The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-12-13

peacefully sleeping the sleep OF the
/ just l was awakened by my better half
who merely said. Lester" but in such
tone that before | was fully awake
knew something was wrong.
Rousing up l found her gazing out
OF the window at my neighbor's tenant
house. the roof of which was blazing
merrily. Hastily donning my unmen-
tiOnables. I gave the alarm and was
trying TO rouse any possible inmate of
the burning building while by neigh
Dor 'phoned for the fremen.
In an incredibly short time We heard
the rattle Of the fire wagons. and re-
plying like true men to the call for
help. the firemen rushed TO their dan
gerous work Connections were made.
the trained horses spranE forward and
like great serpent the hose was reel
ed OF. and the chief shouted. Water"
Now there is magic in that word
water. 1 have seen. and know. of the
enormous power Of water under i'm
mense pressure. I have seen the ban
ners of the fire fiend go down to defeat
before the onslaught Of Niagara of
water that shot. rigid as a steel bar.
for hundreds and hundreds of feet be-
fore it deviated from a straight line
and the huge hose that held it writhed
under the Titanic pressure like
scotched snake. Before such a stream
horse is bowled over and rolled along
the street like the wind blows a tumble
weed. Windows are smashed and
boards knocked of as this mighty Her
cules thunders at the gates Of the fire
demon.
And so as the chief shouted water"
/ waited expectantly. ready to witness
hydraulic display worthy Of worthy
city.
What l did see was a lazy spray ris-
ing about two feet above the hose noz-
zle and falling impotently upon the
cabbage plants twenty feet short Of the
fire. ..f
Manifestly. the object Of the expe-
dition was not to water Mr.. Miller's
cabbage garden. and so the men sought
the other side Of the house not yet
afire. IF the mountain will not come
to Mahomet. MahOmet must go to the
mountain" and SO the hose was thrust
through a window. but the elevation
was too much for the feeble stream and
it backed up. Then the open door was
tried and it was found that there the
water would deliver, and it ran along
the floor right merrily. Had the oc-
casion been housecleaning this would
mops and brooms no doubt the floor
would soon be rid Of dirt. but at a fire
one doesn't think Of these things, and
in the excitement. loses sight of the
main issue
One genius seized the. hose and
whirled it rapidly about his head and
the centrifugal force thus created
threw nearly a gallon OF water almost
into the fire. but a bysta1der. unfor-
tunately stepped upon the hose and
his supply was shut of. and by this
time the house was burned down ANY
way. ,.i..I E.,...i-,-i
l suRpa&s, that the citizens Of. Ocala
are taxed to secure, protection against
nrs. Taxation without representation
caused the declaration Of Independence
and taxation without compensation: is
just as bad. All those =, ,citizens. who
live in the elevated .poftions of Ocala
who pay taxes for adequate fire pro-
lection are paying for something they
do not get. and ahee <tsrnsl principles
OF democracy demand that when a
man is taxed for something he doesn't
get that he le, out big and iusty
roar. ana r. ne roars' loud enough 'ahd
long enough the powers. that be- hear
IL and call it the vox poRnti. Of -some
such tommyrot.
l have nothing but commendatfon
for our hremen. Braver mon DO not
live and. ,they know how ID. 'heht Are.
too. But what would be said OF the
policies Of nation that spent mill
ions in military schools and FORTH
cations and then armed her soldiers
with tin swords and dspopguns. and this
parallel Is. no exagsration. when. You
think OF these men ready and willing.
and able. but forced TO hght a nre
with a stream OF water about right for
spraying potato vines. i'-''.'@-E
Lester 'wapnee&