de towards the fluttering garments flapping | divided force, and place it under the managenot dislodge those weary hands clutching so tributing towards its support, according to the convulsively to the hot stone? Will the nimble amount of its business. All the old established figure gain the topmost rung ere nature fails! companies, with one exception,* shortly came The blood in a thousand hearts runs cold, and into the arrangement, and Mr. Braidwood, the then again break forth a thousand cheers to master of the fire-engines of Edinburgh, becelebrate a daring rescue. Such scenes as ing invited to take the command, organised this are of almost nightly occurrence in the the now celebrated London Fire Brigade. Great Metropolis. A still more imposing yet At the present moment, then, the protection dreadful sight is often exhibited in the con- against fire in London consists, firstly, in the flagrations of those vast piles of buildings in 300 and odd parish-engines (two to each the City filled with inflammable merchandise. parish), which are paid for out of the rates. Here the most powerful engines seem reduced The majority of these are very inefficient, not to mere squirts; and the efforts of the adven. having any persons appointed to work them turous Brigade men are confined to keeping who possess a competent knowledge of the the mischief within its own bounds. service. Even women used now and then to When we recollect that London presents fill the arduous post of director; and it is not an area of 36 square miles, covered with 21,- long since a certain Mrs. Smith, a widow, 600 square acres of bricks and mortar, and might be seen at conflagrations, hurrying numbers more than 380,000 houses; that all about in her pattens, directing the firemen of the riches it contains are nightly threatened her engine, which belonged to the united in every direction by an ever-present enemy; parishes of St. Michael Royal and St. Martin that the secret match, the spontaneous fire, Vintry, in the City. We question, indeed, if and the hand of the drunkard, are busily at at the present moment any of the parish-enwork; it is evident that nothing but a force gines are much better officered than in the the most disciplined, and implements the days of widow Smith, with the exception of most effective, can be competent to cope those of Hackney, White-chapel , Islington, and with so sudden and persevering a foe. perhaps two or three others. Secondly, there As late as twenty-two years ago there was are an unknown number of private engines no proper fire police to protect the Metropolis kept in public buildings and large manufacagainst what is commonly called the all- tories, which sometimes do good service when devouring element. There was, it is true, a they arrive early at small fires in their neighforce of 300 parochial engines set on foot by bourhood, although, singularly enough, when Acts which were passed between the years called upon to extinguish a conflagration in 1768-74-Acts which are still in existence their own establishments, they generally "lose but these engines are under the superintend their heads, as the Brigade men express it; ' ence of the beadles and parish engineers, who and very inany instances have occurred where are not the most active of men or nimble of even the parish-engines have arrived and set risers. It may easily be imagined, therefore, to work before the one on the premises could that the machines arrived a little too late ; be brought to bear upon the fire. The cause and, when brought into service, were often is clear. The requisite coolness and method found to be out of working order. Hence which every one can exercise so philosophitheir employment did not supersede the private cally in other people's misfortunes utterly fail engines kept by some of the insurance Afices them when in trouble themselves. The long prior to their existence. On the contrary, doctor is wiser in his generation, and is never owing to the increase of business which took so foolish as to prescribe for himself or to place about this time, the different companies attend his own family, thought it worth their while to strengthen Thirdly, we have, in contrast to the imtheir former establishments, and this process mense rabble of Bumble engines and the continued while the parochial engines, with a Bashi-Bazouks of private establishments, the few honourable exceptions, were dropping into small complement of men and material of the disuse. Fire Brigade. It consists of twenty-seven About the year 1833 it became evident large horse-engines, capable of throwing 88 that much was lost, both to the public and to gallons a minute to a height of from 50 to 70 the insurance companies, by every engine act- feet, and nine smaller ones drawn by hand. ing on its own responsibility—a folly which To work them there are twelve engineers, is the cause of such jealousy among the fire- seven sub-engineers, thirty-two senior fireinen, men at Boston (United States), that rival en-thirty-nine junior fireinen, and fourteen drivers, gines have been known to stop on their way to a fire to exchange shots from revolvers. It * The West of England Fire-Office, which retains was therefore determined to incorporate the the command of its own engines. 6 persons, who forms the main de stabilito | tion or 104 men and 31 horses. In addition to tion to the police, there are the thousand these eager eyes of the e night cabmen and the ment, and live at the he different stations, there houseless poor. It is not at all uncommon is an extra staff of four firemen, four drivers, for a cabman to earn four or five shillings of and eight horses. The members of this sup- a night by driving fast to the different stations plementary force are also lodged at the sta- and giving the alarm, receiving a shilling tions,* as well as clothed, but are only paid from each for the call.' when their services are required, and pursue In most Continental cities a watchman in the daytime their ordinary occupations. takes his stand during the night on the topThis not very formidable army of 104 men most point of some high building, and gives and 31 horses, with its reserve of eight men notice by either blowing a horn, firing a gun, and eight horses, is distributed throughout or ringing a bell. In Germany the quarter is the Metropolis, which is divided into four indicated by holding out towards it a flag by districts as follows:-On the north side of the day, and a lantern at night. It immediately river-Ist, From the Eastward to Paul's suggests itself that a sentinel placed in the Chain, St. Paul's Churchyard, Aldersgate- upper gallery of St. Paul's would have under street, and Goswell-street-road; 2nd, From his eye the whole Metropolis, and could make St. Paul's, &c., to Tottenham-court-road, known instantly, by means of an electric wire, Crown-street, and St. Martin's-lane ; 3rd, the position of a fire, to the head station at From Tottenham-court-road, &c., westward. Watling-street, in the same manner as the 4th, The entire south side of the river. At Americans do in Boston. This plan is, howthe head of each district is a foreman, who ever, open to the objection, that London is. never leaves it unless acting under the superior intersected by a sinuous river, which renders orders of Mr. Braidwood, the superintendent it difficult to tell on which bank the conflaor general-in-chief, whose head-quarters are in gration is raging. Nevertheless we imagine Watling-street. that the northern part of the town could be In comparison with the great Continental advantageously superintended from such a cities such a force seems truly insignificant. height, whilst the southern half might rest Paris, which does not cover a fifth part of the under the surveillance of one of the tall shotground of London, and is not much more towers on that bank of the Thames. The than a third as populous, boasts 800 sapeurs- bridges themselves have long been posts of pompiers : we make up, however, for want of observation, from which a large portion of the numbers by activity. Again, our look-out river-side property is watched. Not long ago is admirable: the 6000 police of the metro- there was a pieman on London-bridge, who polis , patrolling every alley and lane through-eked out a precarious existence by keeping a out its length and breadth, watch for a fire as good look-out up and down the stream. terriers watch at l'at-holes, and every man is Watling-street was chosen as the headstimulated by the knowledge, that if he is the quarters of the Fire Brigade for a double reafirst to give notice of it at any of the stations son: it is very nearly the centre of the City, it is half a sovereign in his pocket. In addi- being close to the far-famed London Stone, and it is in the very midst of what may be termed, speaking igneously, the most dangerous part * The following are the stations : of the metropolis-the Manchester warehouses. Engines. As the Fire Brigade is only a portion of a Watling-street (the principal station) .. vast commercial operation-Fire InsuranceWellclose-square. Farringdon-street its actions are regulated by strictly commerChandos-street, Covent-garden.. cial considerations. Where the largest amount Schoolhouse-lane, Ratcliffe of insured property lies, there its chief force Horseferry-road, Westminster is planted. It will, it is true, go any reasonWaterloo-load able distance to put out a fire; but of course Paradise-row, Rotherhithe Jeffrey-square, St. Mary-Axe it pays most attention to property which its Whitecross-street proprietors have guaranteed. The central High Holborn, No. 254 .. station receives the greatest number of calls ;' Crown-street, Soho but as a commander-in-chief does not turn Wells-street, Oxford-street Baker-street, Portman-square out for a skirmish of outposts, so Mr. BraidKing-street, Golden-square wood keeps bimself ready for affairs of a more Southwark-bridge-road .. serious nature. When the summons is at Morgan's-lane, Tooley-street night-there are sometimes as many as halfFloating engine, off King's-stairs, Rother a-dozen—the fireman on duty below apprises hithe Floating engine off Southwark-bridge.. i the superintendent by means of a gutta percha speaking-tube, which comes up to his bed36 side. By the light of the ever-burning gas, a No. of 4 3 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 3 3 1 . I. 10 6 6 he rapidly consults the London Directory,' men with us who pursue the occupation of and if the call should be to what is called a firemen as amateurs; providing themselves greengrocer's street,' or any of the small with the regulation-dress of dark-green turned thoroughfares in bye-parts of the town, he up with red, and with the accoutrements of leaves the matter to the foreman in whose the Brigade, and working, under the orders district it is, and goes to sleep again. If, of Mr. Braidwood, as energetically as if they however, the fire should be in the City, or in were earning their daily bread. any of the great West-End thoroughfares, he The fascination of fires even extends to the hurries off on the first engine. Five minutes brute creation. Who has not heard of the is considered a fair time for an engine to dog Chance,' who first formed his acquainthorse and away, but it is often done in three. ance with the Brigade by following a fireman Celeaity in bringing up aid is the great essen- from a conflagration in Shoreditch to the cential, as the first half hour generally determines tral station at Watling-street? Here, after the extent to which a conflagration will pro- he had been petted for some little time by ceed. Hence the rewards of thirty shillings the men, his master came for him, and took for the first, twenty for the second, and ten him home; but he escaped on the first op. shillings for the third engine that arrives, portunity, and returned to the station. After which premiums are paid by the parish. All he had been carried back for the third time, the engines travel with as few hands as pos- his master-like a mother whose son will go sible: the larger ones having an engineer, to sea--allowed him to have his own way, four firemen and a driver, and the following and for years he invariably accompanied the furniture : engine, now upon the machine, now under the Several lengths of scaling-ladder, each 67 feet horses' legs, and always, when going up-hill , ' long, all of which may be readily connected, form- running in advance, and announcing the weling in a short space of time a ladder of any re- come advent of the extinguisher by his bark. quired height; à canvas sheet, with 10 or 12 At the fire he used to amuse bimself with handles of rope round the edge of it, for the pur- pulling burning logs of wood out of the pose of a fire-escape; one 10-fathom and one fames with his mouth. Although he had bis 14-fathom piece of 24-inch rope; six lengths of legs broken half a dozen times, he remained hose, each 40 feet long ; 2 branchpipes, one 27 faithful to his pursuit; till at last, having refeet, and the other from 4 to 6 feet long, with ceived a severer hurt than usual, he was being one spare nose-pipe; two 6-feet lengths of suction-pipe, a flat rose, stand-cock, goose-neck, nursed by the firemen beside the hearth, when dam-board, boat-hook, saw, shovel, mattock, pole- a call' came, and at the well-known sound axe, screw-wrench, crow-bar, portable cistern, two of the engine turning out, the poor brute dog-tails, two balls of strips of sheepskin, two made a last effort to climb upon it, and fell balls of small cord, instruments for opening the back dead in the attempt. He was stuffed and fire-plugs, and keys for turning the stop-cocks of preserved at the station, and was doomed, even the water-mains.' in death, to prove the fireman's friend : for The weight of the whole, with the men, is one of the engineers having committed suinot less than from 27 to 30 cwt., a load which cide, the Brigade determined to raffle him for in the excitement of the ride is carried by a the benefit of the widow, and such was his couple of horses at the gallop. renown that he realized 1231. 10s. 9d. The hands to work the pumps are always The most interesting and practical part of forthcoming on the spot at any hour of the our subject is the inquiry into the various night, not alone for goodwill , as every man- causes of fires. Mr. Braidwood comes here and there have been as many as five hundred to our aid with his invaluable yearly Reports employed at a time-receives one shilling for the only materials we have, in fact, on the first hour and sixpence for every succeed- which fire-insurance can be built up into a ing one, together with refreshments. In France science, a feat which we have not accomplished the law empowers the firemen to size upon to nearly the same extent as with life-insurthe bystanders, and compel them to give their ance, although the Hand in Hand Office was services, without fee or reward. An English- founded so far back as 1696. Thus we bave man at Bordeaux, whilst looking on, some the experience of upwards of one hundred few years since, was forced, in spite of his re- and fifty years, if we could only get at it, to monstrances, to roll wine-casks for seven hours enable the actuary to ascertain the doctrine out of the vicinity of the conflagration. We of chances in this momentous subject, which need not say which plan answers best. A at present is little better than a speculation. Frenchman runs away, as soon as the sapeurs-An analysis of the reports, from the organipompiers make their appearance upon the zation of the Fire Brigade in 1833 to the scene, to avoid being impressed. Still such close of 1853, a period extending over twentyis the excitement that there are some gentle one years, affords the following result : Abstract of List of Fires and Alarms for Twenty Years ending 1853. If we examine this table, we find ample, in a few minutes as to preclude the possibility evidence that the organization of the Fire of putting it out. The number is also swelled Brigade bas resulted in an abatement of by houses which are situated many miles loss and danger. Taking the average of the from the nearest station, for there are no last twenty-one years, there has been a de- stations in the outskirts of the town, and very crease of 5:7 in the last year under the head few in the crowded suburbs. of 'totally destroyed. This is the best test complaints of this want of help in thickly- The item 'totally destroyed' is mainly made adjoining property-damage which they com- of houses and factories in which are stored mit in the most deliberate manner, regardless very combustible materials, such as carpenters' of pains and penalties. For instance, house- a a let a wall or a door stand between them and the cost to each person would be hardly more a supply of this element. It is a proof of pence than it is pounds at present to the prothe good feeling which prevails on such occa- vident few. sions that although they are technically guilty Mr. Samuel Brown, of the Institute of Acof an offence which renders them liable to tuaries, after analysing the returns of Mr. punishment, do one murmurs, much less Braidwood, as well as the reports in the threatens proceedings. If the authorities in Mechanic's Magazine,' by Mr. Baddeley, who the Great Fire of London had acted in a has devoted much attention to the subject, símilar wapner for the public good, they drew up some tables of the times of the year, would bave saved the half of the Inner- and bours of the day, at which fires are most Temple, which was destroyed, because, accord- frequent. It would naturally be supposed ing to Clarendon's account, all the lawyers that the winter would show a vast preponderwere absent on circuit, and the constables did ance over the summer months; but the difnot dare to take the responsibility of breaking ference is not so great as might be expected. open their chamber doors ! December and January are very prolific of It is a question, whether Government ought fires, as in these months large public buildings not to relieve the parish authorities from a are heated by flues, stoves, and boilers; but duty which they cannot separately perform, the other months share mishaps of the kind and combine their engines into a metropolitan pretty equally, with the exception that the brigade; thus guarding the town from fire as hot and dry periods of summer and autumn they do from robbery by the police. If people are marked by the most destructive class of will not protect themselves by insuring, the conflagrations, owing to the greater inflamState should protect them, and make them mability of the materials, than in the damper pay for it. An excellent system prevails in portions of the year. This, from the desiccatmost parts of Germany of levying a rate at ing nature of the climate, is especially the the close of the year upon all the inhabitants case in Canada and the United States, and sufficient to cover the loss from fires during coupled with the extensive use of wood in the past twelve-month. As every househoider building, has a large influence in many has a pecuniary interest in the result, he keeps parts of the Continent. The following list a bucket and belt, and sallies out to extinguish of all the great fires which have taken the conflagration in his neighbour's premises. place for the last 100 years will bear out our If the rate were adopted in London, and the statement:present enormous duty on insurances reduced, |