Show u l' l u u 4 UJ 0 Tokio Citizens Go Gaily Gailys f s To See Big Night Fires Japanese Japanese a I fighters Flame lame t With T r th Dash of Poetry in Their Ther heir r TJ Work Bravely r Conte Contend nd With i B laces Blazes That Conr Con- Con r Houses l at One Time l r st str sume rate Many I 7 D Dec c Fires 7 Fires throughout Japan Ja Ja- pan n frequently have bare called the atten- atten of or tho iho Japanese p authorities to the need for tor Improving n the m means of or tl fighting fight ht ing fire In some cases entire s shave have l C been wiped out and In wooden hou houses es have hare been Blocks ks of or tin tiny I ow f swiftness I consumed consume with alarming from al almost al- al J Japanese A-Japanese fire Is different I the world orld I Ih mo m most st st an any other fire In th that t h had had tl an opportunity of or ober observing fact tact when a n bla blae bJae c occurred some somo time the headquarters of ot the tho Associated As As- f ago fO O near Press Tress and antI seemed for tor a no time timeo o 10 o threaten Its destruction The mellow notes of oC a Japanese hon gong cons through h the night awoke the sleeper As he lie turned unea uneasily th there thero theroa ro came a a. discreet knock on the door Danny panna san nn sal said the boy boys Danna Danny san fian ran speak like see soe big bis fire Big fire tIre J come Please get pet up please go 0 A great reat mass of light showed through the windows The fire was ns near and antI the correspondent ent w went nt his com corn patriots Flames Hum Burn Thirty House I in Tn lira t Din tn United States a n. big fire apr ap peals as lS spectacular In Japan It Is spectacular with the picturesque nn and the artistic added The rue boy boy was wrong ronS' In one particular It was no not t a n abig abl bl big fire as as' Tokio knows them only them only thirty houses houses but but It afforded a dramatic dra- dra malic matic Instance of or the tho Tokio fire era Jers In action Tho The Americans Joined the the throng of or hurrying murmuring kimono shod clog Japanese streets leading lead lead- choked tho the narrow sing ing to the scene of ot tho the fire An eighth of or a mile away the blaze loomed up an angry ry and menacing a It It Is spreading a Japanese friend said gall gaily Tho gongs are arc sounding far a away to call reinforcements het Let Letus Letus us hurry hurr we must get et a n. good s vi ow The cro crowd was becoming almost ImpossIble Im- Im m- m possIble In density and nearly all themen the tho men composing It bore aloft exquisite Japanese f paper lanterns It Il was a c n- n singing lane of ot fantastic doc doe I. I oration that wound onward until It ended on tho the borders of ot the conflagration tion Uon itselL As As the crowd increased tho noise grew In lu volume olum until it became became be- be came a roar of or sound nand Hand Apparatus v tlC Used a r Now low a great shout arose and men waving huge hUJe lanterns forced force a pas paa- sage Rage Yn way In the tho ml middle of ot the street treet A TA hand hantl pump on four tour wheels drawn and antl pushed b by men man tolled toiled lup up followed b by n r. reel hose similarly propelled The tire firemen men had strange e Japanese letterS letters and and de designs on their floating garments while hUo their heads bon and faceS faced were shrouded In helmets of some Bome thick stuff stutt that resembled oil oil- At A 1 lit ch 1 1 I l t 1 MM li t. t LA d A rm l 4 t r 1 1 cloth au J IL 11 tU a gone LU o v u Land Bee seemed d to have stayed there thero but men amen men and women talking and lating Blood outside their tiny YOi dell houses casting cf glances of or nn anxiety lct first at et the advancing nd flames and then at their own on endangered homes Was Wag It time to flee leef It appeared not noL Capable Capable Capa Cava ble policemen passing back and forth seemed to write tho the Japanese charac- charac t tera of ot calm in the air na ns they thrust the omnipresent lanterns back and t forth t tm nearer the flames rose tho the rhythmic chant of ot men swaying at nt the One pumps One two I one two I one ono two tO Other detachments had cleverly crl worked their way around the tho conflagration and Md stationed themselves near supplies of ot r ater and Md It wa was evident that tho the tire Ire f deemed the time had haA arrived to toa toe tomake make e a a. a bold eland to atop the progress the flames lame w AA A hundred yards cards way sway singing flinging firemen fire fire- men stretched A tl long IonS bamboo ladder n to the roof root of ot an nn Untouched house and I nimbly r- r clambered thereon dragging dr after them a l huge triangular block of or orwood wood painted d white and bearing the name of ot a fire fr rb company The The- block rested on a long lone shaft o of wood to which streamers of ot cloth were at at- at This shaft t the firemen proc proceeded e to plant firmly on orl the root roof of ot the house an and two men stood there holding it in place as ll soldiers guard gund a n planted standard i of ot b bittle Men fen and shaft tt stood out In striking silhouette against the tho flames motionless and thrilling to look upon lo Combined With Work Nan Xan Rn desu What C Is It If asked the tho correspondent That replied tl the Japanese compan- compan len lea Is a R. remnant of the tho ancient poesy of or our fighters of or fire In a word word it H means Thus far tar and md no farther L LivIng Liv- Liv lv- lv fn ins Ing up to It has ha J cost the th life liCe o of mall many a aman man It means mean that the fire brigade In charge of or this his flank JanIe of ot the fire tire stakes Its Hs reputation that the flames will be cheeked checked e at that spot There have ha been many cases where color color- bearers bearer have havO perished rather than abandon on this lIko clasp of or the emblem that Incarnates the honor of ot their brigade Right flight ln In front where the street treet mn made L A i sharp tu turn n and ana telegraph poles S were w 0 c fiercely threatening to collapse collapse col- col lapse apse un under their weight of ot wires a n nimble fireman m made me e his way to the crumbling root roof bf hi a half consumed dwelling and wrenched off oU several eral shutters that hindered the tho effectiveness of oC tho the streams of ot water Ills HIs life lite was ns clearly In dnn danger er but h he moved about the he flames with great coolness jumping jumpIng Jump- Jump Ing ng easily to safety i just vii before the roo roof fell Into tho the pit of ot fire Courageous 1 remarked Firemen Burn Durn Not Made 1 res rca was as the answer it is a n mater matter matter mat mat- ter er of ot honor with them Tou know In Japan firemen are born rather than ran made e A family contains firemen for tor generations The youngsters oun learn the first lessons In boyhood nn and then It becomes a n life lire work worle as well as ns a n. passion pas pas- sion Su Suddenly squads 9 of or sol soldiers lers arrived 1 from rom nearby barracks While 1 0 In tho the United States dynamite is used to stop the he course courso of ot conflagrations In Japan the he method is more simple but equally effective and nicely adapted to conditions condl- condl lons The little Japanese houses are pulled pullet down own tho the de debris carried away an and thus thug la is a n circular zone tone created around the tho fire lire wherein Is Ie nothing upon which it can cnn feed teed The arriving soldiers were armed with stout lou lou long poles and they at nt once charged a e. line lino of ot dwellings previously loush evacuated and emptied of ot its furnish furnish- Ings nga Those pretty retty little places crum crum- bled led swiftly like toy houses before the Ute B adroit I destroyers estro s. s Tho b tta fragile l e fabric of ot lattice walls malls disintegrated under powerful blo blows blowe sagged Gagged and fell tell carrying carry carry- ing ng tiled roofs with t them em nn and were wera swiftly s' borne away avray Thus Was teas cheated ted ido f the Japanese god of at fire Vait laces Blanes D Once On-co Were ere Common I I suppose this is In a a. small blaze blazeI I It t remarked lc e L Small indeed indeed turned returned the Japan Japan- ose ese se though hard on the poor loor poor people whose homes have gone You lots know In Inthe inthe the he earlier days S 1 in the days 8 the he fires Urea of ot Tokio were known knon as ns The Flowers blowers of ot Edo Edo because the they were wera so sog big lIlg g and po ClO beautiful beautiful houses r sometimes Edo is the ancient name of ot Tokio Latterly my mi friend went on on with the ho intro introduction of ot modern western methods metho s of ot fire tIre fighting we have done better letter both In prevention and lag Ing ng Our fire brigade has boon been remodeled elod after tho those o of or the west but it is still till in juvenile condition compared with tho those o of ot the tho other great capitals of or the tho world torM Tokio Teklo Is becoming more and more tho the concentration point of or ortho ho tho industrial classes of ot the empire and the population 1 is expanding more especially In the outskirts Watchers ot her lIun-eT lIun City We W e have six fire brigades in Tokio each brigade having two or three substations sub sub- stations tallone In addition to the tho regular stations special l branches are established established in tn the tho thickly populated districts districts dis- dis of ot the city from November till May Tho total number of ot firemen fIreman on duty da day and night Is la 2000 You ma may have 0 lave noticed the tho tall observatory turee turc which like miniature Eiffel towers dominate the tho city at frequent Intervals of or space They Thoy are ore tho the fire tire stations of or Tokio whoso whose eternal watchers watch watch- ore ers peering toward all points of or tho the com compass compass- pas give Kiva the alarm at the first 81 sign n of ot tl flames mell AVo Wo have thirty fire engines engine drawn by y hor horses os and as nn man many hoso hose reels but the ho number will probably bo Increased next year Tho The authorities have b al also aleo eo purchased some omo automobile fire 11 ladder trucks rucks their uso use being nece necessitated bYtho by the tho he gradual ual Increase In tho the erection of or skyscrapers In tho the business c center of or Tokio It must be evl evident ont to you that while we wo continuo continue to erect our buildings In woo wood tho tiro scourge of or fire la Is always a possibility but I think wi we are doing well and the fact that there thoro ha has boen been no great grent catastrophe for m many ny years Is n. n r aj laddies proof f I 1 fanc fancy fancy- that our heroic fire have rot not lost their old aId Samurai spirit ot of vIctory The walt as now under control and even subsiding And so 80 joining the retreating procession or of r swinging l lan- lan tarns the long lane of or human fireflies wo we went back to land America and to dreams |