Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-13
AN ALARM OF FIRE!
MULE TURNED t IN
lust a Sleepy, Mangy-looking
Mule, But He Wanted
Excitement.

If an ordinarily well behaved Washing
ton mule, whose daily occupation 1t IL to
pull a laundry wagon, kicks loose, runs
away for hal IA mile and turns in fire
alarm without any provocation at all.
what In the world will happen when
Champ Clark drives a pair Of the trium-
plant corn-fed Missouri variety down
Pennsylvania avenue?
This isn't joke: A fire department
horse with banged-up knees and a skin
ned shoulder Is evidence Of the fact.
At about second cocktail time yester-
day afternoon q laundry wagon. full of
shirts, collars and other starched and
glistening linen belonging to afluent
democrats, was peacefully rolling along
Pennsylvania avenue. One-half of the
motive power was a mule. The other
half. horse, was an apparently unwill-
ing participant in the excitement.
Dix's Picture Started Him.
Nothing happened to scare the team.
There was no excitement, no collision. no
rumpus. But all of sudden the mule.
when opposite an Avenue saloon where a
picture Of John A. Dix of New York has
been hanging in the window for some
bray, played tattoo with a pair of eff
cient hoofs upon the dash of the wagon.
wrenched free from entangling harness
and started down the thorCugltare.
There was no spectator OF the mule
rebellion quick enough to interfere: no
wayfarer along the path Of the animal 8
progress brave enough to dare the white,
barred teeth and nimble hoofs. But it
wasn't a real runaway after all.
At the Avenue and John Marshall place,
hnp 10
eiarm box. the mule stopped short.
brayed violently again and. ducking head
between stl..ened tOrelegs, rang q .bull's-
eye with both hind feet on the glass
front In the box. There was a crash and
the signal lever went down with q thump.
When Chief Wagner of the fire de-
partment, scurried up In his Red Devil,
assistant chiefs gonged up In their bug
gIes, seven engines steamed up with
smoking stacks, reels rumbied I'D spilling
yards of hose, hook and LADDER trucks
Numbered along behind and a lone water
tower thumped after them all, hoping to
be in at the finish, there wasn't a sign
OF a fire.
just Sleepy Mule.
There was only a spiintered alarm box
on the corner, and beside 1t, with foppy
ears. slumbrous eyes. heaving sides and
hanging head. lone. bcny, innocent
looking mule.
where's the fire." demanded Chief
Wagner, the assistant chiefs and the cap
tains Of the engine. reel, hook and ladder
and water tower companies and the
drivers of the fuel and vehicle wagons.
There amt no fire." said a lounger
on the corner. looking with awe and
admiration at the mule. THAT animal
just run up here, snorted once and de-
liberately turned in an alarm. What do
you think of that?"
The chief climbed back in his motor
car, the assistants gathered I'D their
reins and the engines. hose carts, hook
and ladders, water tower. fuel wagons
and patrols gradually melted away. .
But it Is a tact that pretty nearly every
one of the men in uniform gave the
mule with the brainstorm a pat on the
head before he left.
'Gee!' said the lounger on the corner
there certainly must be q lot of demo-
Gratis in the fire department"