The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-12

How IUFN EVu8UN tFN Nv w EhNaNts
II william Curtis Gibson, Familiarity
known "a Pop Gibson, sometime art editor
or Puck and who prides himself OF being
the aldest living volunteer fireman in New
York, has his way the 5000 and some vamps
who paraded the streets Of Elizabeth yester-
day will have a similar parade on Broad
wav next fall. Before the vamps come
to Manhattan, however, Pop Gibson hopes
10 get y number Of the old fremen of the
town interested in a scheme TO get hold
Of some condemned building on the upper
East Side, set it on fire during the festivi-
ties, and when it gets under way to have
the old vamps put it out with and APP
paratu~ to show the present generation
that there are others.
Pop Gibson and Pete. the oldest living
volunteer fire horse, divided the attention
Of the continental at Elizabeth yesterday
afternoon during the biggest iiremen's
parade New Jersey ever saw. Elizabeth
iuu,d itself inside out with enthusiasm.
10 one looking down from a car window
f an arriving train steaming along on
the elevated tracks Elizabeth looked like
Il sea # red and white scrambled eggs on
a rlur platter. Also there were so many
cIdiy uniforms along Broad street that
the plain clothes men who went over from
500 Mulberry street to point out the pick
pockets to the Elizabeth police had to deck
Themselves with bunting to avoid attract
Ing attention.
. Among the States that sent volunteer
frcmru paraders besides all New Jersey
were Rhode Island. Maine, Vermont, Massa-
chu~ett~, New Hampshire, Delaware, Con-
n]ccticut, Pennsylvania and New York.
Towns like Scarsdale, Hoboken. Philadel-
rhia and Red Hook were on the job long
before dawn. Before daylight the rail-
read yards off Broad street, where the
visitors unloaded their apparatus, looked
like Earnum & Bal ey come to town Glib
~on, who has been staying at the Burkely
since Sunday, and all the small boys OF
northeastern New Jersey had the time Of
their lives superinte ending the unloading
Manhattan was represented in the big
Taradethat began at noon by one Uniformed
COMPANY, the Association OF Exempt Fire
men Of New York, 100 strong. whose head
quarters are at Jefferson Market. Some OF
the West Brighton Lilies of Staten Island
paraded, but all of the company were in
town. This is the famous aggregation
that saved New York from destruction a
few years ago when the dry marsh grass
between South Beach and Midland Beach
caught fire one evening.
AS members of the Lilies said vesterday.
If some OF the company hadn't discovered
the fire in the grass while returning from a
dinner Just before dawn nothing would have
prevented the flames from sweeping across
the parched meadows toward Sandy Hook.
twenty miles away. Then there would have
been nothing to prevent the flames from
licking up everything as far as Sea Gate.
Coney would naturally go next, and IA IL
along a powder train the confiagration
would have tipped up through Bath Beach
thence to Borough Park and across Green
wood Cemetery to South Brooklyn. Brook
Ign in flames and blazing cars speeding
across the bridge to Manhattan would have
been the last act of the frightful drama.
But the Lilies put the fire out in short order
and Manhattan has never forgotten the
debt it owes them,
There was so much ancient and honorable
FIRE apparatus in Elizabeth by daylight that
even the old Central Baptist Church, at
Jersey and Jefferson streets. had to he,
converted into a temporary barn to stable
II all. The tremen insisted upon having
covering over their machines for fear a
sudden rainstorm would come up and wet
the apparatus. The ante-bellum hand en-
CINE ' eteran was the only item in the parade
that We'd with Pop Gibson and Pete the
fire horse, but there were other machines
trndled proudly along by gray haired men
that looked as If they might have been
out Of commission long before that famous
winter night in the late sos when Foreman
Gibson won his spurs by saving the old
loew Bridge that used to cross Broadway
AT Fulton street single handed by throw ing
snow balls at the flames till the last spark was
eTtinguished.
The parade yesterday was led by Col.
Dennis I. Collins, grand marshal, and was
IN six long divisions, each division headed
hv a mounted marshal and his stat. Mayor
Samuel J. Berry and a number of visitors
reviewed the procession from the foot OF
The Minute Men statue in Union Square.
After a seven mile walk the parade got back
10 Fast Grand and Broad streets, where
the companies. headed by their bands and
drum corps. started out on little parades
Of thrir own.
Al, however. found their way TO the
w. e. A. field at Walnut street and Mag
rolia avenue later. On the Y. NJ. G. A.
field were five beer tefits, one big top and
four little tops with a smaller tent to hold
the glasses. The Veteran Volunteer Fire
mems Association of Elizabeth under
whose auspices the parade was held, had
stuffed the Y. NJ. c. A.. boys pleasure ground
with half barrels and none of it went to
waste. The way to get back to Broad
street from the field was to sight the top
Of the distant five story skyscraper known
A. the Dixon Building, near me station,
and 10 advance toward that landmark
IN a. straight a line ar possible. The streets
curve frightfully. but one could cover
the course by keeping his eye on the ball.
President Gus Schwartz of the Veterans
EUuerlntened an "open house" for every
body at the clubhouse Of the vamps on
fast Grand street. IL was here that a
committee of five visitors awarded prizes
to companies for best appearance. largest
number Of uniformed men in line, hand
soonest hand engine. sassiest steam fire
engine, niftiest hose cart, and the company
coming from the most distant town. These
prizes we're won respectively by companies
from Jersey City, Bridgeport. Newark,
New Brunswick, Pecksville and Reading.
Pa. After the prizes were awarded there
were free irewoTks at Third avenue and
south Seventh street and later a ball at
Turner Hall on High street. There was
no telling when the ball would be got under
control and ~extinguished.
When the parade broke up Elizabeth
broke loose. All the confetti and feather
fac" tiCklers that hadn't been sold at Conveys
recent Mardi Gras were brought to the town
and sold along the streets. The Olympia
lunch wagon under the railroad bridge
had to get an extra helper. Mike Doyle's
portable waffle bakery had to have a fresh
horse As motive power long before dusk.
The only way to get near the bar Of the
BIrkcly was by way Of the next building
and then down the fire escape. II any
red -hirted hero along the streets didn't