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Fighting Fire with Freezing Water and in Below Zero Temperature
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RUIK8 OP TUB MERCER BUIIJJINO AT THE CORNER OF ELEVENTH AND HOWARD STREETS Photo by a 8tfl Arttn.
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KI.EVXN1S STREET SID3 OI' THE MERCER BTHUDINO. WHERE THE FIRE STARTED Photo fcy a Staff Artlit
4HEN the fire flend fllng hla biasing
banners skyward on a day or a
night when the front king Is busy
In the soli and the air, then la the
time when the city nrcman Is
called. to a fighting linn than vhk-h there
Is none more disagreeable or dangerous this
side the Imminent thunders of actual war.
To the onlooker, dry and warmly clad, the
tieautles of the orgy of color topping the
conflagration appeal with a chnrm not to
be denied. To the man In the xllrkor and
the rubber boats (though sometimes emer
gency deprives him of this measure of pro
tection) the flro Is a straight proposition of
labor, danij., cold and strenuous. Smoke
may choke And blind, heat may daunt and
blister, fire-shot walls may threaten or col
lapse, Ills business is to be at the closest
point of contact possible to attain. Thei
he must stick and strive, even though the
roof overhead or the floor beneath may at
any moment make him a victim of the
stern call of duty he Is obligated to answer.
And appealing It Is to the strong pride of
full manhood that very seldom Indeed Is
the record of the fire fighters marred by
the sinister stain of the cowardly quitter.
The fire of' last Saturday, January 28, at
Eleventh and Howard, was a winter fire,
but, fortunately the cold was not severe
enough to be especially distressing to a
fireman. . There have been other winter con
flagrations that had all the' elements of
smoke, flame and fury and at the same
tlmo were accentuated by the most Intense
cold. A talk with Chief Salter of the fire
deportment and Assistant Chief Simpson
recalled many of these and brought to light
rlrcumstancns which made them memorable
In the annals of the Omaha battalions.'
f.
Rome Fires of the Past.
Water In a rubber hose stretched along
the frosen, snow-covered ground will freeze
o quickly that It must be kept booming
along on Its errand of suppression with a
force not at all necessary In tho balmy sea
son. Chief Baiter cited, a fire many years
ago In the A. J. Poppleton residence, lo
cated at Nineteenth and Dodge, then one of
the finest and best built houses In Omaha.
."That was back about tho close of the
volunteer dajs." said the chief, "and I
recall It was about the closest engage
ment we ever had. I was an engineer at
the time and remember that after getting
the water started through the pipes we
had to move the engine a block farther
away. .The plpemsn oould not control the
nnszlea. Even at the Incrrased distance,
owing t tho high engine pressure neces
wry to maintain, the difficulty was not
remedied. Chief Galligan sent back word
to 'cut her down." When this was done
she began to clog at once, so I forced her
up again. The chief repeated his order
for reduced pressure, but it was Ignored;
and a third time he Insisted. At last he
came back himself. In no very amiable
frame of mtrd. But' when the reason for
the high pressure was explained he at
once said: 'AH right; let her come as hard
and fast as you please.' That fire occurred
just before noon, hut the house was gutted
In spite of all we could do. The hose sup
plied by No. 2 engine, froie up solid that
day almost as soon as It was laid and
many of the boys had their hands and
ears froscn."
Tnrldert of the Max Meyer Fire.
Very cold weather was on tap when the
Wax Meyar building, on the cornor of
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-PORTKR-RVKRSON-HOOBtKR AND VOEOHIi-DINNTNO
THE FIRE. Photo by a Staff Artist.
QTARTERS AFTER
THE STEAMER "FRNK e" MOORES" IN TTTR COLD. GRAY DAwVOF THE MORNING AFTER ENCASED IN ICE. BUT STILL FCMPTNO WATER FOB
THE MONITOR THAT APPEARS AT THE LEFT OF THE PICTURE.
go. Of course, the boys kept the money
then and bought cigars with It.
One Thrilling Experience,
A bad winter fire, on December 1, 1901,
was that which destroyed the four-story
!3
Eleventh and Farnam, burned. It was a
four-story brick and was oompletely gut
ted, only the walls being left standing.
A few days afterward a gale of wind blew
one of the walla over onto an adjoining
building. The department was called and
several people In the building wero taken brlck building of the Creamery Package
company, wiucn was suuatea on jones
street. The fire had made rapid headway
before the department arrived and soon
the whole structure was blazing strong.
While a hose company was liandllng a
vtream on the second floor the part of the
floo. on which they were standing went
down with them. It did not drop flat, but
rather in a slanting position. The stuff
on It and the debris fell on the men and
knocked them off their feet.
"All were up quickly," said the chief,
"except one man. He was pinned down In
such a way as to make It seem an Impos
sible task to release him. Ills mates worked
with eagerness at firsthand flnrjly with
desperation, to free' him. They couldn't
pry him loose, and as I remember It he
beggrid to be killed rather than he left to
burn. The fire was shooting out "i all
sidna with a ferocity that made vhe walls
liable to fall at any moment, and soon'
It was a quesdrn of sacrificing one man
or a company or two.
"That was the tightest cor.ier I ever waa
In or ever want to be in. After giving tho
situation all the consideration that seemed
possible and hesitating until what seemed
like the last moment when delay would
be justlllad, ai d when the rescuers had
exhausted themselves and every expedient
that seemed feasible without budging the
pinioned man an inch, I relucts, .tly gave
the order to retire. It was the most dis-
or time to try to release their comrade, character was that which wiped out the
I consented, and by some hook or crook, old Boyd packing house, on the night of
with a lift and a pull that seemed beyond January IS, 1880. It broke out at 9 o'clock
.and burned all night. Thousands of peo
ple found It a spectacle well worth watch
ing from the high bluffs and from the bot-
frora the ruins by firemen working at the
front and rear. One man was caught un
der the roof, but could not talk to the
rescuers. After a spell of hard work he
was gotten out and surprised the men who
released him by getting up without a
scratch of any consequence. Next day,
as the firemen were sitting In the engine
house, of which Chief Salter was captain
at that time, a stranger walked In and
said he wanted to thank them for getting
him out from under the roof the day be
fore. He said he Wanted to treat the boys
and at the same time laid a 124 bill on
Salter's knee. He was told they didn't
want his money, that they were paid for
their work and had no right to take money
In that way. His bill was handed back
to him and when the men thought the in
cident was cloied and the visitor was about
to go he turned and threw the bill on the
floor and then ran away as fast as he could
human strength to make, they got tho man
out. I think he was on duty again in a
few days."
When the Die Distillery Biased.
A most spirited affair, if the term may -flames needed to encourage thom to artistic
be pardoned, was the fire which broke out efTort. After a whllo grease began to flow
in v. wninw Rnrinas distillery at 1 o'clock to the river In such streams that some
became streamers trimmed with dangling
Icicles and confusion often followed the
efforts of a gang of men to drag a line of
hose to any particular point. Explosive
material in the stock of the drug company
lent vim to the steady havoc of the flames.
nn thi morning of December 7, 18S0. The
weather was intensely cold, but there was
little or no wind. All that might be lack
ing In this regard was more than mado
up for by the character of the fuel the
flames found to feed on. All sorts of hot
drinks were offered as a libation to the
red fiend of fire Alcohol, high wines, dis
tilled stuff, blends, bottlnd goods, cordials
and burnt brandy all were Invoiced In the there was.
loss. The firemen faced a very difficult
task In preventing the Are from spread- Kveryttaln- Krose l.
lng They had much dangerous climbing n the night of the recent big fire several
to do and their ladders, as well as the "pers of liquid refreshment parlors were
sidewalks and the window ledges, were soon arrested for keeping their saloons open
hlUlv nted with Ice. Even these hancll- r nours. me nigm or January
Quaint Feotures of Current Life
The Amend Honorable. oasa of a boy charged with "petty larceny."
in fcxuiTbU military loomng man The evidence against him was conclu-
entered the editorial sanctum of slve, but he was very young; it was hla
the Oussa (Mo.) Democrat, ex- first offense and there were some extenu
claiming: "That notice of my atlng circumstances. The old farmer Jus
death Is false, sir. I will horse- tlce decided to give the boy a stern lecture.
whip you within an lr.cu of your life, sir, He looked at the culprit severely through tresslng order I hci e to ever have to give.
ir you aon l apologise in your nexi issuo. his glasses and began his lecture. "Young with superhuman tenacity the boys hung
The editor Inserted the following- the next man." said he. "t.his Is awful, this Is right on and begged for Just two minutes more
down awful, and I want to warn you I
"We regret extremely to announce that wfcnt to say" Here tha old man's sense
th paragraph which state? that Major 0f justice conflicted with the p'-t awak-
Blaser was dead Is wlir-oit foundation." ,ed by the sight of the lad, who stood
-sis- trembling before him. He cleared his
Decline n sent. throat twice, and then, half In mercy and
Three young women and the-.' escorts en. half In Indignation at hi. own weakness,
tered a Chicago "L" ar the other even- he cried, "Clear out o' my sight, you ornery
lng and they ere compelled for the time scamp," and sat down to mou' his fcrehend
being to become strap-hangers. Nvir the amid the merriment of the court roum.
caps did not prevent them from conquer
ing the flames a long way this . side of
where it was predicted they would extend.
At one stage the danger of a widespread
disaster seemed so threatening that hh
slstance was asked from Council 13 luffs.
An engine and a big bunch of hose came
over. By 8 o'clock in the morning tho fire
was under control, largely owing to the
fact that It was In a section of the city
where there was a perfect cluster of the
large cisterns relied on to furnish water
In those days.
Another Sort of Fire,
A destructive fire of an entirely different
toms. Meats of all kinds-' and lard and ana aiiogeiner me uranen v"-
byproducts furnished Just the stuff tho nlfc-ht
Some HwiU'Mt Spectnrnles.
There have been numerous other Urea of
great magnitude as to loss and of pic
turesque characteristics which have thrilled
gazing thousands. The old street car barn
at Twentieth and Harney, with Its network
of Interior steel work, was like a blazing
gridiron on the night It burned, and next
morning presented a beautiful picture of
destruction softened by the molding of the
frost king's minions. The Orchard A Wll
helm concern aent a lurid and a magnlll
cently painted message to the bending blue
of the firmament on the night of Decem
ber 27, 1882. The Interior of the building
soon became a raging Inferno of pure flame.
When the skylight went down the four
walls surrounded a great draft furnace out
of which shot, blazing and whirling and
scattering, many half-oonaumed articles or
pieces of what had been urtlstic creations.
Rolls of carpet were sucked skyward and .
thoughtful person suggested the building of
a dam to save It. This was done, and
then embankments were thrown up all
about a low stretch of ground until there
was a lake of grease, stiff and cold. The
fire was not quenched until morning, and
when it was under control men--were at
once set to work dipping up the grease Into
barrels. . That was about all the salvage
183, the thermometer was stationary be
low zero, and a different story was told.
Just after midnight a fire broke out In the
wholesale drug store of McMahou & Al
bert, m the Caldwell block. The firemen
labored under so many handicaps that vol
unteers were called on from the crowds
gathered to watch the conflagration. The
hydrants froze up, as did the hose, and the
men's clothes, mittens and boots. Still
they fought on, with an occasional hot nip
from the saloons in the neighborhood and
coffee and food Nrom the restaurants. That
was one night when everything was thrown
open to the fire fighters, and all free. Ice
coated the sidewalks, made great white
candles of the telegraph poles, the wlrea
went sailing up for all the world like Ibng
' tines of multi-colored lights. Table top
were not too heavy to be drawn up from
the vortex by the tremendous suction. For
several hours this Impromptu display cf
strange fireworks continued Intermittently,
and perhaps a more attractive sight lu the
line of a fire has not been witnessed In the
city.
The Boat ou store and many others have
contributed of their richness to feed the In
satiate appetite of the destructive element
which creates temporarily beautiful pic
tures as If In some measure to recompense
for the costly spree of destruction it In
dulges In. . ,
Taken in the light of the fortunes of
other cities with disastrous winter fires,
though. Omaha has not fared at all dla
couraglngly in the frozen season. All dis
advantages natural to a sometimes acrid
climate have been overcome by expertneas,
persistency, endurance and bulldug tenac
ity. Tha firemen have gone wherever men
could go and have done to the very best of
their ability what men might do In tha
fearless performance of their duty. Orltl- ,
dura must rest in the face of stubborn, un
toward conditions, and allow for the fat
liability of human judgment In fighting an
often concealed and always treacherous foe.
Curious and Romantic Copers of Cupid
Tricks Played on People Who Were Easy
cen er of the car were two btgh school boys
one sta'ed on tin other's lap. The first
of tb . young women to enter took her sta
tion dVectlr In front of the care-free pair.
The blustering wind had disheveled her
hulr and painted rot.es n her cl.k. Oc
casionally she gazed at the bora, while the
youth who waj being Jolted1 o. Ills friend's
knees s iot' roguish glances at her p?ixfy
face.
Then a happy thovht struck hint". Aris
ta from his companion's lap anil doffing
ills little cap that was perched on the too
of his head, he said, coyly, to the fr.ir
damsel: '.
"Won't yon p! 'use takw my seat?"
There was an a.-.swerlng peal of laughter
IA
GENTLEMANLY -LOOKING fill the terms of his wager the which, by
Loss of Hands No Obstacle.
II. L. Dickson of Presoott, Ariz.. Is prob
ably the only district attorney of ai.y
county In tho west who has no hands.
Several years ago District Attorney Dick
son was the victim of an explosion in a
Colorado gold mine. In which both of hla
arms were blown off below the elbow. He
was mining at the time, but, being no
longer fit for that kind of work, took up
thr study of law and was shortly afte.- ad
mitted to the bar.
TLoueh he Is handless. Attorney Dickson
Is able to perform all the tasks that fall
to the lot of a man In his profession. He
eati eiul dresses with no more difficulty
frm the passengers, but tha youn woran tluji people who have the full use of thulr
remained du.nb with astonishment. Or hands.
could see that ths rose tints on her cheers Dickson has tha reputation of being one
had aetuineC a scr.lkt .ua, and U.e still 0f the swiftest performers on the type
was blushing violently when she left the writer. In using the typewriter Dickson
car at the next station. fastJiis two short sticks, especially mado
for him, o the ends of his arms and, saated
well ibm e the typewriter, strikes down
with unerring aim and with a rapidity that
Tesunerlns; Jnsttrn wltn Merty
A Virginia Nstloe of tha paaca fender
xlt innsptw justloa with mercy tha U ovrvaloun,
msn, witn the merest suspicion of
i; u a Yankee accent, has recently
'c.i'jd been going the rounds of the West
End bars and billiard rooms. win
ning all sorts t-f queer hot. from people who
fondly imagined they "ki?c v ;i thing or two."
One that hardly ever f; it-.' to net him
a few shillings or so ereli ut. as t'n" vse
might be, he called hit "llv ' He
would offer to bet that he cnuli i.-i!e
fly tako all the matches out of i.n orO.imii i
stone match stand, such t general. y
to be found on the counters of most in
loon bars. As soon as the money was
staked he would catch a fly from the
wall, take It by the two wings and keep
putting It on the matches one by one, the
Insect meanwhile picking them up with Its
legs Instinctively and with almost
monotonous regularity.
The shabby-genteel man, with the Iron
jaws and the gaunt cheeks, whe used to
haunt the Fleet street bars mid bet un
.wary wights that he would swallow a
beer glass there and t!.en, has lately
jolnd the great majority. Ha died from
an overdose of ground glass, for, of
course, he took g3od care to pound the cheapest of ordinary vegetarian diet such
tumbler to dust before attempting to ful- as lentiK for Instance a as quits out of
the way, he Invariably won.
A variation of this trick bet, however,
seems to be rife In Paris, where a certain
M. Alexander offered the other diiv to
wager 6.0UO francs (i20ii) that he would
swallow a ynrd of galvanized iron stove
piping. His challenge whs promptly ac
cepted by a curious and Kullrlcbs Amirl
can. Whereupon the intrepid Alexander
repaired to a whitesmith, armed with the
piping, which was nnn-slxteentli of an Inch
In thlckneHH and five Inches lu diametir,
With tho request that he would reduce It
to powder. The request wns promptly
carried out. Then, in the presence of tho
other party to tho bet ami a couple of
witnesses, the layer of the wuger divided
the filings into five portions, mixed ihein
Into five "hooks" of luger beer and tossed
them oft at Intervals of ten minutes.
Roger Crab wagered 1,000 that he would
live for a year on t shillings and 6 pern s,
ana won his bet. Indeed, ho more than
won It, for at the end of the twelve months
he had managed to save 3 pence out of his
"housekeeping money," hln expenditure for
food, therefore, averaging .'At over i
fas'hlngs a werk. For this even tho
the question, and he had to content him
self with nettle soup thickened with acorn
Ylour. pudding made of bran and tullo
Married on n "Dtra"
Y a decree of a New York oourt
a marriage, which was entered
Into February 5. 1903, between a
young woman and a youth, whom
she had known since childhood.
simply because she would not take a dare,
has been annulled.
The parties to the ceremony are Harry
Woodcock and Caroline Violet Ott, a daugh
' ter of Philip Ott. She had known him
seven years, and he often visited her, but
their parents hsd no Idea they contem
plated marriage. He Is employed in Wall
street and she is a stenographer down
town. One night he Invited her to dinner and
afterward took her to the theater. The
their affections were iavolred, and afte
Mr. Wlnatanley had made a few trips to
Erin Springs the engagement Was sne
turn need.
The dot of 1100,000 that la to be Mr.
Wlnstanley's is vouched for by his eonneo
tlons In Kansas City. Miss Murray for
tune came from her father, who beaam
rich pasturing bis herds on the tribal landa.
lesves choi ped together, etc. Yet on this play they saw was a love romance, and In
diet Crab i jt only survived, but actually the course of the performance they talked
gained some few pounds In weight, while about marriage. He "dared" her to be
as for his general health lie declared that married that night.
he had never felt better than he did at
tho termination of his self-imposed ordeal.
Just a simple American example a well
authenticated one In conclusion. During
the excitement that raged In 1S90 over the
presidential contest between Bryan and
McKlnley a Mr. R. I'ltchT Woodward
They were married and returned to the
theater. Woodcock escorted the girl homo
and then went to his own home.
The girl was only 1H years old March 36,
1903, and her hsuband about a year her
junior. He was not permitted to see her
after their secret became known, and her
backed the former on the following terms: father brought suit to hsve the marriage
If he (Woodward) won he was torecelve annulled.
411,000. if he lost he was to ride on donkey
back right across the American continent
from New York City to San Francisco, st
tlred In a top hut and frock coat and wear
ing a pair of large spectacles. His steod
was also to wear sjiectacles.
As everybody knows, Hry.n was defeated,
and within a few days of the declaration
of the poll (on November 27, isac, to be ex
uct) Mr. Woodward sot out to fulfill. If
possible, hU part of tha bargain. He ar
rived at his 3.0uo-mll-dlstant destination
exactly a year later, tired, but happy, and
weighing over twenty pounds heavier than
when he set out. Ptarsun's Weekly.
Indian Girl aud Knnaas Mnn,
A romance Involving the accidental meet
ing of a Kansas City young man and the
richest girl of Indian blood In Indian Ter
ritory, and a present of a check for 100,000
to the groom at the conclusion of the wed
ding ceremony, will reach a climax Feb
ruary 1, In Krtn Springs, I. T., where Miss
Erin Murray will become the wife of Wil
liam W. WtnsUnley of 131i Garfield ave
nue. Wlnalanlsy met Ml? Murray during the
Et. l4uis exposition. She Is a halfureed
Cherokee. The young fee pie found that
Mnrrlnaro In Old Longfellow Bmu,
Miss Frances Apple ton Dana, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Richard II. Dana
of Cambridge and granddaughter of
the poet Longfallow, was married
In the bistorla Craigle house. In Brat
tle street, tho home of Longfellow, to
Henry C. de Khan;, second, Harvard. 1904,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles de Itham,
who are well known In Now York society.
The ceremony was nt funded only by the
Immediate families and close friends of
the young couple. Mlhs Delia Dana, ulster
of ti e bride, win maid of honor. Frederick
dn liham, brother of the bridegroom, was
best man.
The lril wore a cream satin princess
gown, trimmed with dm lii-iu lace, which
was worn hy It mother ut her wedding.
Hhe Mho wore u tulle vi-ll.
Afn-t a short wedding tfip Mr. and Mrs.
de Khan will reiidn In New Yolk.
Flat eddlun Anay.
A southern planter was asking on of his
colored servants about her wedding. "V",
sun," she said, "It was Jes tho Unest wed
din' you ever seo six bridesmaids, flowers
everywhere, hundreds cv guests, music so'
cr heap er prayln'."
"Indeed," commented her master, "And
I suppose gauibo looked as handsome as
any of tttem."
An embarrassed pause. "Welt, no not
'xai-Uy, sir. Would yr believe It. s4 fool
(Jgger nebar ahowtd upl"
St
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