November 11, 1000.
THE ILLUSTRATED 15. EE.
Strange and Startling
Noises in Omaha
Dlng-dlng-dlng, dlng-toot-to-o-t t-o-o-ot.
There comes the fire department.
"Hello, central!" Whnt's burning? Is
that so? Thanl you."
How often the busy people along the
thoroughfares are startled by the horns
and bells of tho city's lire apparatus. Dur
ing the old volunteer regime Jingling hells
were fastened to the carts and trucks by
means of coll springs. These soon gave
way to the brass gongs usually attached
to the dashboard of the wngon and oper
ated by tho driver. Of recent years, however,
with tho Introduction of tho Bwlftly-mov-Ing
trolley car, with Its warning bell, and
the strong competition to attract public
her tires has dono away with the rattle
and the bells are more effect lve.
For nineteen years William Qulgloy has
been blowing tho big steam whistle of the
Union Pacific shops and It has never missed
n working day except once, when a defec
tive pipe blow tho entire affair olt tho toof.
It consists of several whistles, was care
fully tuned when put in and Is the best
modulated steam signal in the city. Thou
sands of people hove been suddenly awak
ened to some stirring event In the city's
history by this deep-voiced warning.
Tho Omaha and Grnnt Smelting company
has been furnishing the daily signals for
thousands of laborers and factories along
building of an auditorium tho moment
nulllcluil n.oncy has been subscribed.
The long sheets of thin metal used by tho
theaters to inuko "thunder and lightning"
scenes In melodramas are always Interest
ing. An Iron coupling pin Is used by a well
known restaurant for the cooks to signal
the waiters when their special orders are
prepared.
Tho department stores use big brass gongs
In case of lire.
Those who live near the business portion
of the city are constantly told the hour of
the day and night by the big clock In the
tower of the federal building.
LOUIS It 1IOSTWICK
Short Stories Well Told
One night when Mr. Skinner was playing
in "Rosemary" nt Memphis, Tenn., relates
tho Clipper, several of the boxes were oc
is ' -2, '
WHISTLE AT UNION PACIFIC SHOl'S IN USE NINETEEN YEARS.
FIRE ALARM THE OLD WAY.
FIRE ALARM THE NEW WAY.
attention by tho popcorn man, tho scissors
grinder and advertising fakir, tho flro de
partment has been forced to chnngo Us
signals and teach tho peoplo something
more effective In order to clear tho strocts.
Now wo have tho horn. Both man nnd
beast aro beginning to know Its warning
and it is Interesting to watch a spirited
city horse prick up Its cars as tho tooting
Is heard several blocks away and stand
unmoved ns the long lino of apparatus
rushes by on its way to quench the lire.
Tho same horn Is used by tho chief to
signal tho crew of a hose line to turn on
tho wnter after a coupling has been made.
If cart No. 2 Is ready, two blasts from tho
horn and the water Alls tho pipo. Three
oots for No. ii nnd tho nozzle trembles us
tho water rushes from tho hydrant. So on
up till six or seven streams are playing on
tho blaze.
On tho larger flre-llghtlng machines they
have gone buck to tho old-time bell, but a
Bomewhat largo one and similar to those
used on a locomotive. Tho uso of the rub-
tho rlvor front for more than fourteen years.
Perhaps the most startling and nilrth
provoklng whistle In Omaha Is the steam
siren of tho Honils ling company. This
noisy affair, with Its sliding tones, was
put up two years ago and Is opernted by
Flremnn Meyers. When tho Nebraska
troops left for the Philippines the Hemls
company burned a ton of conl In making
steam to give them n fitting sendotf. The
whistling was repented when the Now
York troops went west nnd ngaln tutu fall
whon tho railroads agreed to mako the
rates for Ak-Sar-Uen week.
Siren Announce (ioiiil ,Nmm.
A largo St. Joseph firm expressed Its In
tention of locating in Omahn and the fa
mous Blrcn was turned loose to nnnouuco
Its coming ahead of tho city papers. Mr.
Peters says hundreds nnd hundreds of tele
phone calls were received begging to know
what wob the matter. He suys he knows
a good thing when ho hears It nnd has sev
eral tons of coal ready to announce the
THE FAMOUS DBMIS DAQ COMPANY'B SIREN WHISTLE.
cupled by a gay box party consisting of
tho smart young set of the city. There
wus n great deal of laughing uud talking
going on in tho boxes during tho play, but
ut which Mr. Skinner took no ollenso mak
ing alluwuuces for thuir youth uud exuber
ance. Tho production wus an unusual suc
cess and tho uclor was called beforo thu
curinln for a speech, which hu modestly
delivered In u fow words uud low voice.
After tho performance tho party came onto
the slago to coiigrutululo tho compuuy.
One of tho young women suld to thu hero:
"Oh, Mr. Skluner, why didn't you speak
louder wlien you mado your speech? wo
could scarcely hour u word you said."
"That la strunge," gently retorted tho
actor. "1 hoard ulmost every word thut
you suld."
"I have lost my grip."
This phruso Is applied by meti to all
kinds of fullures, reports tho Courier
Journal. Ouu of thu technical usuges of
losing uiio'u grip Is in thu cuso of telegraph
operators.
.Many of tho most skilled operators suf
fer ut times from a loss of thu "grip,"
und aro compelled to glvo wny tempo
rarily to a substitute. This "grip" Is thu
hold on tho kuy, und tho moment thu
operator begins to lose tho control of this
"grip" ho realizes u rest, ullhough for
only a brief tlmu, Is duu him.
Another but unpleasant term applied to
this loss of "grip" is "tulegraphors'
paralysis." It shows Itself In many
curious ways, till showing that tho mus
cles brought Into play In working tho kuy
uro badly worn,
Ono of tho most skillful operators In
Louisville, who Is subject to these attacks,
cannot send "P." Thu Morse manual calls
for flvo dots for this lottor. Tho oporatoi
In question has by some hook or croi.k
lost tho power to stop ut tho fifth dot, and
It Is a common thing for him to warn tin,
taker to look out for his "Ps."
Kucuutly ho asked a fellow operator to
watch him send "Ps" and to stop him at
tho ond of the fifth dot. It resulted thut,
ullhough ho would lie warned at the fourth
dot, thu fingers, no longer mustered by tho
brain, would continue dotting beyond tho
fifth.
"I wns with Shurliiiin when he won his
star," said a mouther of tho .Second lowu
cnvalry to an Inter Ocean reporter. "Tills
was at Iloonavlllo, Miss., in ISii'.', when
Sheridan's brigade consisted of tho Second
Iowa and tho Second Michigan cavalry.
It was a cavalry battle from first to last.
Our two regiments wore attacked by u
heavy confederate force, Including bat
talions from eight different regiments.
Sherldnn, then u colonel, wus fully In
formed as to tho odds aguinst him, but ho
resolved to fight.
"Ho formed tho command himself, placed
himself at tho head of tho squadron of
direction and led us In ono of tho hottest
and most brilliant cavalry charges tho
Second Iowa eve r participated In. Sheri
dan, mounted on a lurgo blooded horse,
went forward like tho wind and wo after
him. Wo rodo through or over tho robol
Hues, re tunned and chaiged back, doub
ling the rebels up und routing litem.
"1 shall always remember Sheridsiu us hu
uppeared that day. On foot his llguro was
not Impressive, because of his short legs,
but iistridu Ills imigulllccnt horse, leading
thu heudloug charge, he was (he lluesl
military llguro 1 over saw. For his superb
conduct of the battle of lloonevllle Sliorl
dau was piomoted to brigadier genurul.
A llttlo Inter hu published an article In
thu Memphis Bulletin declining that ho
owed his brigadier's star to the Second
lowu uud Second Michigan cavalry.
"I roinuinbei' Sheridan as he was tho day
of tho funeral purudu for (loucrul Grunt
In Chicago. Ho rodo as lino a horse as ho
rode at lloouevUlo and hu wore a largo
black military cape that gave dignity uud
solemnity to his masterful military pose,
lie was u sick man that day and rodo over
a purl of tho route In a carriage, but
when the procession reached Madison street
hu took to horse and seemed the very
personification of soldierly reserve, dignity
uud grief."
Tho English papers are still filled with
anecdotes of tho Into Lord Russell, chief
Justice of thu reulm. On ono occasion his
lordship wus ut Shrewsbury on circuit
duty. Thu assizes concluded on Saturday
und thu lord chief Justice, who hud brought
u horso with, him, decided upon riding to
Church Strettou, noted In those parts for
Its big private lunatic asylum, uud then
proceeding to Hereford, the next ussl.e
town, lie stopped, however, at a huinlel
outside Strettou, und, dismounting ut the
door of thu only Inn, told thu landlord to
attend to his horse. Tho landlord's muthod
of performing his task did not please his
lordship, who spoko his mind freely to
li tm. Having entered thu house, Lord
Russull brusquely, uu wus his wont, uskod
the host what ho could havu to eat.
"Sumo bread und cheeso," was tho reply.
"1 seo soiuu hum on thu sideboard; lut
mu have sumo uud some bread," suld his
lordship.
"Indeed I won't," replied tho landlord;
"It Is for supper uud you blnna gulu' to
'uvo It."
"Do you know who 1 urn?" thundered
the Judge. "I am tho lord chief Justice of
England."
In the course of this conversation the
landlord kept cautiously by thu door. Im
mediately on Lord Russell announcing him
self us lord chief Justice hu bolted out of
tho room, locked the door and rushed
breathless Into tho police station at
Church Strotton, lolling tho police thut a
patient hud escaped from the asylum und
was in a dangerous condition at his house.
Tho police went to tho inn; tho superin
tendent cautiously opened tho door and
was horrllled to find that tho supposed
lunatic was really Lord Russell. Profuse
and profound apologies followed.
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WHISTLE OF THE OMAHA GRANT SMELTER IN USE FOURTEEN YEARS.