Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-04

the entire equipment Of those volunteers.
Ladders and axes they carry none. for
those would impede their progress, and
their object is to get 20 the fire. The OBJ
jet OF getting to the fire is not primarily
to put 1t out; this seems to he. indeed. a
very minor consideration. But beins on
hand first gives a crew the pick Of the
plumber.
rival BrIgades Mix IL.
OF course there are rival brigades bent
on the same purpose. and when any two
meet in a street a terrific race. a running
fist fight ensues.
Some fires arc easy to find because the
blaze can be seen at a distance, or the
neighborhood may have the scent and be
able TO direct the firemen; but little fires
at which there is often much loot to be
had, are difficult to discover in the net
work OF twisting. a~lleylike streets, only
the district or approximate whereabouts
having been discovered BY the watcher on
the tower.
There Is, OF course. a more d~ignified
brigade than these lawIes- packs OF volun-
teers, a brigade so large and important
mat IL cannot DdSleU ana StluOW arrives
on the scene TIL the fire is out. This
might be called the. paid department.
II is composed Of soldiers and is quar-
tered at central barracks in STEAMBOAT and
Pera. Mounted officers are in command.
The handpumps are carried in wagons
drawn by four horses. and AIDES. hains
and hooks, as well as ladders form part
Of the equipment. The ladders are any
uba~o Fr1r, fgf4rn, % Ku-o,N- Fzzk Ia,1
and will reach to the second floor Of al
most any house,
The soldier firemen make a spectacle
at night which no one who visits Con-
stantinople would care to miss. The
bugle blast which clears the street for
them IL not to be mistaken, and you turn
to see a flare OF oil torches shedding a
dim light on a more extraordinary aggre-
cation than any that has passed.
Soldier Firemen Are wonders.
While the volunteers hurry along in
small parties by the light Of a paper Ian
tern the soldier company numbers from
200 to 300 men. Thick wooden uniforms OF
a reddish brown for summer as well as
winter, are not sufficient impeachment to
speed; every man must wear the. regula-
ton high army boots, while on his head Is
a domed helmet OF steel enameled in brill
liant shiny red. From these helmets, Civ
ing the company the appearance of mailed
crusaders, a leather hood hangs down to
the shoulders, covering all the head ex-
cept where the face looks out.
with the short hatchets and loops Of
rope that these men carry at their belts
1t is a wonder that they and the torch
bearers can follow at a slow trot; yet they
off the snarling rival packs of volunteers
fighting among themselves over the
plumber.
The customary procedure of a volun-
teer company on getting TO a fire is to
seek the owner of a house near that which
Is burning and bargain with him for saw
ing it. The negotiations are conducted
rapidly at the top of the voice, with tre-
mendous gesticulation. While this Is going
on the crew of the Matchmaking chief
prepare the pump; not that there is any
danger Of the soldiers arriving upon the
scene. but because other volunteers are
pouring in, competition is growing rife and
prices %tumbling.
Pouring water into Pump.
All available buckets and tubs have all
ready been brought into service and water
is being fetched from the nearest foun-
tain, before whose gentle drip the mem
bers of various crews are fighting. At
last the water comes. 1t is poured into the
pump.
The muscular arms swing the levers.
The nozzle sputters, then squirts for three
minutes. then s~putters again and stops
TIL another bucket is brought. Sometimes
you see a man-not a volunteer-wtth the
supreme intelligence to throw the bucket
of water direct upon the blaze.
At last, when the fire has burned itself
out. the soldiers reach the scene, drive the
pack from the wreckage and stop the YELL
irg. the fighting and the destruction OF
property.
A sight OF these creatures at a fire, wag-
ing a hopeless fight against an element in
which they recognize the hand OF Allah.
opens to you an understanding OF the mean
ing OF the cry of fire in Constantinople
The idea pervadlng the mob is that nothing
can really he done. because this Is Gods
will; that 1t would. indeed, be wicked to
oppose the flames too ~strenuously. Fires
easily extinguished are put out because
God permits It; but no serious effort is ever
made. and you may see Moslems through
out the crowd standing idly by. lifting not
a finger to save their homes. II is because
there is no adequate fire department In
Constantinople that Europeans and native
Christians of means are careful to build
all large houses as nesrly Of fireproof ma
terial as possible.
Then the Blaclrman.
The day after the fire. nevertheless. the
volunteers are careful to go around to the
houses of all Christians in the ~neighborhood
to levy blackmail, declaring that TO them
was due the stopping Of the conflagration's
ravage. A wealthy house owner may be
called upon by the chiefs OF ten or a dozen
OF these brigades. And as the volunteers
number always the most desperate of the
local brigands it may be dangerous not &c
reward them TO some extent, say a tenth
of what they first demand.
II WAS thasa firannap WhO fornoaA a MI.