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MATTERS OF SOME IMPORT TO
DWELLERS W TOWN -AND" COUNTRY
CURRENT TOPKS OEHflTEREST
t FOR MEN AND WOMEN' READERS
VOL. XIX.
TWENTY-FOUR PAGES
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 18, 1900.
PAGES 13.T04
NO. 7.
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HE men who turn out
of comfortable beds
at midnight or in
the darkest and cold
est hours that come
just before the tiawn,
to fight fires Jn Port
land, do not go where
glory waits them. On
the contrary, they go
where hard work
stares them in the
face and danger lurks
around the corner.
These things do not
q wuiry uioui, wiien
they are seeking positions in the paid
fire department, nor when they are met
face to face. In the army of men who
have fought fire in Portland since the
days of the old volunteer department,
there has not been one single deserter.
By gradual evolution, Portland has come
to have one of the best equipped and
most efficient fire departments of any city
of its size in the country. Not that a
great deal of money could not be ex
pendtd on it without making it too good
to be useful, for Its needs are crying, "but
the manner in which it has handled a
number of ugly fires of late shows that
it has the right kind of men in Its ranks,
and that the men have the right kind
of training. The equipment is good, as
far as It goes. It will be better by and
by, when Portland is more affluent, and In
the meantime fires will -continue to be
quenched or confined, according to their
character or the promptness with which
alarms are turned in.
Danger Ever Threatens.
The business of a fireman "is not con
tinuous. In times of peace, so to speak,
he has little to do save the regular routine
around the apparatus house. But In a
single hour, at a real lively fire, he
takes more risks than the average citizen
would run in a whole humdrum lifetime,
and he does enough work to last him a
month. He does not pose as a hero, either.
No maidens strew flowers In his pathway
as he walks along the street, and few
Christmas boxes are packed by his loving
friends for his annual delectation. He is
just plain fireman so and so, of truck com
pany No. . Dnce in a while, he gets into
a particularly dangerous place and is car
ried out limp and lifeless. Then there Is
glory enough; but flattery is no more able
to reach the dull, cold ear of death, at
the present time, than It was when Thomas
Gray was consuming eight years In the
composition of his "Elegy on a Country
Churchyard."
With Insurance men, whose interest in
fires is measured by their employers'
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pocketbooks, and Is therefore tolerably
keen, the Portland fire department, as at
present composed, stands high. The Influ
ence of politics has not blighted it; it
contains good men, and is, above all, con
trolled by a board of commissioners who
are responsible business men, and who de
vote a large share of their time to look
ing after its Interests. The most fatiguing
series of alarms has put It to a severe
test, and It has stood the strain. Its
members have worked unflaggingly in the
face of almost certain death and saved
millions of dollars worth of property
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from destruction. That Is its record, and
Its present achievements have been limited
to some extent by lack of opportunity,
"What it may do in the future is some
thing no one cares to see tried, for,
although a fire is a spectacle which will
turn j oung and old out of bed at any time
of night, and hold them spellbound for
hours at a time, it is an expensive amuse
ment and, outside of certain sections of
the town, is always an unwelcome visitor.
Old as Portland.
The fire department is, of course, as old
as Portland. In the volunteer ranks was
almost every prominent citizen now liv
ing and many who have been In their
graves leng years. It was always ef
ficient, always ready, and, although tried
by some er severe blazes, never showed
the white feather. The friendships formed
in those days of comradeship in time of
danger have endured ever since, and an
old fireman who has fallen into hard cir
cumstances need never lack for aid from
the men who dragged a cart with him in
times gone by. All of the men who after
ward became' chiefs of the paid fire de
partment served in this little volunteer
army, and served with distinction. Many
of them are now holding positions In the
department. Many others have risen to
great prominence, attaining wealth and In
fluence. None of them have forgotten the
volunteer days.
The paid fire department was organized
In 1SS3, 17 years ago. The limited supply
of apparatus which had been used by the
volunteers was turned over to itr and the
supply was Increased as the growth of
the city demanded and the funds available
permitted The growth ,was slow, to be
sure, bit It was steadyt and now arid then
a great fire would alarm those who held
the city's pursestrlngs, which would then
be loosed while enough money flowed out
to l.uy an engine, a hook and ladder truck,
or some other badly needed piece of ap
paratus. Thomas Jordan, the first chief, held
office for many years. Political changes
there were, but he was always to be found
dashing madly to fires, shouting orders In
a voice that would carry as far as a mod
ern rifle, and personaly directing his men
as they battled with the flames. He was
a thorough fireman, understood his men,
and many property-holders owe the sal
vation of their buildings to his energy
and skill. He -was succeeded by Harry
Morgan, who also held his position for
rather more years than one might expect
during times of political changes. He
was an efficient fireman, and, night or
da was always among the first to ar
rive, at a fire after an alarm had been
sounded
Following Morgan there was a season of
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rapid changes A. J. Coffee, superintend
ent of the fife-alarm telegraph, was ap
pointed and held office for 24 hours, dur
ing which time he had the misfortune to
hear not a single stroke of the alarm bell,
save when It announced the hour of noon.
Joseph Buchtel succeeded him; Robert
Holman succeeded Buchtel, and then
David Campbell, who had been assistant
chief for a number of 'years, was appoint
ed. During the 18 months Mr. Campbell
held his position, the department was
brought to the highest state of efficiency
it has known. But Pennoyer was elected,
and, although at the request of the un
derwriters Campbell was retained for a
time, he soon was obliged to make way
for T. De Boest, who lasted until the
finish of the Pennoyer administration, two
years ago. On the overthrow of the Pen
nojer regime, Campbell was Immediately
reappointed," and has slnce-been at the
head of the department. ' '
Although comparatively a young man,
Campbell is old in doing battle with fire.
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He joined the volunteer department in
1881, and was among the first men appoint
ed when the paid department -was organ
ized. He rose rapidly from the "ranks,
serving as foreman, district engineer and
assistant chief. Campbell is usually the
first man to be seen when the fire bell
rings. He is always in the hottest of the
fight, and on a number pf occasions has
gone into places of extreme danger, for
no other purpose than to- rally faltering
men. He never loses his head at a fire,
which is a rare accomplishment, even
among those who fight fire for a living,
and he enjoys the confidence and respect
of every man in the department
Chief Campbell's assistants are "Mike"
Laudenklos, who is located at First and
Jefferson streets; J. iJ. Young, at Four
teenth and Gllsan streets, and Lee Hol
den, on the East Side. They direct their
.several divisions bf the department In
the absence of the chief, and act "under his
general direction at fires large enough to
require a number of companies.
Distribution of Apparatus.
The several engine, chemical, hose and
truck companies are scattered about the
city with a view to giving the best possi
ble protection to every section. A system
of supply has been adopted, whereby in
case of a big fire, outside, companies move
up to the houses of companies nearer the
heart of the city and whlclrare absent at
the fire. Thus the business districts are
protected In the event of a second blaze,
and help Is within easy reach of the men
who have been .called to the first fire in
case they need It.
The present fire department consists of
19 companies Of these, six are fire engine
companies, consisting of three paid men,
four extramen and a call foreman; four
are hook and1 ladder companies, composed
of two permanent men and six extramen;
four are chemical engine companies, made
up of three permanent men, and five are
hose companies, whose membership Is
two permanent men and four extramen
.each. .The permanent men receive good
salaries, and are kept constantly In the
department houses when not engaged in
the more arduous occupation of fighting
fires. The extramen sleep in the houses
and attend all fires, but they are allowed
to follow other employments during the
day. Each of them receives $20 a month.
There are also a superintendent of fire
alarm telegraph, whose duty It Is to see
that the alarm'system Is always in work-
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lng order; his assistant; and the driver
of a supply wagon. The present super
intendent of fire alarm is George W.
Walker, an efficient electrician, whose
duty it is at fires to attend to- the cutting
of telephone and telegraph wires which
interfere with the hook and ladder compa
nies In their work, and to be on hand at
every fire in order to signal for help if
necessary.
Board of Commissioners.
The present board of fire commissioners
consists of H. S. Rowe (chairman). Wil
liam Flledner and R. Everdlng. Milton
W. Weidler Is secretary of the board. It
has been the policy of the commissioners
to conduct the department just as eco
nomically as Is consistent with good serv
ice, but they have succeeded in securing
numerous badly needed improvements and
are constantly seeking to- better the de
partment. All the commissioners are old
firemen, and they understand what the de
partment needs, what it ought to have and
what it must have.
The apparatus now on hand, while all of
it is good, is capable of improvement and
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increase. There are E6 horses, many of
which are fine animals, well fitted for
their work, but several might be dis
pensed with to advantage. A crying need
in a city like Portland, where millions of
.dollars worth of i property Is along the
water front, is a fireboat. This need not
be one of the expensive floating giams
that are in use in great cities; a boat
large enough to float an ordinary fire
engine would be better than, nothing, but
something of the kind is needed, and
needed badly. Many fires have got be
yond control because the blaze could not
be reached from the river side, and as a
consequence much property has been sac
rificed. An engine of the first class is also he
coming more and more of a necessity
every day. The engines now in use are
not large enough to cope with flames in
tall buildings, which are becoming rap
Idly more numerous In Portland. Still
another need is a water tower, which will
carry a stream to a height which will
make it available for use on buildings
where there is no standplpe and where it
is not possible for the firemen to drag
the hose up ladders to places where the
stream will be effective. But in the pres
ent state of the city's finances it is Im
possible to procure these things, and tho
fire department will. In the meantime, do
the best it can without them.
Fire Drills.
Chief Campbell conducts the department
on the principle that it is well in time
of peace to prepare for war. Three times
a day, fire or no fire, the horses are
hitched up and made ready to rush out
of the house. The interest which they
take in this exercise is remarkable, and
Is never abated by the fact that after the
bell has rung they are returned to their
stalls and must await a real alarm before
they are allowed to career madly down
the street on the errand they so much
enjoy.
Twice a month two regular drills are
held, a street drill and "a. house drill. In
the former, some tall and particularly diffi
cult building, which is assumed, for the pur
poses of the drill, to be enveloped in a seeth
ing mass of flames, Is selected. The com-
panles are started for it at a tremendous
pace; engines are connected with cis
terns; hose Is unreeled and soon three or
four firemen are scampering up one tit the
dizzy fire-escapes, dragging hose a"er
them, while another squad Is hitch!" lose
on the "Siamese" entrances to tht- siand
. pipes which now lead up the sides of near
ly all the principal buildings. When the
"chief thinks the men have done enough
work for one day, he sends them back
to quarters, and the crowd which has
gathered In the hope of seeing a big fire
retires In disappointment.
t Save actually deluging the building with
water, these drills comprise everything
that the department does when a build
ing Is really burning. The men are turned
put of their rooms, slide down the brass
poles provided as an emergency stair in
every engine-house, and In a jiffy clap
, on the horses' harness, which Is suspended
on a "spider" over their backs. They
grab their clothes as they run, for some
times they are turned out of a sound sleep,
and the Implements they need are all ready
on the hose cart, engine or truck, which
ever may be the case. The house drill
Is held for the purorfse of familiarizing1' the
men with the Implements they will need at
the fire, and with ,the use of the appara
tus. Each man Is told .what his station
shall be; from whom he shall take 'orders,
and what shall be his duties at a fire, as
nearly as is possible to tell, 'for such Is the
variety of circumstances that arise around
a burning building, , that only on the spot
can the chief or his assistants tell just
how to work his force.
. Where Generalship Tells.
There is more opportunity for generalship
in fighting a fire than Is commonly sup
posed. The arrangement of the streams,
the concentration of men on weak or ex
posed places, the amount of water that
can be taken from the burning building
to protect adjoining property all these
must be decided Instantly, and unfalter
ingly. And then, in every great "fire,
comes" the moment when it becomes ap
parent that the building cannot be saved
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and the whole energy of the fighting Serso
must be withdrawn and directed to the
salvation of other buildings which are to.
danger. Issuing an order of tbte kind, m
the face of the Imploring property-owner
clinging to the last straw of hope, is not
an easy thing to do, but it most be dene,
and there can be no hesitation.
Another qualification wnleh a flroman
must possess fe eoomoac. The atmoaphare
around a fire is one of the meet intense ex
citement. Everything must be done at
once. The shrieking of. the engines sig
naling for more water; the wild leaping of
the flames; the roaring of the wind as it
surges up through the crackling timbers,
and the,dense volumes of smoke, now ris
ing in a solid column far into the- air, new
eddying down into the faces of the peeked
crewd of spectators, combine to tempt a
man to lose Ms head, hi a fashion that Is
hard to resist. But white hWMvidMeJ mem
. bars of the ill in bi I want
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excited, tftee wav oamk mmk smow warc
they are about, and the others nraet an
what they are told, and not stop to argue
the matter.
The perils that are on every hand are
appalling, but they do not count for much
with the men who face them. Closing
mouths and eyes, they win plunge through
smoke-choked passages and stagger, near
ly smothered, into a breathing space be
yond, only to find that they have mis
taken the location, of the name they
hoped to fight and must return through
that horrible, stifling passage. They run
up flimsy ladders to a height at which
they look like hoys to the crowd on the
streets; up past tongues of fire that sfeoot
from windows and wither and scorch them
as they pass; up to the tottering and
crumbling roof, where they fight Hue de
mons, till they are ordered down, at the
last moment, before the baitdlng, with a
last shiver, faHs with a rear to the
ground.
Standard Oil Fire.
Although there have been many ugly
fires in Portland, none has exceeded, hi
danger to the firemen and difficulty of
control, the recent fire in the warehouse
of the Standard Oil Company, on the Baet
Side. Here the men worked m the very
face of almost certain destruction. All
about them stood sreat tanks of oil,
against which the flames they were fight
ing would bea at, times till the paint
was seared from their sMee. The explo
sion of the smallest of these net only
would have killed every man engaged m
the endeavor to quell the flames, but
would also have sent a stream of bias
ing oil out on the river and set firs to
the whole river front. The warehouse
was filled with small tanks of oil, which
exploded like firecrackers and shot the
flames hundreds of feet overhead. The
water seemedi only to serve to scatter the
Are. But for 12 solid hours the men
worked unfiaggmgly, and at midnight the
flames were brought under control and the
surrounding property was saved. The
Standard Oil Company expressed H ap
preciation ot the work by sending Chief
Campbell a check for $, for the fund
for the benefit of sick firemen.
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Sledding-.
Tbe horse and btejrele have fled
From mederra Beeeq, tney ear;
But the; father -mho with nK half dead
Most draw the gleeful ymwpptT'g stod
Is on the turf to stay.