New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-26

the artistic added. The "boy" was
wrong in one particular; it was not a
big fire as Toxic knows them--only
so houses-but it afforded a dramatic
instance of the Toxic tire-tighters in
action. The Americans joined the
throng of hurrying, murmuring, XII
m wraipt. clog-shod Japanese
which choked the narrow street lead
ing to the scene of the fire. which
doomed up, angry and menacing, an
eighth of o mile away. Masses of
sparks scared heavenward and clouds
of luminous smoke rolled upward and
beyond, toward the center of the great
city whose scourge has ever been fire.
1T is spreading" a Japanese friend
said gaily The gongs are sounding
far away to call reinforcements. Let
us hurry; we must get a good view"
The crowd was becoming almost i'm
possible in density, and almost all the
men composing it bore aloft exquisite
Japanese paper lanterns. 1t was a
continuous, singing lane of fantastic
decoration that wound onward until it
\ended on the borders of the confla-
grafton itself. AS the crowd in
creased the noise grew in volume I'M
til it became a roar of sound. Every
body seemed excited. Nothing
seemed systematized; false appear
ances, both.
Now, q great shout arose and men
waving huge lanterns forced a pas
sage-way in the middle of the street
A hand-pump on four wheels, drawn
and pushed by perspiring men, toiled
up, followed by hose-reel, similarly
propelled. The f1remen had strange
Japanese letters and designs on their
floating garm ents; their heads and
faces were shrouded in helmets of
some thick stuff that resembled OIL
cloth. The children had gone to bed
and seemed to have stayed there, but
men and women, talking and gesticu-
lating, stood outside their tiny wooden
houses, casting glances of anxiety,
first at the advancing flames and then
at their own endangered homes. Was
it time to fee? It appeared not. Capa-
BILE policemen were passing back and
forth seeming to write the Japanese
characters of calm in the air as they
thrust the omnipresent lanterns back
and forth.
Still nearer the flames rose up the
rhythmic chant of men swaying at the
pump S, zone, two; one, two; one.
1twon' Other attachments had clev-
erly worked their way around the con-
f1agration and stationed themselves
near supplies of water, and it was evil
dent that the tiremen deemed the time
had arrived to make q bold stand to
stop the progress of the flames.
A hundred yards singing tiremen
stretched a long bamboo ladder to the
roof of an untouched house and MINI
bly, clan1oored thereon, dragging after
them a huge triangular block of wood,
painted white, and bearing the name
Of a fire company, the block resting
on a long shaft of wood to which
streamers of cloth were attached.
This shaft the fremen proceeded to
plant firmly on the roof of the house,
and two men stood there holding it in
place, as soldiers stand guard over
planted standard of battle. Men and
shaft stood out in striking silhouette
against the flames, motionless and
thrilling to look upon.
Man desu ka?" (What is ito asked
the correspondent.
That replied the Japanese COM
pGlnion, ''is one of the ancient poesy
of our fighters of fire. In word, it
means Thus far, and no farther Liv-
ing UP to it has cost tho life of many
a man. 1t means that the fire brigade
in charge of this flank of the fire
stakes his reputation that the flames
will be checked at this spot. There
have been many cases where color
bearers have persisted rather than
abandon this sphynx-like clasp of the
emblem that incarnates the honor of
their brigade"
Right in font where the street
made a sharp turn and telegraph poles
were burning fiercely, threatening to
collapse under their weight of wires,
a nimble fireman made his way to the
crun1bIing roof of a half consumed
dwelling and wrenched off several
shutters that hindered the effective
ness Of the streams of water His life
was clearly in danger, but he moved
about tho flames with great GOODNESS,
jumping easily to safety just before
the roof fell into the pit of fire.
Courageous, I remarked.
Yes was the answer, 1T is mat