Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . ed dollars. Then they saw beauties in thefiremen that before were unknown. They saw the glories of theinstitution, and took care to let the world know that they were ofthe same stamp. Some of them who never had the smell of hose-leather on their hands, were such rabid firemen that the memberof old 33 engine, whom old Dick Kimmens used to tell about, wasas mild as milk alongside of them. This laddie of 33 was a fireman. He had caught cold, andwas on that long journey to the other land, going down th
Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . ed dollars. Then they saw beauties in thefiremen that before were unknown. They saw the glories of theinstitution, and took care to let the world know that they were ofthe same stamp. Some of them who never had the smell of hose-leather on their hands, were such rabid firemen that the memberof old 33 engine, whom old Dick Kimmens used to tell about, wasas mild as milk alongside of them. This laddie of 33 was a fireman. He had caught cold, andwas on that long journey to the other land, going down theroad of consumption, whose <tWP~ 1 finger-board pointed to the grave. On the day when the §f ML Old House of Refuge was mem burned, many, many yearsago, this old laddie com-plained of feeling very bad. Late on the same after-noon, one of his chums cameand sat silently by his low cough came from thesufferer. The friend turnedtoward him, saying, Oh,Jake! could I but be in yourplace this moment, it wouldbe happiness to what I nowsuffer. The sick man turnedtoward him and asked the. cause. Jake, said he, while he could scarcely speak from his heavysobbing, Jake, the engine got washed to-day. The sick man raisedhimself in bed, and exerted himself for a grand effort: Dick, whowashed her? Twelve Engine. Then let me die! I envy notyour hold on life ! and, as the story goes, he passed away withthe honor of the engine. Noble hearts used to beat under redshirts in the olden times. The allotted term of life for the average fireman of the oldentime was, as a rule, very short. When the old organization was 28 Reminiscences of the Old Fire Laddies. in existence, I could point to hundreds, in and out of the Depart-ment, who had worn themselves out with excitement, fatigue, andexposure. While young and in good health, they stopped at nothingto carry out their ideas of good fire-duty ; and the result was that when in good health. I need only point out two cases, fresh uponthe minds
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