Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1920-11-14
D. Associated Press.

~ Associated Press.
WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Nov. Ia
The passing of the fire hroses from
Manhattan Island and the installation
Of high pressure water system In
Boston to eliminate even the fire en-.
CINE are further steps In the stage %.
progress from the romantic days ~ the
picturesque old handtubs." says n
bulletin from the Washington ID. &
headquarters Of the National Geo
graphic Society.
Some remember when citizens trick.
ed themselves out In red shirts and
glazed caps and carried torches IN the
front Of n procession OF formed part Of
the body guard ~ the gallant old tub
m u paraded the streets ON "A gala. &C.
cnsion. Then passion for fire fighting
ran tn n high pitch and nrgulne nts
were waged about the merits ~ par.
iicular engines Today the thrJbs ~
n motor driven engine are taking the
place Of those heart throbs. The
horses that might have clattered from
their stalls, gilded beneath their har.
ness. and raced gioriously through the
drixxily night darkened streets before
the fire.pitting demon are drawing
farm wagons ar blowing the flleds.
Depended on Volunteers
I'm those days communities were d.
pendent upon volunteers. and men
from all social ranks gave valuable
time 10 qualify themselves for the SER
vice.
"Fire fighting in some sort Of or.
ganized form In ancient. Machines for
throwing water from n distance were
known. according to our first clear
evidence. In the second century before
Christ. Heron Of Alexandria. two
hundred years before the Christian
era. In an old manuscript which has
escaped destruction. described an by
draullc machine used In Egypt during
the time ~ the Ptolemies II was com
posed Of two brass cylinders resting ON
a wooden base with pistons fitted into
them--in lts principles practically like
our present engine. Like most other
knowledge, this was lost In the DARK
ages which followed.
Used Synods Of Men
The Romans had squads of men To
carry water In 'Hamae.' or light vases.
10 the scene OF an outbreak where II
was projected onto the fire by those In
charge ~ the 'siphones on hand
pumps. The precise nature Of this IN
str,nment has not been determined, but
from specimens found In excavations
A must have been much like the Oh
fashioned syringe used by gardeners.
These large organizations OF men gave
tho Roman authorities trouble by their
turbulence. Trajan, the Roman En-
peror. and Pliny. at that time one OF
his governors. had long ana serious
correspondence over the advisability
OF organising fire departments In the
cities under Pliny's Jurisdiction leading
10 the conclusion that such groups
would attain sufficient strength TO be
menace 10 the government.
Mention In made OF the medieval
use Of forcing pumps as fire engines nj
Aursburg In ISIS. England and the
countries OF the continent were using
hand squir,s ana syringes at this time
America took her ideas from the Ems
iish, adapting them 10 her peculiar
needs. Al frat the colonists were CON
tent with preventive measures but
these scarcely had any effect upon the
chimneys, built Of wood. generally USED
by the early inhabitants
Old Dutch Law
"Before the English nag flew over
Manhattan an old Dutch ordinance di.
rected the burgomasters Ia demand
from every house money for the pur'
nose of ordering from the mother
country leather fire buckets. fire lad