.
One Branch Of Learning in the Up to
Date ASylum-Crlpples Taught to
Save ThemSelveS-MOdern Hotel Fire
Drill-WOmen Good Fire Fighters.

save HOJel fHe
DrilI-WOmen Good Fire Fighters.
1t vas not dark, for the electric arcs lit
the street; but it was late, and still, very
still. on that quiet residence street In
farthest Brooklyn. The explorer had a
queer feeling Of housebreaking as she
turned in at the gate Of a great, dark house,
evidently all locked for the night, with the
lights out.
The big front door swung mysteriously
open and she tiptoed down the long, old
fashioned hall that divided the house in
the centre, TO a great room in the rear. A
mighty, many Widowed room 1t was, and
in it thirty-fve little white iron beds, and
in the thirty-flve beds thirty-fve babies,
all sound asleep; their moist, rosy cheeks
denting the snowy pillows, their dark lashes
pencilling their cheeks.
Suddenly a horrid clamor filed the air.
A rabid gong in some outer region sounded
an internal tattoo, and another in the
nursery responded.
Instantly thirty-fve pairs Of infant feet
Kicked of the overs and those thirty-fiye
blessed infants stood solemnly but speedily
upright. The electric light flooded the
place and discovered all the sleepy, night
gowned forms struggling into position,
quite calm and unbalanced.
just at that instant q torrent OF boys
poured into that nursery. 1t was an erup-
ton Of boys, and every n in pajamas
They came in like a hurricane, yet not one
stumbled or impeded the rest.
They spoke not q word, but each one
hurried to one Of the little White beds.
seized one Of the babies and rushed with
it into the yard. Down a flight Of porch
steps they had to 60, but not one stumbled
I or paused till the thirty-five babies in their
nightgowns stood safe in the stone paved
playground and the thirty-five boys in
pajamas stood on guard beside them.
They were not alone, however. The
| explorer looked at her watch. Eighty
seven seconds had elapsed n $40 children
had walked from sleep in the dead of night
and got themselves out of the building,
some from the third floor.
1t was the FIRE drill at school 8 Of the
Brooklyn Industrial School Association at
PIT Sterling place. This is an example
Of the modern fire drill.
In the daytime, when they do not have
to lose time in waking up and getting
out of bed, these children get out Of the
4 pullllTk III IOIly BtCOIlubs olS0 u Si'SJ
| form in line till the Right about face Of
the commander sends them marching
into the building, outwardly calm and
orderly. but their dancing eyes showing
| plainly that 1t Ia the best kind Of a lark
to nave to get out of the house in forty or
eighty-seven seconds.
The life saving corps, especially, looks
proud and happy at having safely rescued
the babies once more. 1t is a great honor
TO be in the life saving corps.
No boy who falls down stairs can belong
to it. No one has ever fallen down with
q baby, but one fell once getting down
from the dormitory and had to leave the
corps. 1t nearly broke his heart, but
discipline has to be maintained in fire
departments.
The sight at this orphans home, where
the children are all strong and well, ex-
cepting for an occasional invalid in the
inirmary, Is nothing to hat at the House
OF st. Giles the Cripple, at AT Clinton street,
Brooklyn. In that house are 200 crippled
children, not 5 per cent. of whom are able
10 walk at all, many Of them bedridden,
some even unable to sit up.
When Frederick A. Ross, who teaches
the fire drills, was called upon to take
charge Of this house it looked like a dubious
proposition to him. He looked over the
house and laid out the drill, explaining to
the matron how to conduct it. Three
weeks afterward he went back and rang the
fire alarm, just to see what would happen.
He didn't expect what he was going to
see, and it nearly bowled him out. Down
long corridors and two flights Of stairs
- or;,nlol oh;lJrop-oo tha;r
hands and knees. 1t was their quickest
mode Of egress, and all who were able to
move were out Of that building inside Of
three minutes. The bedridden ones had to
depend on the attendants.
The crippled children seem to enjoy
the performance Is much rs the normal
ones.
This FIRE drill may save untold loss Of life
some day. The fire drill is necessary in the
day schools, as has been repeatedly shown
in the public schools Of New York, but it is
far more necessary in the great homes and
asylums where children live and sleep.
Many OF these asylums are very old build
ings, not freproof, everything about them
infammable. Some Of them have infants
only a few weeks Of age among their hun
dreds OF inmates, A baby of two weeks
cannot reasonably be expected to be as
calm and self-possessed a one Of 2 years,
but they get saved every week or two by
the older ones, just the same.
The self-possession Of the children old
enough to understand the matter is remark
able. In all his experience Capt. Ross
has never known one to scream or lose his
head, although hauled out of bed in the
middle Of the night. The other day at a
drill at the convent school Of Our Lady
Of the Rosary s%ixty-nine babies in arms
reached the sidewalk in two minutes.
There rs an original drill. adapted to it's
exits, for each building. The children are
taught what to do in case they should have
to run through smoke, and at all times the
rule on drill is strictly mouths shut A
child caught with his mouth open on drill
is in disgrace.
After the drills the chief prowls about
the building to see II the kitchen fire has
been left right OF night; IL any infammable
rags have been left lying about; IL the fire
equipment is all in order. He calls up all
the adults in the building and teaches them
how to use the fire extinguishers; a thing
not understood by n person out Of a hun
dred.