Year: 1866

| living about as exciting HE as men can


lead always on duty, and ready at mo


ment to have set-to with the worst fire


that ever broke. out No; shall never get


to take it as q matter of course tor it =


dark, rush and excitement and | love it,


sir. Flash comes the news to us by telc-


graph, most likely. out comes the horses;
there light put to the ready trimmed


FIVE and then with train of sparks flying


out behind us, as the fire roars, and the


steam S, getting up. away galiop the horses


Ay, it $ "IIi!.hiai hallGl" and the clear the


road for Us; and away we go full alop


down the streets, with the horses hoofs
! striking fire, the crowd shouting, and the


running mob increasing at every step
| There something in il as warns one blood


and as TO the darger--well of course, it's


dangerous but when we feel that we are


doing our duty, aud know what S. bef,,e Us,


why, somehow We don't remember the dan.
| ger ut GO at it in earnest.


Now there was only last week. sitting as


| was waiting for call, here it was at last,


late in the night, when the streets we're
clear; and away we tore at something like a
! pace. Oxfnrd street, Iloborn. down the
| Hill, up skinner and Newgate street.


whoop! aud away at fnll gallop, with the
| horses eniuylng it, bless you, and lsShinG
ont till it $ hard 10 say whether they didn't
fly more sparks than the fire under the
boiler. We wanted no more instructions,
| for there was the red glow on ahead ard as
we got nearer we could almost see the
sparks and at last we did see them come
pouring and rolling along with the smoke,
and being u heavy, hot night, hanging like
a thick star spangled cloud just over our
heads.
Two engines were there and as it happen
cd so late, there was not so many people as
might have been expected; hutas soon as |
cot there | saw as something particular vas
the matter and this is what it was. The
fire was in quite narrow court where they
couldn' get the escapes and there were
people burning TO death; while above the
shouting of the mob and clanking of the
engines hard at work, you could hear their
awful cries for help


Now, don't you suppose that am proud
Of all this I'm geing to tell you, because
I'm not. Now, II you were to dash in anl
save any one $ life, why no doubt it would
oe brave and gallant because you would
have done it ont of true compassion for.
suffering fellow creature; but then with The
it Is quite different I'm pal SO much
week to save life ard property from fire;
consequently | only DO what's my duty to do,


run up the court, axe in hand, and soon
seen the state of affairs. One house was
in blaze from top to bottom, and the
flames had worked through into the next,
aud were attacking the one opposite, while.
with their escape regularly cut off, there
were.ahout half 1ozen people at the upper
windows of the same house, and no way OF
getting in them. There was no back door
to the place. being IN one Of those crowded
city places; while the door in front and stair
case were now fast getting ineo n state Of
glow. off which the water 81 uttered and
steamed without making any impression.


There was no time Tor the ladders or any
thing else but the sheets, and them we got
,tretched out for the people to jump into.
but. POOR things! they dared not, and what
to do 1 could not tell There was the fire
blazing mp higher and higher and lighting
up two of them old city churches that you
see lost down these old courts, and looking
as if they been put there out o the wy
because people ddn' have any use for them
now. There they were lit up and glowing.
and the pigeons that lived up there scared
and flying round and round the fire; there
was the rush and roar Of the wind along the
court as it set towards the fire; and there
were the flames. leaning up, the clouds OF
sparks Using the clouds of iBoke ling
away, and the cracking Sputter of the slatfs
as they few with heat, and then slid rat
tleg off into the court beneath, smash up
on the pavement. Every now and then
came louder roar and crash as a ratter or
beam fell in, and sent the sparks up in a
whirlwind And there all the time were
there poor creatures uttering the widest
piercing shrieks for help that VOW ever
heard Now, I've heard so much OF that
sort of thing that you d expect | shnuldn' I
mind it; but do, though; and as | said
about the fires, don think shall ever
get to take it as matter o. course; for
there is something very awfrl in seiDg fel-
low c'eatures strong and hearty, aud yet
dying before your eyes, and yov not able to
save thrnl.


But | wasn't idle all this time--not bit
OF it for every minn,e x worth something al
a fire, ard # you give it too much time i,
will beat you. Under the circumstances
the first thing 70 save life, and whilst them
as had the branche, did their best to keep
the fire back from them at the third floor
window, | got hold Of Il rope, aud in at the
house opposite, AMI made way up stairs to
third floor, which, like the rest Of the pIac"
was used as warehouse and crammed full
ofpackagrs.


Being strange house it wasn't easy TO
find your your way, but | got up at last
and opposi y to- the room whore the poor
things where all now huddjed together al
one window, for the fire was gaining on
them. so that unless they were soon helped
they wouldn't want it.


Crash! crash!" Didn't 7 let my little |
axe play round the sashe> of that window.
and soon had clearance. for it was nailed |
up, and then when the poor things Eeard
me, and saw tn light shining on my he'll |
met. how they did shrek for help.


just then looked down at the depth,
and caught sight Of one fellow standing
below with short ladder in his hand
which might have been Of use if the poor
things had been in the first floor; and then
made ready to throw my rope across


when just as was ready to let 60, and
then going to try to catch it, a thought
struck me, and let the coil of rope fall
down into the court, and but one end as
kept held of, and then when the poor
things saw it let down they shrieked again
and one of them fell back from the window.
some of you come up" and one of my
rounds, and then with two or three more
run into the house, while hauled away
till | got hold ofthe bottom Of the ladder
for they sent the heaviest end up FIRST and
then dragged it in at the window, and bal.
ancing the other end up, continued to push
it across into the window of the other house
across the court, and so made sort of
bridge. only it was all ask,w, for the houses
were not quite opposite to one another


Just as I'd done this, in come my mate
with two more men, and sets them to work
to hold the ladder, while took hold of the |
rope and then made ready to crawl across