El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-10-29
The Day OF Firefighting
When Red Shirts We're Worn
Vanishes; A Business Now

TTTASH1NGToN, 70. c.. Oct 29.-.The
ny passing Of The fire horses from
Manhattan island and the in
stalaLicu or nign pressure water
system IN Boston TO eliminate even
the IRE engine are further steps In
The stage Of progress from the r0-
mantle DAYS Of the picturesque old
Hauc-tuns. says q huileln from the
washington. D. c.. headquarters OF
the National LfeoEranhic society
some remember when citizens
triczed themselves out in red shirts
and glazed caps and carried torches in
the front OF procession or formed
part Of the bodvEuard OF the gallant
old tub as TO- naraded the streets on a
gala occasion Then passion for fire
fighting ran 10 a high pitch and ar
guments were waged about the merits
Of particular engines.
To-day the thr0bs Of a motor driven
engine are taking the place OF those
haartthrohs. The horses that might
have cIartered from their stalls. glided
beneath their harness and raced glori-
enea streets ueLQre Lne llfe spllllng
demon are drawing farm wagons or
ploWing the fields.
The Volunteer Vanfshes.
"In those days communities were
dependent upon volunteers. and men
from an social ranks gave valuable
time 10 qualify themselves for the
-Fire fighting in some sort OF or
gained form IS ancient. Machines
for throwing water from a distance
were known, according 10 our first
clear evidence, in the second century
before Christ Heron. of Alexandra,
200 years before the Christian era. in
an old manuscript which has escaped
destruction. described an hydraulic
machine used in Egyprs during the
time or the Etolemles. IL was com
posed Of two brass cylinders resting
on q wooden base with pistons fitted
into rhem-in It's principles practical
j. Ike our present engine Like most
other know edge, this was lost in the
dark ages which followed
The Roman Fire FlEhter.
'-Ihe Romans had squads of men 10
carry water in 'hamae, OF light vases,
TO the scene OF an outbreak, where *
was projected onto the fire by those in
charge Of the siphones- or hand
pumps. The precise nature Of this in
strumenr has not been determined, /
but, from specimens found en- eLcava-
tons. % must have been much ike
the old-fasnioned syringe used by
gardeners These large organizations I
of men gave the Roman authorities
trouble by their turbulence Trajan. I
the Roman emperor, and Pliuy, at that
time one OF MS governors had long
adVisahiity Of Organizing fire depart I
luanrs En- the cities under PlinT's 5u-
risdiction. leading TO the conclusion 4
tlat such groups would attain suffi- ]
Client strength 10 be a menace TO the 4
government
Attention IS made OF the medieval Z
use Of forcing pumps as fire engines I
at Augsburg in 1913. England and I
rhe countries Of the continent were ]
using hand sQuirts and syrinEes at /
his time America took her ideas I
rom the English, adapting them TO I
her peculiar needs At first the col I
lnists were content with preventive
measures, but these scarcely had any
effect upon The chimneTs. built OF /
wood generally used by the early in
azbitants-
New Works First Fire Fighting.
Before the English flag flew over
Manhattan, an old Dutch ordinance
lirected the burgomasters 10 demand I
rom every house money for the Dur-
pose OF ordering from the mother 4
1ountrv leather fire buckets fire lad
iars and fire hooks, and once a year
-uiLler for the support and maiute-
nance Of the same This ordinance
states fin its preamble that I'm alIf
we'll regulated cities and corporations.
s. customary that fire buckets lad
lers and hooks, are in readiness at the i
orn7rs or the streets, and I'm public I
lQuses Tor the time OF need Imagine
De modern Manhattan so euufpnedtI
-ucEets hung out on Broadway coz
le-s would I'M number run a close sec
md 20 the bulbs on its electric signs
Boston had the first regular
aire company under municipal
control in this country in 1873.
Before this date. however, the