Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-20
HOLIDAYS MAKE
FIREMEN BUSY
rhristmastide's Record Is
One of Darkest Tragedy
IN Department Annals
~sMoKE-EATER's" STORY

..,,r,. season ~ mcrriment and re-
x-i,,rs 10 the members ~ the Bu-
pens, s.. memories ~ tho blacklist trag-
fteu ~ ~ ~. annals Of their bureau. christ
fa ~, itself and its observance means
- eyoman extra vigilance and Hcuv'%
f.hfistmaa tree. bla4lnN IN VIC hsn' OF
ne e,sics too often kindlcs pyre for
nah5 VI are whose pleasure furnished the
~ ", Tor rs Illumination lhe fireman
t't.. a. ,,ie station is called 90 the rescue.
en oug ,,sar masses without an addition to
~ s.,rd OF lives saved hy thesc W2nest
ss ~ 10 whom erisk aud sacrifice ot
,,,n lives and the snatch'hE OF hclr
r,lxhbors from tne jaws
= 4 DAYS work
,.,t,r chief Michael walsh. cam-
80, ,he dts,rict embraced iu the north.
sar,ton Of West philadelphia, mas hau
49,. ~ Years experience In the bureau OF
nnN lie has come TO be reEardeu as one
Z, ,bs "smokc caters since ms tnt,IS
@ ~ ,,tu mis- elevation TO. the command
e.fses .s'si,on was spent In the commercial
t.t. and called him Into service ~
-, 0re OF consequence IN thc secNoh
s.orn ns the "hre pelt
s,N,iatnas and the Christmas period
80 40 holiday to the flremen, Fald Ch'ei
sss.tsh today Under the GNstem p'eNai"hH
!. philadelphia the day wnen othe' C't.N'n9
= :, nome enjoying themselvcs c'mpels
" " s..,,an 10 stick closed TO his Job for II
49, w an un,thua number ~ what we Know
.'-.,..n,able firea These ura often lutte
si.,oa but they cali US out, 80 We must
- r,ady for them They nre due Tor nc
-, mart 10 carclcssuesu on tho part OF
s.,,..boidcrs who stlll use innnmmablc dec
9s,,an. an their Christmas trees Or fail
to exercise proper caution VI "e'''"R up """
kcating their trees
WARNINGS WITHOUT EFFECT
I'm. notices OF warning sent out BY the
a.. marrhnl against i'EhteG candles as
rh-lstinas tree decorations seem 20 be wi;h-
s,t enect Vet there Is no moro dangerous
rrac.ice nor one whlch ought e. he more
syerAly punished. IN my estimation. II
s..,,s r-'g,inli 20, mo thut lu4tn'a age ~
Enlightenment pc, pc persis IN uring these
esngerous "rna.u ntT when they must
,esiIy. fun wcil 'hc ~s they are taking
zone OF these cerd'ss burns down or
a,srttirns the tree ia abrzc and then we
ere sent for. As the branches of the tree
srow drlcr the danger OF Enition increases,
Srd M the game t,mr the watch kept upon
~ tree itself seems 70 lessen An in
rarts oversight In ;nIs connection may
mean the loss OF a home or OF one or more
lives
~Anothcr too frequent causenf Christmas
i've frns Is defective wiring. Electric lights
n themselves are far SAFER than candles Tor
nlumlnrtrg purposcA but Dot eysry GER
snn who uses them Knows how they should
Be strung. IN improperly insulated or
naked wire comics into contact with damp
81 OF the tree there is short circuit and
q fire. Nst every person who strings the
wires or attaches the battery 10 n Christ
mas tree Is an electrician. II they were
nFos from this cause might be almost en-
tisely prevented.
'Theso are some OF the. reasons why
Christmas is no holiday 10 the fireman.
Tth uutt tt1 Ia N fdaf- 10
the state Of Affairs that its care,essness i'm
poses on u.s.
@Chlef Murphy has issued an order grant
lng US an extra hour for our Christmas din
her. Well get that II we are not called
put 90 respond to an alarm during our
neatlriss.
CHRISTMAS DARK RECORD
"f've been fireman for thirty years.
u that period | have been home on just
bur Christmas days At that / have been
wefe fortunate than other mon who have
ban in the companies served with. ! was
elA Engine Company No 20, at Tenth ana
tpmnorce streets for about twenty years
Azd Christmas time generally found US Wltn
ane one IN the hospital.
The greatest calamity u the history ot
:. ne Fire Bureau. the FTedlarder factory
blaze or the Uodinc street disaster. &C
rurred right on the oya Of Christmas We
aeariy 100 We're injured In the collapse OF
He building and the subsequent attempts
e rescue the poor fellows who went down
VIII the frat crash. That IRE occurred on
ne night of December 2l-22. 1910 exactly
~ years ago. Christmas that year was
snylhlng but merry Tor the members OF the
ne bureau and their faculties.
Then there was the case % George
Aeniz. Of Engine No, g. Tie was thrown
rom the hose wagon while responding 20
~ alarm and died on Christmas Day I9la,
nom the Injuries he received. These TRACE
esss are but few OF the sort OF incidents
that make a hrcman's tnouEnt turn closer
3 crepe than to everRreens at this time.
but our first duty * 10 save life and
property, and II we Lore our own that Is TO
= expected. Perhaps. though, with the
fsople awakened 10 some OF the conditions
eaaef which we have been working and n
snewledge OF what other cities have done
~ their nremen, there win he such a
NaAilie as Will not pace all the burden and