Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-15

/ ~ y,
life of this valuable public servant Is
81 just one round of pleasure, but that
surely is not the case, for there are
times when he is run ragged" and sometimes
puts in more than his eight hours day fight
ing fire and smoke in the effort to save life
and property. No, indeed, 1t is not at all one
grand excursion, but now and then real hard
and dangerous work, calling for the exercise
of courage and intelligent judgment, and all
the qualities that go toward making up the
real red-blooded man and citizen.
The old-time volunteer fireman must have
had harder time than the present firefghter.
It would seem so, at least, for the present fire.
man has apparatus and methods far superior
to those employed by the men of years ago.
True, the old-timer did not have the sky
scrapers to cope with, and many other handi-
caps common to the present generation, but
he had other hardships which more than onset
these, one of which was the exceedingly large
number of frame buildings In washington DUR
ing the early days, in which fires usually had
very good start before the fremen could arrive
upon the scene.
Today. the fireman, in most instances, has
the very finest equipment that rooney can pur-
chase and in addition an adequate supply OF
water When he arrives at the fire he is fresh
0nd ready for serious work, whereas. when our
fathers fought fires, they arrived upon the
scene out of breath, and generally had TO
search around for well or spring, which was
usually exhausted before the fire was out. A
new one had to be found, and maybe others,
before the fire was entirely out or the building
destroyed-and the latter often proved to be the
case. The average size of the fire hose then
used was one inch, and when the National
Theater was burned in 1845. part OF the water
used was piped from the old canal, which ran
along street to the south.
DARADING with decorated fire apparatus
- is not new idea, either SO far as Wash
ington is concerned, and it probably had It's
origin fully IS years ago. Then 1t was the
custom on May day to strip the Miscarriage
of all its leather fittings and decorate it with
flowers, fremen parading the streets and sing
ings songs written for the occasion.
Nor is it a new idea to invite outside COM
panies to participate in our exercises. Indeed.
during the palmy days of the volunteer ccm-
panies even fire fighters from as far away as
New York and Philadelphia came on when any
special event was being celebrated in this city,
and took part as enthusiastically as the nearby
companies do today.
1t was not long after the Government was
moved here in 1900 that the necessity for FIRE
protection became apparent. This was indeed
vember g. 1900 of the three-story building on
the south side of Pennsylvania avenue between
Twenty-first and Twenty-second streets, In
which the Offices of the War Department had
been temporarily located. Though the intrinsic
value of the property destroyed would not at
all compare with many subsequent fires, yet
no price can ever be set upon the value OF the
records consumed or damaged beyond their
further possible use.
yTyor IF ir1asf in1ah
value impossible of replacement, went up in
flames, along with other military records upon
which no possible price could ever be set, along
with a library containing many military works
difficult to replace.
Scarcely 10 weeks later-on January 20,
18Ol-a fire took place in one of the rooms OF
the accountant of the TreasU"y Department..
1T was discovered about dusk, and though 1t
was under control in an hour and half,
yet the large number of valuable papers lost
convinced the Commissioners of the imperative
necessity for some organized method of saving
public property in case of similar occurrence.
TN the early days of fire fighting, it was
substantially required of every one to assist
in putting out fire. Upon the burning OF
the Treasury, President John Adams, himself,
set a good example, for awhile at least by
taking his place in line and passing along the
buckets of water.
Christian Hines, speaking of this event, says:
: Il had not much opportunity of seeing Mr..
Adams on account of the short stay he made
among U.S. I think I saw him three or four
times, the first time being when the Treasury
office was on fire.
when the alarm of fire was given, several
brothers and myself ran up street to where
the fire was. We were informed that the