350 



THE OENESEE PARMER 



November 12, 1831 



FIRE DEPARTMENT. 



One of the best things in a city or thriving vil- 

 lage, is an intelligent, vigorous fire department. — 

 The engines should be in perfect preservation : 

 the firemen taken from among the mechanics and 

 such business men as are active. None of your 

 " pursey or sleepy" — no, they won't do. There 

 is one thing to have them well trained : every one 

 1o Know his business and his place. The fire- 

 man's hat and box coat, if in winter, should be at 

 hand — every one knows this. 



When the alarm is sounded, if there be good 

 engines and fire officers of competent talents, 

 every one goes at the hurrying, hazardous work, 

 calmly and collected. It is like going into battle. 

 It is so. You are fighting a foe, tyranical as 

 death. Men meet and repel dangers, when their 

 arms and discipline are good. 



Instead of writing an essay — we intended to 

 introduce to the notice of our townsmen, some re- 

 marks on " The fire engine es ablishment at Ed- 

 inburgh j" which we hope will engage the atten- 

 tion of the respectable body of firemen of this 

 place. It is from the London Mechanic's Maga- 

 zine, of Aug. 27, 1831 • — 



For some months after this fire-estab- 

 lishment was organized, the men were reg- 

 ularly drilled once a-week, at four o'clock 

 in the morning ; but now, only once a- 

 month at the same hour. Among many 

 other good reasons for selecting this early 

 hour, is, that it does not interfere with the 

 daily occupation of the firemen. The 

 chance of collecting a crowd is also avoid- 

 ed, as there are are then comparatively few 

 people in the streets ; this is a matter of 

 some importance, as a crowd of people 

 not only impede the movements of the fire- 

 men, but, from small quantities of water 

 spilt on the bystanders, quarrels are gen- 

 erated, and a prejudice excited against the 

 corps, to avoid which every exertion should 

 be used to keep the firemen on good terms 

 with the populace. 



The mornings too, at this early hour,are 

 dark for more than half the year, and the 

 firemen are thus accustomed to work by 

 torch-light, and sometimes without any 

 light whatever,except the few public lamps 

 which are then burning. And, as most 

 fires happen in the night, the advantage of 

 drilling in the dark must be sufficiently ob- 

 vious. 



The inhabitants have sometimes com- 

 plained of being disturbed with the noise 

 of engines at so early an hour; but when 

 the object has been explained, they have 

 generally submitted, with a good grace, to 

 this slight evil. A different part of the ci- 

 ty being always chosen for each succes- 

 sive drill, the annoyances occasioned to 

 any one district is very trifling, and of very 

 unfreqent occurrence. 



On tin; Tuesday evening preceding the 

 drill, the captain- are informed when and 

 where the men an- to assemble. These 

 orders they COtnmunii ate to the individual 

 firemen. A point of rendezvous being 

 thus given to the whole body, every man, 

 who is nut on (lie spot at tin; hour appoin- 

 ted, fully equipped, with his clothes and ac- 

 coutrements tu good order, is subjected to 



a tine. Arrived on the ground, the men 

 are divided into two parties, each party 

 consisting of two companies, that being 

 the number required to work each large! 

 engine, without any assistance from the | 

 populace. 1 he whole are then examined [: 

 as to the condition of their clothing and 

 equipments. 



the captains, Serjeants, and pioneers of 

 each company, alternately take the duty 

 of directing the engine, attaching the hose, 

 &c, while the whole of each party not en- 

 gaged in these duties take the levers as 

 ti enien. 



the call being given to' move forward, 

 the men set off with the engine at a quick 

 walking pace, and, on the same call being 

 repeated, they get into a smart trot. \\ hen 

 the call to stop is given, with orders to at- 

 tach one or more lengths of hose to the en- 

 gine and fire cock, it is done in the follow- 

 ing manner: No. 1 takes out the directoi 

 or branch, and runs out as far as he thinks 

 the hose ordered to be attached will reach, 

 and there remains ; No. 2 takes a length 

 of hose out of the engine, and uncoils it to- 

 wards No. 1 ; and No. 3 attaches the hose 

 to the engine. If more than one length is 

 required, No. 4 takes out another, couples 

 it to the former length, and then uncoils it. 

 If a third length is wanted, No 3 comes 

 up with it, alter having attached the first 

 length to the engine. If more lengths are 

 still wanted, No. 2 goes back to the engine 

 for another ; JN'os. 3 and 4 follow, and so 

 on until the requisite length is obtained ; 

 No. 1 then screws on the director at the 

 farther extremity of the last length. While 

 iSios. 1, 2, 3, and 4, are attaching the hose! 

 to the engine, N o. 5 opens the fire-cock 

 door, screws on the distributor, and attach- 

 es the length of hose, which IS o. 6 uncoils; 

 Nos. 7 and S assist, if more than one 

 length of hose is wanted. 



Immediately on the call being given to 

 attach the hose, the serjeant locks the fore- 

 carriage of the engine, and unlocks the le- 

 vers, 'i he fire-coc being opened by no. 

 5 (who remains by it as long as it is be.ng:| 

 used), the serjeant holds the end of the;] 

 liose which supplies the engine, and at the 

 same time superintends the men who work 

 the levers. J he call Icing given to work 

 the engine, the whole of the men, Nos. I, 

 2, 3, 4, and 5, the captain and serjeant ex- 

 cepted, work at the levers along with the 

 men of the other company. 



Although these operations may appear 

 complicated, they are all completed, and 

 the engine in full work, with three lengths, 

 or 120 feet of hose, in one minute and ten 

 seconds, including the time requin 

 the water to (ill the engine so as to a] 

 to work. 



In order to excite a spirit of emulation, 

 as well as to t ach the men dexterit) in 

 working the engines, :. competition is fre- 

 quently caused amongst them, I hey ate 

 ordered to attach one or more !. i 



hose to each of two engines, and d> work 

 them as quickly as possible, the first en- 

 gine which throws water beiug considered 



the winner. They are sometimes also 

 placed at an equal distance from each of 

 two separate fire-cocks ; on the call being 

 given to move forward, each party starts 

 for the fire-cock to which it is ordered, and 

 the first which gets into work is, of course, 

 held to have beat the other. The call to 

 stop is then given, and both pa.ties return 

 to their former station, with their hose 

 called up, and every thing in proper trav- 

 elling order ; the fir.-t which arrives being 

 understood to have the advantage. 



We r< gret our limits will not allow our copying 

 more largely from this interesting paper In a 

 schedule of fires and their consequences, from 1st 

 ( ) t 1825, to 1st I tot 1839, rhere were 529 ■■ turn 

 outs," of which 21 were total losses — 69 consider- 

 ble losses — 199 trilling damages — 211 foul chim- 

 nies — 29 false alarms. This table shows thesys- 

 tem good, and worthy to be worked after. 



s ;: V 'S. 



A wise lions holder, scares his house, his 

 rooms, his fires, and takes care to leave his gar- 

 ments in such position, that he may be able to 

 dress himself in the dark, at a moment's warn- 

 ing. 



Who would purchase the gifts of power or for- 

 tune, by the loss of mental superiority 1 



He. who would reproach a criminal in the hands 

 of the executioner, would have the heroism to 

 spurn a carcase. 



Rulers, when surrounded with courtiers, with- 

 out they possess minds of more than common 

 stamina, see things through a mist, and bound 

 their vision by a narrow compass. Some of the 

 European monarchs disguise themselves as peas- 

 ants and mix with the multitude to learn facts 

 which they never could ascertain at the Palace. 



gjp The Philadelphia Exchange, as ap] 

 by one of the plan in the papers of 



i .; .-, will be 100 feet by 146, including porti- 

 co, — and only three stories high. The revenue 

 calculated is $14,000. * 



EDITORS AND PirBLISIIERS."" 



A Gentleman, residing in ihi countrj .piac- 

 tically engaged in husbandry and havind 

 some knowledge ol science, literature ang 

 politics, wishes to engage with some publish- 

 ers of our Periodical V, oil s, in supplj ing ar- 

 ticles and; papers fni the public press. He 

 1 - beenfoi main years, a prettj liberal con- 

 r tutor, but always volunian and gratui- 

 i us, in which he has | i m bis pan 



He now asks a reasonable compensatii 

 the fruits nf Ins leisun am expej ni e. — 

 Reference.N. Goodsell.Editor G< u. Faimei 



f OP LANDS SOLI 



Nrivei ■ ' t to S 

 ofTitle of Oh p. 13, of the first part of 



■ is sold 

 rail ' i ,-.t the cap- 



ital in I . ■■ , 



nd May, I tall be i I 



nient int reasury on oi 







! 



n, al the rate 

 of ten per cenl 



sale, to the date of the payment, the 1 i 

 , :i ,i !■,-,) .. ■ will be conveyed to 



the purchasers thereof. Dated Albans, 12th 

 Oct., 1831. 

 oct 25 SILAS WRIGHT, Jr Oomptrollcr. 



