The sun., 1917-01-13
FIREMEN GET BACK
LUCK WITH SMOKE
Six Weeks of Gloom Dispelled
in Chelsea Village When
Lost Dog Is Found.

Indigo clouds of gloom that have been
lowering over Chelsea Village were dis
PEELED sharply yesterday afternoon.
A series of staccato barks and the
roars of deep throated men created joy
currents that shot into the air from a
spot midway between Seventh and
Eighth avenues. on Twentieth street,
and drove the sulkiness from the skies.
And then, through the crisp and smil-
ing sunshine that pervaded the block.
an observer could have seen bluecoated
men frisking up and down the street
with a black and white spotted dog
with a joy that gurgled forth with a
deeper meaning than an ordinary frolic
would have brought forth.
Those men were the firemen Of Hook
and Ladder No. ~, and the dog was
Smoke.
Smoke had come back-Smoke, with
out whom in attendance no fire in
Chelsea Village was official. After an
absence of six weeks, in which the fire.
men of the company. and Of the city,
the policemen and the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had
searched for him high and low. Smoke
had been found and restored TO MS
home in the old fire house.
And II meant more TO the nreihe"
than simply the companionship OF
dog they loved. For with smoke away
the flremen had stumbled INTO more oau
luck than they had faced in all the
hot hn "A
pnre Dalmatian is Smoke. the son OF
/ a dog presented years ago to the mouse
hv Cornelius Vanderbilt when the Chei-
sea volunteer firemen occupied II. Shohe
was born right there in the nre nouse
and he lived there all his lie uhtii lie
| got lost six weeks ago. g.,
smokes luck compelling quality mas
been known all through the department
| Ir,an in checker games 1t was poor
n,ayer who could not win If Smoke $1,000
behind him, and the men OF the COM
many gained fame as one or the mos'
| reckless groups Of fire eaters IN the city
by taking risks that ordinarily Wouio
have meant sure death. But with Smoke
| on the Job few were the accidents tha'
happened to the company
Then he got lost. Two days atter'
ward Capt Larry Mcguire felt par
| --~-
his shoulder blade was broken. ant
| then nut him to bed. True. the oon'
had been broken while Smoke was a
home. but who had been bothered by II
! Then came series of petty annoy
ancas The horses were fretful. th'
brass tarnished more quickly than eVe'
before. it seemed the men were gloomy
inept at their tasks and everything wen
wrong. o.,.
i II wasn't long before Battalion Chic
I George l.. Ross, who makes his headquar
ters in the house, felt the malicious spiri
OF Smokes absence. He came Gown witt
a vicious attack of rheumatism, an
when he left his bed he had to wall
with a crutch.
Then came the fire in the Helmutl
Printing building on west Eighteent
street. when benzol exploded an
severely burned Lieut.. George Hausei
Fireman Hugh Bonner, son OF the lat
| Chief Bonner. and Fireman Patrick Mu'
roy. .,, ,,,
trv could not have caused one membe
Of the company to waver for one momen
in his belief that Smokes absence cause
that explosion and injured those mer
The company was out or luck VIII
Smoke gone, and that was all to be sait
: DAY before yesterday an unsigne
J postcard reached the s. +. Z. A Iher
was a black and white dog with
license numbered 1877 in bakery sho
/ at Second avenue and Seventy-secon
street. 1t said
, THAT was Smokes license number.
/ When the 8. p. c. A agent visited tn
, fire house yesterday and showed tn
postcard it required Capt. Larry
, strongest grip on his men to prever
, them from starting in parade for ths
bakers shop. Finally one man wa
: selected to accompany the agent. an
Z when he came back he brought Smol
with him, a bit underfed. maybe, b'
: happy enough. as he proved by n
I ecstatic tail.