New-York tribune., 1907-10-13

top speed, and Water Tower q Another call
brought the lifesavers, with their pompan ladders,
their nets and ropes Truck q.
The engines and their tenders swept through nth
street and back quarters until the lfesavers had
finished their work Without the loss of a second
the began to work up the front of the hotel
with the scaling ladders until half the company
OF thirty men had reached the roof. Then there
a sputter like the bark OF toy rife, and
light cord sent up to the roof from the mortar
gun A heavier line followed 1t a second later. and
then the men showed the right way TO come down
on a rope. Some slid down like circus acrobats,
the hooks In the broad belts serving as brakes.
Others down IN the blight OF another
rope. and a few were taken down in the arms cf
their mates. Then another lfesaver worked his
way across the front OF the hotel, from window 20
window stretch OF about twelve feet between
each-while the crowd held its breath and the
photographers grew tired swapping their shuttcr4
After they got through the work OF the others
had to be displayed. The Mayor in another
alarm. which brought out Engine ;. East 18th
street; a. East 18th street; 26 East 37th street.
go Spring street 13, Wooster street, 33 Great Jones
street, and Engines Il, 10 and r.
Before the horses had been blanketed. the men,
moving without apparent haste had every avail
able line to the water tower and a stream play
ing from the lower nozzle. 1t just reached to the
edge Of the crowd banked sodly in 18th street and
wet them. Those further back laughed Justify
until the stream started from the top OF the tower
That carried third Of the way down the block
and there was no more laughing. except by those
who had been strainng necks from back around
Irving Place. They had thought themselves IN
lucky up to that time but II cheered them up a
lot to see about three thousand men and women
trying to scramble from choice views to get in out
of the wet The Mayor laughed too but came
nearly being of the drenched for the wind
caught the stream from the siamesed pipes being
played from Broadway. and drove It ard the soft
coal smoke from the engines right into the box.
USING THE LIFE NETS.
After this the big extension ladder-elghty-
feet Of it-was shot up to its full height and swung
around on its little turntable over the forward
trucks. Then 1t was lowered part way, while agile
members of the ifesaving company walked off
the top, sprawl into the net held below. Failing
into life net is q useful we'll thrilling
comPlishment but it IS not graceful. To do Il
properly must throw himself into the air like
a particularly clumsy diver. Halfway down it is
the proper think TO sprawl as much like frog
the end of line as possible and then land in
the net on the left hip pocket. The boys seemed
TO get lot of fun out of IT, though Commits
sioner Laptry told the Mayor he could try it if he
wanted TO. but the Mayor had another engagement.
After the ladder had been taken down and the
hose picked up the apparatus and men exhibi-
tion had 10 go to real fire. It was surely Fire
Department day yesterday in this town. one that
made OF the oldtime hand tube musters look
like the first Britannia alongside the Lusitana
Before the Mayor pinned the medals on the new
dress blouses he told just how each man had won
the little bit Of metal. Thomlinson. Rousseau and
Seth, all Truck men, theirs by taking two
women and child from the sixth floor of the
burning building at No. So Chrystie street. Decem-
Der u. 1905. Ncklaus got the Bennett medal by
bringing down an unconscious man from the fourth
floor OF the house ct No 10 West 6st street No
venber 9. 1906. He had to get his burden over n
hve-foot open gap but he did IT, and forgot TO
make a report OF it until he was reminded to do
so. The only Brooklyn fireman in the lot was As
sistant Foreman Ludgate who got the "Citizen's''
medal for rescuing fellow fireman. Matthew Nc
Carthy. who was overcome IN dangerous cellar
fire in Brooklyn February Q. 1906.
The first man to win the wortheim medal was
Foreman Fox, who put out fire In Tube c of the
Pennsylvania tunnel. IN East 93d street. and recov-
cred the body of the watchman, who had been
killed by the smoke. This was on March 49, 1906
The Wortheim medal is about inch and a half
IN diameter and of 22-karat gold. The diverse
has picture OF fireman rescuing girl from a
burning window, which is tnclosed by a laurel
wreath. On the reverse is the inscription
Assistant Foreman Martin. who received '"The
Brooklyn Eagle medal. got his guerdon by carry
ing a down from the fifth floor OF house
in Mangin street before the arrival of the appa-
ratus, November 26. 1906
John A. Kuch, OF Hook and Ladder Company %,
discovered that the members of Engine Company 81
had been overcome while fighting a fire in the cell
lar a. No. 70 Manhattan avenue. May 81 1908.
He saved the men and went back and carried out
Foreman Cummings. who had also been overcome.
Edward J. Levy, foreman OF Engine Company SO.
at Fire Headquarters. earned the Stephenson medal
for general etccpcy as commanding officer during
lSA