THE CHICAGO FIREMAN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 222, 2 May 1872, Page 9

THE CHICAGO FIREMAN.

I.guess you won't know wbat a fire is quite, Till you squat in this claim of ours, Where a man on his feet tnay.be out of sight In* the grass and the prairie flowers. You may ponder and guess till fishes squeal, And think me a queer old cuss, But you can't just wind off memory's reel A fire till you've lived with us. I was boss — but what is the use of talk ?—? — Of an injine in 'fifty-one, And New York state, and the city of York • At putting out fires are some. Wai, I've met and battled for dear good life. In many a red hot blast, But I allus knew that, as sure as knife, The team would come through at last. Bat it's different here on prairie sile. For a man may struggle and fight Like a grizzly bear in au all fire rile, And then he can't fetch things right. The last blaze we had lit up in the dark — But 'twasn't dark long, by sin !—! — For the light that squrmed from a lantern spark Made the stars in the heavens give in. There were shoutin' of men and a tramp of feet' As the red-eyed monster showed, Like poppy blossoms among the wheat, Jist as the grain is mowed. And little by little it crawled and crept Like snakes— now here, now there — Till at last, with a hiss and a snap, it leapt Feet high in the quivering air. And the tramping and shouting and clash of bell Went on with mad increase,. As if the varments that people hell On earth had a second lease. Injiue, hose-reel, and fire-escape Like Maryland niggers wrought, But they all might just a been under a lake, For the amount of good they brought. And the wind,as.glare of the work begun, Tossed it up in a fiery hill, As a squaw tosses up her red-skin son, When the braves from the hunts come iv. The water, like peas on granite rocks, Jist spattered, as if in pain. While the flames licked up the city in blocks, Like turkey broods pick up grain, We pumpt and pumpt with bodies and souls, And the streams went highei-and higher, But-they only spluttered out little holes In the face of the conquering fire. The pump was no use, so we let it rip To the river deep and wide ; But it came like the rush of a blazing ship, An stumpt on the other side. And a cry went up in the heat and smoke To God and his pitying Son — The first real prayer as hail been spoke . Since the fiery fight begun ; And jist to show the mistake we made, Unaided to push things through, The clouds rolled up with the Rain Brigade, And did what we couldn'nt do. OSCAB. HOOHAN.