Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-02

woman who had heen run down and &C.
fiousiy Injured BY q truck,
Lieutenant stephen q Howard and Hose.
man william Fierine N Engine No. ~.
jumped into tho schuylklli canal ~
Manayunk and rescued n man who had
fallen in
Driver Eugene Smith, of Truck No. ts.
rendered assistance 10 ono John Wesley
Richards, who had been Injured while riding
on the rear Of 40 automobile truck
Hoscman Harry q. Meycts. Of Engine No.
~. rescued one Mabel Davis, n neeresa.
who had been overcome by smoke and ad.
mins,ered "nrnt-nid" treatment
ALI IN THE DAYS WORK"
These examples culled from the chief
engineers report ARE but n partial liz, of
the services rendered IN the courHe Of a
single year. They are entirely apart from
the cases where tho nromen have courage
ousiy rescued inmates Of burning houses
or have dragged their unconscious felluwp
from smoke-nilcd buildings Deeds Of this
character arc 20 commonplace in tho IRE.
mems estimation that they do not consider
them worthy of even passing notice, and
they are not entered upon tho records OF
the bureau.
Indeed. scarcely n "servlon" fro occurs
but some hOroman or lnddernan collnpsea
NJ his post and ls suntched from death by
his comrhdoa He'd do tho same for mo"
IN the only satisfaction they derive from
such herolHm, which often iR performed
without the knowledge and beyond the vls-
ion of spectators. safely herdcd behind rre
lines NJ respectful distance beyond the
zono Of danger In which the fireman per.
forms his everyday task.
EFFECT OF STRAIN
This devotion 10 duty. unnlnchingiy ad.
hored 20, no matter nt what peril or Injury
TO tho performer, tells upon tho fireman.
The heat and smoke affect tho heart and
lungs 90 Rn extent that asserts Itself sooner
or later. declare authorities on tho ilfo Of
fireman.
Tho case OF pick" Berry In one Of tho
chief instRnces on record Mt flre hcadnunr-
terH.
Berry was foreman aftorward captain
OF Truck No. e. Stationed nt Third ana
De JHncey streets his company saw service
ut every fire within tho danger zone" and
there were few Of them that Berry missed.
~ every big fire Berry was on hand, lending
and encouraging his men where smoke was
thlokest and danger gravcst. Knee deep he
stood In Ice and snow scaled frozen lad
dor rungs. TO plunge from those perils Into
tho BoothlnR furnace that scorched and
within burning warehouse or fac
tory
INJURED THGRTY-N1NE TIMES
Thrty-nlno times he was injured In por-
OF duty. and nj forty-nvc years.
an age In other lines, regarded as life'H
prime, and height Of activity. his battered
frame collapsed, and on tho eve or eligibility
10 pension he was compelled to dut active
duty and take to his bed. The efrect OF
those thlrty-nlno trips to hospitals was
not TO be denied, oven by Borrys indomth-
bic courage and tcnaclty.
He died February 20. 1908, his entire |
career as fireman. which began October
10, 1887, having been passed In the "hro
bolt" with the exception OF five years
from December iB, 1880, to December =, |
1895. Ra foreman OF Engine No 3, at |
Second and Race streets, he had been AS |
signed 10 Truck No. 4 and even In tenn
pornry periods ns acting battalion chief. he |
had never been away from tho district IN |
which he began as a fre-nghtcr.
other men In tho service, ns their ply
siquo yields to the inroada Of injury, are /
transferred TO companies In the |
where tho duties arc less onerouH'
But Berry was not Of such stuff. To go |
down at tho nozzle with lungs nllcd with
smoke. or to be dragged from beneath tons
VI rcd-hot bricks after wallis collapse was
, part OF Berry's life No tablet marks his
memory In tho station OF Truck No, 4. He
lod nroman'A death, ana he did II In |
way" say the men who romem-
oor him, ns one OF the brnvest In tho SER
vice.
Tho public. except his comrades and
1olghbors. hardly knew that "Diclt" Berry
,Nlsted.
rs 1T YOUR CONCERN?
Today. from the Bureau OF Fire, there
-Iees an appeal to the citizens Of Philadel-
)ha to consider II service such as that
'endered by "Dlck" Berry and his success
lors N adequately recompensed by the t75
o S9l monthly which the city pays to It's
lremen for deyotlng twenty-ono hours each
lay at constant jeopardy Of life and vital
ty-sapping strain.
Counclmon declare they will better con-
litions for tho hremen f their constituents
Wish IL. Popular pressure by the residents
Il Philadelphia would render such IA slow
AS that OF "DclS" Berry an Inn
OF the future.