New-York tribune., 1910-09-01
SUFFOLK F|REMEN LIVELY
Volunteers Strain Muscle and
Nerve for Prizes at SayvilIe.
ATTACK ON BOTTOMLESS PIT
East Islip's Slip Causes Cries for
Fair Deal-Sag Harbor's Hay
rack" Wins Easily.

Suffolk County Volunteer Firemen got to-
sether Yesterday In Sayville, Long Island.
to show about five thousand of the natives
and a sprinkling thousand visitors what
they could do to a fire. and more praticu-
larly how quickly they could do it. East
Islip was generally conceded the 'classiest'
group of fire fighters though 1t was only
after they had proved their speed twice in
the same contest that they really estab-
iished their reputation.
In their first trial at Hook and Ladder
Contest No q" which consisted of three
hundred-foot run to a bucket line up
ladder, followed by a bucket brigade at
tack on defenceless barrel, some one very
inconsiderately removed the bottom of the
barrel, and the East Islip volunteers
worked away for three minutes trying to
fill the bottonless barrel. Then their buck
etman, Shepard Saxton decided to investi-
gate and found they were attacking the
bottomless pit instead of a supposedly re-
spectacle barrel, and they were allowed an
other trial.
It was the twenty-ffth annual tour1a-
ment of the Suffolk County Volunteer Fire
mems Association, and as It was the first
time since 1895 that the tournament has
come TO Sayville the villagers constituted
themselves into a huge welcoming commit
tee and laid aside and prepared one entire
street near the centre of the town for the
contests.
Frank White, the village chief of police,
detailed Frank White to the traffic squad
for the day, TO keep overeager AUTOMOBILE
lists from encroaching on Swazey avenue,
the scene Of the contests, and he put the
job of holding the police line along the
route Of the parade which preceded the
contests up to Frank White, patrolman.
Ex-Sheriff John S. Wells OF Suffolk
County, assisted in the latter job with
twenty-five deputies, gorgeously and Off
cially clothed in regular watchmens uni
forms lent for the occasion by Allan Pink
erton, who is sometimes spoken of as being
of New York. but who, the Long Island
ers will tell you is properly Of Bavshore
Whole Grandstand for Fair Deal.
The parade was the feature of the morn
ing celebration, and though there was no
prize for the best turnout, each visiting
company put on its marching togs and
trundled its apparatus through Greely ave-
nue., Main street. and to the grandstand
in Swazey avenue. Two years ago at the
Suffolk County celebration some bad blood
developed over the award of a prize for the
best parade turnout, which explains the
lack of such incentive yesterday. The speed
contests OF the afternoon, however were
all rewarded with valuable prizes, and COM
petition was keen.
For the most part the decisions of the
judges were accepted without dispute
though occasionally an oldtimer with a
stop watch in his hand would grunt dis
contentedly. and on the incident of the bot
tomless barrel the whole grandstand rose
up to demand another trial for the East
Islip department
Harry Haff, son of the yacht builder and
racer, Captain Hank Half, carried a watch
that he declared was infallible, but his
differences of opinion with the Judges were
comparatively few and of small Conse-
quence.
Robert Holmes ex-marshal Of the Say
vile department, led the parade, and was
| accorded the seat of honor at the afternoon
races, with but one dissenting voice The
objection came from an aged citizen of
Greenport, who, when he was not allowed
| q seat beside the ex-marshal of Savville
loudly denounced the latter's preferment
The Greenport one refused thereafter to
even so much as look at the races. until
about the middle of the individual ladder
scaling contests, when he meekly inquired
| of his neighbor in an ordinary seat:
"How's our Greenport boys doin' ?''
After which he was a enthusiastic as the
smallest boy there.
The Sag Harbor Hayrack victor in half
dozen Long Island contests carried
off the honor in the hook and ladder con-
test Ne. /. which consisted of 450-foot
rha
| ton and scaling of a ladder In this con-
test Southampton's crew made beautiful
run through the stretch, only to find that
| they had carelessly dropped the scaling
| ladder in the excitement of the start
| Loud walls from the Southampton con-
| tingent greeted this discovery but they
| were ruled out for their carelessness
Prizes and "reminiscences.
Regis H. Post, of Bayport, who recently
returned from an eight-year sojourn in
/ Porto Rico Governor of that island. but
who has kept UP his membership in the
| Bayport department all the time, gave out
the silver cups and pieces of fire nghting
| apparatus which made up the prize list
| This ceremony, conducted in Main Street
Park, unofficfally known as Sparrow Park,
| because of its exceedingly small size fol-
lowed the racing of the day.
Mr. Post, from his long career as a vol
unteer fireman in Suffolk County was able
| to conjure UP "reminiscences of the old days
| that highly amused the racing crews.
He told of the first Introduction of the
canvas bucket in the bucket brigade con-
| tests. which on account of their light
weight gave their users a great advantage
over the other crews. equipped with ordi-
nary wooden buckets. Mr.. Post, with his
brother. ". K. Post, who is now president
of the Suffolk County Volunteer Firemen' S
! Association, equipped their Bayport com
! pany with the new style buckets, and gal
! loped away with all the prizes given in that
( connection at that tournament.
| The next day ne sent one of the new
buckets to his rival. Abraham L. Field,
then the racing captain of the Huntington
/ Suffolk County. association. and on a tag
attached to the bucket was the inscrip-
ton:
It's big enough for bathtub; It'd hold a food
Of tears,
And I thfrk it's up TO Abraham I'll it up
! with beers
Mr Post and State Senator Orlando
/ Hubbs, Of the 1st Senatorial District We're
talking over the political situation.
Well send up twelve of the solidest
! Roosevelt men you ever saw TO Saratoga" ."
said Senator I1ubbs. and they'll he right
! be hind Roosevelt in everything he says
! he's for We're for Roosevelt down here.
J all right and particularly now that we
.tEy Ia.r