The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-09
Volunteer and Paid Depart
 ments Here In May
PRATT CITY TO BE HOST
Events, However, Will Be Held In Bir- mngham and the Commercial Club Will Assist In Making the
 Tournament a Success.

two days Birminghams geratest spring days The occasion will be the cause of bringing several thousand visitors to Birmingham, as the railroads will grant rate of one fare, plus 20 cents from practically all points in these two states to Birmingham
 The tournament will be held under the auspices of the Pratt City volun- teer fire department. that company be- ing a member of the association and having carried off many prizes at pre- , vious meets. The Pratt City depart ment wanted to give the visitors a royal welcome and called upon Bir- mngham to help them. The Commer- cial club took the matter up and Sec retary J. B. Babb has assisted greatly in the arranging for the tournament. There will be any number of contests, which will be run as near the heart of town as possible A departure will be made from the rule which has gov erned the previous meets. This will be the invitation extended to all paid fire departments throughout the south to take part in the tournament, there, of course, being separate events for the paid and volunteer departments.
 The paid fire departments of Atlan- ta. Montgomery, Mobile, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Macon, Pensacola. Augusta, Savannah, Chattanooga and every other city having a paid fire de- partment, throughout the south, will be invited to send a crew and equip ment to take part In the contests. Bir- mingham wants to do the thing right, and it was decided to make the tour nament complete by having both vol unteer and paid fremen here at the same time.
 These two days will be thrilling in- deed. Remember how you jump and get excited when you see two or three engines tearing through the streets to a fire, and then imagine some 15 or 20 fire wagons from different cities racing with each other. Dan Patch and Christy Strang have to take back seats In comparison.
 But the real excitement will be with the hand reel delegations. Dalton, Ga. i; Cartersville, Ga; Marietta, Ga. Pratt City and a number of other small towns are equipped with this kind of fire-fighting apparatus. Each delegation from these towns will bring hand reel with it, and civic pride in each of these small munich palities will cause the rivalry to wax to fever heat.
 There are a number of volunteer de- partments which are equipped with the large wagons and horses and the competi- ton will be great between them.
 Every town taking part in the tourna- ment, whether paid or volunteer depart ment, will send it's own wagons and horses, and Birmingham will probably have more fire fighting equipment within its confines on these two days than any other town in the country.
 The grand parade will be the feature of the meet, each crew having it's equip ment gaily decorated. An illustration of just how great civic pride has its grasp upon Alabama and Georgia small towns is given in the announcement that each town, in addition to sending its fire Wae CiiSf NIA dioO oCilu all tidtOiilODliC along to participate in the parade. Holi- day will be declared in each town for a week prior to the meet in order that the populace may turn out and assist in the decorating of their equipment.
 Each crew will also be supported by a bevy of pretty sponsors and the social side of the tournament will be especially pleasing.
 The contests will range all the way from foot races and grabbing contests to the extinguishing of fire, the championship wagon race being the feature of the trials.
 Last years tournament was held in Cedartown, Ga, and the natives of that town are still talking about it. Cedar town was crowded with visitors like 1t had never been crowded before, the people pouring into the town by the thousands [ With the added inducement of a one-fare round trip to Birmingham, and also the fact that the paid departments from all over the south will be here in competition will swell the number of visitors greatly