THE NEW YORK FIRE BRIGADES.

Evening Star, Issue 3608, 15 September 1874, Page 3

THE NEW YORK FIRE BRIGADES.

The following particulars with reference to the above, are from a private letter kindly placed at our disposal: The Fire Department of the City of New York consists of forty-two steam engine companies, and six chemical engine companies, eighteen hook and ladder companies, one chief of department, and ten chiefs of battalion ; each chief of battalion has a certain nuniberof engines and hook and ladder companies under his command, The men all have to sleep in the engine houses, and do their regular tour of duty. All hands have to turn out at a fire. The harness is kept on the horses night and day, and is only taken off while cleaning. The men are drilled daily, to practice hitching up. We can hitch up the horses in the engine and hose tender to answer an alarm of fire in from twelve to twenty seconds in the day-time; and can turn out of the break-room, where the men sleep on the third floor, come down on the engine-room floor, hitch up, and drive out in from thirtyrflve to forty seconds at midnight, We receive all alarm of fire in the engine-house by telegraphy, which strikes the signal on a large lOin. gong—indicating where the fire is. The back doors of the engine-house and stable doors are opened by telegraph j also the horses loosened off the halters. A gong is rung in the stables to start the horses, and another gong rung in the bunk-room, which is all done by telegraph. It is all done by tripo weight crank wires, spring bolts, and steel springs to throw the doors open, and is simple enough when a man looks at it. The horses are wonderfully trained. It astonishes visitors when we run the horses to the pole and illustrate the thing to them. This business is no place for a lazy man \ he has got to be steady and active to be a fireman in New York. I will now describe the Fire Brigade building. It consists of a three-storied brick

building of 25ft. frontage, 62ft. deep, and 45ft. high, brown stone pillars round the window casings ) inside, the walls are handsomely painted and frescoed in delicate colors, the wood work grained in blackwalnut and oak. The ceilings are decorated with' fancy mouldings. On the first floor is the engine-roomse-cond floor, front, is the si t ting-room, only used on special occasions, the carpet of which cost 300 dollars. The back room on this floor is the readingroom, where the men can read, play dominoes, billiards, or anything else they like within the limits of the rules of the department. The third floor is the bunk-room, or sleeping department and bath-rooms. The stables are situated 20ft to the rear of the house, in a two-story brick building 25 x 20. I suppose you will think from the way that I have illustrated our quarters to you, it must be similar to a soldiers’ barracks, but it is nothing of the sort. It costs 1,400,000 dollars to run the fire department of this city for one year. The salary of the captain is 1,600 dollars a-year.