New-York tribune., 1912-01-24
.KENLON QUOTES CICERO
Dinner for Fire Chief, Though
Tremendous Risk Undisturbed.
NO 3 ALARM TO MAR II
Friends Give Diamond Ring and
Words of Praise to Fire
Fighter.

Some two hundred friends and admirers
of John Kenlon, chief of the New YORK IRE
Department. gathered at the Hotel Astor
last night to give him a testimonial dinner.
The dinner went along quietly under what
| the fire insurance men term a TREMENDOUS
| hazard" for the reason that beside the
chiefs chair telephone was installed which
connected him directly with Fire Head
quarters.
| If the bell had rung during the evening
Il would have signihed a third alarm, and
would have taken the guest of honor away
from the festivities as well at least one
half the diners. who were uniformed fire
men-but it didn't ring.
OF course. no dinner for a fire chief would
be complete without the bluffs" those en-
thusiasts who. though not officially con-
nected with the Fire Department, are so In
love with the sight Of the force working
1T a big fire that they consider II sacred
duty 10 be on hand at every 'two-alarm,'
and the bluffs were on hand last night
Robert II. Manner. known to fremen the
city over as the king Of the bluffs, oc-
cupied prominent table. and wildly led the
cheering which greeted Chief Kenlon when
he rose TO speak.
The chief qualified for the favors Of
Epictetus when he began his short speech
with grapic references TO the fire which
destroyed Alexandria and Rome and later
with this quotation from Cicero: There Is
nothing greater than TO deserve well Of
the commonwealth
Bringing his recollections of great fires
down to modern times, he said Washington,
Ial nd hpon
burned down, but New York never had been
IT'S only in the magazines that New
York Is burned down." tho chief said. II
remember reading one story which had It
that a great fire wiped out the city, and
900 coo people in mao panic threw them
selves into the East River to escape the
confagratIon. but | say that in the last
fifty years that FIRE has started 10000 times
and 10000 times has it been extinguished
That-for the man who penned such rot"
Looking back over his experiences in the
department. the chief declared that he be-
lieved there had never been "a fairer
squarer or more exhaustive test" than the
one which came last May. after Chief
Croker's retirement.
Some critics have said that no nan who
said; they say that the department needs
tone. Well, I say that II needs practical
fire fighting ability more than II needs tone
and that such a criticism Is un-American.
II is only in country like this that the
son OF an Irish peasant could be chief Of a
great fire department"
The chief asserted vehemently ;hat the
Fire Department was absolutely united.
and that he was proud 10 be at the head OF
such n splendid body OF men. a point which
Commissioner Johnson also emphasized
when he spoke few moments later.
The Commissioner added that he had
looked over tho ruins Of the Equitable
fire yesterday. and In seeing the officials
OF the big insurance company had heard
nothing but the highest praise for the
manner in which Kenlon had handled that
fire.
Patrick J. O'Beirne, the toastmaster. and
Or. Harry VI. Archer. honorary surgeon 10
the department. presented chief Kenlon
with a diamond rng on behalf OF the
diners. Commissioner Johnson. Police Com
missioner Waldo and James r. Sheffield
former Fire Commissioner, were among
the other speakers.
Among the guests were former Chief
Croker. Bridge Commissioner O'Keene,
George H. Olyany. Alfred j. Taley Simon
Brentano. LLOYD H. Willis. Patrick A.
Whitney. Commissioner OF Correction, and
host Of deputy and battalion chiefs.