The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-26
BOOTBLACK TO THE FIREAEH
FOR FORTY YEARS CLINKER HAS
BEEN SHINING SHOES,
hut Only In Engine Houses South Of Houston
Str~eet--OIdest unOnlclaI Member OF
the Observation-Disclosures, VINO Docs
MendlnE. supp les Another Mystery.

Clustered around the Fire Department
Is a curious collection OF charactes. n
the Oldest Of them all is Clinker Clinker
shines the shoes Of the firemen in the fire.
houses south OF Houston street, and this
year he completed his fortieth year as an
unoficial member Of the department.
Clinker Is an old man now. Forty years
OF shining shoes has bent him over until
he Is almost double, with a curious list to
starboard. He doesn't know how old he
Is, but he does know that 1t was in 1887 that
he first showed up at the old fire house at
Chambers and Centre streets. and for
mally attached himself to the department.
Tho paid department was only a Few
years old then. It's members wanted to
make a good appearance and overcome
the resentment aroused in some quarters
by the retirement Of the vamps, so Clinker
was formally enrolled as the Official shoe
sinner for the department, OF part OF IT.
for Clinker never would go north OF Hous-
ton street then and he never has since.
He was born In the old Fourth ward.
and II Clinker had had his way New York
would have stopped growing at Houston
street. In the forty years that Clinker
has been shining the shoes Of hremen In
the fire houses south Of Houston street
he has met and become the friend OF men
who have risen 70 become chiefs and heads
Of the department, but once they were
transferred north Of Houston street they
were lost to Clinker.
Chief Bonner was one OF Chnker's friends.
So was Chief Croker. When Bonner got
up to Fire Headquarters he thought he
could prevail on Clinker TO come up there
and shine his shoes, promising him lots OF
trade. But the old mar shook his head,
no. he said. they may call you, chief,
but there amt no firemen north OF Houston
street" ~
Bonner and his old friends who have
risen in the ranks and gone up town ooca-
sionAlly happen in on Clinker when he Ia
busy polishing shoes downtown, and then
Clinker gives them a shine just to h
that his old hand has not lost its cunning.
Nobody knows just who gave Clinker
the only name he is known by in the depart
ment. His real name is said to be James
Sullivan. There is now no member OF the
department who was in II when CHnker
began to shine shoes.
Clinker visits every fire house once q day.
his outfit under his arm. He collects the
shoes Of his customers from under their
beds and polishes them for so cents a month.
Tales Of a fabulous fortune accumulated
by the old man in the forty years he has
been on the job are told, but they don't
come from Clinker. What is known is
that in that time he has supported two
sisters and brought up and educated their
children.
In the forty years Clinker has been shin
ing shoes for fremen he has missed only
three days. That was in 1879, the year OF
the Philadelphia exposition. Clinker was
missing then and when he got back from
the exposition Bonner, who was then q
battalion chief, threatened to bring him
I'M on charges for being absent from the
department without leave. Clnker took
the Joke 30 seriously that he never absented
himself again.
He wears no coat winter or summer,
hut goes In his shirt sleeves. Clinker has
never been to a fire, but he has never missed
the funeral OF a fireman that he knew and
always turns up as q mourner.
district has q story about Clinker. He IN
known from end to end of the department.
because nearly every fireman and every
oHicer from the chief down has had his
shoes BACKED one time or another by Chnker
when he was doing duty downtown.
On Christmas Day a few years ago the
men OF Truck 20. on Mercer street, formally
presented the old man with a big paper
bag from which protruded the legs OF an
enormous turkey. 1t was so big and 50
heavy that Clinker almost fell under the
weight OF it, but there was something sus-
picious about the bag and people whom
he passed on Broadway began to smoker.
Finally Cinker dropped the bag and it
fell with a thud on the pavement. Tbs
legs fell out. That was all there was TO
Clinker's turkey. for inside was a brick
wrapped up in cloth. But the hremen mace
II I'M to Clinker afterward. :.
Another character who attached himself
to the Fire Department years ago ana Is
one Of it's oldest unofficial members is more
Of a mystery even than the old shoeblack.
The iremen call hin Rubbers:
Rubbers Ia an old mar who appeared
about 1880 and offered TO mend the tiremen's
rubber coats and boots. His services were
accented by the firemen, and he now visits
every fire house. The firemen save un old
pieces OF hose for the old man, and will them
he patches their coats and shoes.
Rubbers sleeps in the basement OF what
ever engine house he happens to be in when
no home, but what has puzzled the firemen
since he came among them back In 1880 has
been the evidence Of refinement in his past
which now and then crops out in his con-
versations.
olose his identity and nobody knows his real
name or where he came from originally.
All that they know lie that he has been mend
ing rubber boots IN the oeparCnenJ bnCo
most Of the present members joined.
There was a period Of seven years when
the old man was missing. That was follow
, ing the Park place disaster. The tremen
made a search for him then andfoundthath he
had been seen to enter the restaurant in the
building just before it oollapeed.. Every
BODY gave Rubbers up for dead then.
Nobody took his place. and one day
seven years later the old man appeared
and started looking over the rubber boots
for holes in one OF the engine houses, lust
as though nothing had happened. The
word was sent all around hen that Rubbers
was hack, and the f1remen piled him with
questions as to where he had been, but
Rnbbers refused to tell them. Some years
afterward he told them that he had spent
the seven years In Chicaro, lat what he
vent there for NOBODY knows.
Both Rubhers and Clinker have the
entrance to all the fire houses, and no one
has ever tried to compete with them for the
fremen's trade. They both consider them
selves members OF the department end scorn
to class themselves with tho buffaloes.
as the enthusiastic citizens who have the
craze to follow the smoke eaters are called.
Some day the two old men will reach
the ace limit and will disanDear. Then
| the firemen will miss them. They are long