THE FIREMEN'S TOURNAMENT
The two weeks following were mighty busy ones for Quarry Troop No. 1.
First of all it was necessary for Bruce and his companions to find out
exactly what in the matter of equipment they had at their disposal. This
could only be determined by a visit to Mr. Clifford's mill and several
other places where they could borrow fire fighting apparatus and still
not let the news of their secret organization leak out.
Mr. Clifford, when he heard of the plan, was particularly delighted and
he personally conducted the boys through the machine shop and mill,
making numerous suggestions meanwhile. First of all he found that he
could spare eleven small, two-and-one-half gallon chemical extinguishers
and still leave enough equipment to comply with the fire underwriters'
laws, which call for a certain number of extinguishers for each floor.
These eleven were enough to provide two for each motorcycle in the
brigade and one for the automobile. It seemed rather unfortunate to
Bruce that they could only get one for "Old Nanc," for he had had a
mental picture of the red automobile with a shining extinguisher on
either side of the driver's seat. Indeed, he was so keen on this
artistic arrangement that he pleaded with his father to spare an
additional tank.
"Why, I'll tell you what you can have to balance up 'Old Nanc,'" said his
father laughingly, when he heard Bruce's reason for wanting another
extinguisher, "here's a light oxygen-acetylene tank equipment with a blow
torch I've been using around the mill. I'm going to get a new one of
larger capacity, and if you polish this up it will look mighty
business-like, I tell you.
"These torches are being adopted by the city fire departments too. You
see they are composed of two tanks, one filled with oxygen and the other
with acetylene gas. These gases both flow through the same opening in
the torch and unite before they strike the air. If you touch a match to
the end of the torch, _presto_, you have a thin blue flame, so hot that
it will cut through the hardest steel. The flame gives off a heat as
high as 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit; think of that! It literally burns its
way through the toughest metal and does the job before you can say
'scat.' The city fire departments use them to burn the hinges off iron
doors and window shutters in big warehouse fires. Do you boys want it?
It may come in handy, you know."
"Want it! You bet we do," shouted Jiminy Gordon eagerly.
"Just the stuff," recommended Romper Ryan, who had been inspecting the
apparatus, "handy and compact. Doesn't weigh more than a hundred pounds.
Two of us could handle it in fine shape. We certainly _would_ like to
have it."
"All right," acquiesced Mr. Clifford, "it's yours."
The good-natured manufacturer also gave the boys a set of old fire pails
that needed fresh coats of paint, and several lengths of old but
serviceable fire hose, not to mention a number of rusty fire hatchets,
crowbars and pike poles.
"How about ladders?" said Mr. Clifford as the boys were about to depart.
"Gee, we never thought of 'em," said Bruce, surprised at such an
omission. Then as he considered the capacity of "Old Nanc," he
continued: "But if we had them we wouldn't know how to carry them;
we--you see, we can't afford to overload the auto or she will never be
able to get started for a fire."
"Ho, ho, that's right. She'd be a regular tortoise," said Mr. Clifford.
"But why don't you make a couple of scaling ladders? I'll have the top
hooks forged for you if you'll build the ladders. They'll be light and
serviceable and you can work up a mighty spectacular drill with them."
"Great, we'll do it," said Bruce. Then he added, "perhaps we _will_ have
a real fire department after all."
"Old Nanc" spent the busiest day of her career gathering up the loads of
extinguishers, hose and other equipment before she was laid up for
alteration, and the Scouts for many days thereafter found that their
spare time was well taken up with their work at headquarters.
From the hour that the Woodbridge Academy closed until ten o'clock in the
evening they toiled like beavers. Bruce, always a capable manager,
divided the patrols into working squads and assigned them to the various
tasks to be accomplished. Those who were handy with carpentering tools
he set to work making a new fire patrol body for the automobile. Those
who excelled at the forges he assigned to the task of making brackets and
metal clamps with which to fasten the extinguishers onto the motorcycles.
Some were appointed ladder makers, others were painters, and still
others were buffers and polishers, who shined up the tarnished sides of
the tanks and took the rust off the axes and pike heads. And when they
all became active the interior of headquarters was a veritable beehive
for busyness.
The boys did not devote all their time to building work, however, for
they realized that to win honors at the firemen's tournament, in which
they meant to compete, they would have to be well drilled in every branch
of fire fighting. Consequently every evening, just before dusk, the
entire troop assembled in the field back of headquarters.
Scaling ladder drills, first aid work, rescue work, bucket brigade
drills, and hose coupling contests were indulged in until the lads worked
with the precision and accuracy of trained fire fighters. For the sake
of unity Bruce had been appointed fire chief, having charge of all three
patrols. The entire squad was under his command and in a very few days
he had systematized their work to the point where there was scarcely a
lost motion or a false move.
Indeed, the Scouts drilled with such vigor and enthusiasm that inside of
an hour they would be completely tired out. Then, while they were
resting, Bruce would put them through a sharp oral drill on the rudiments
of firemanship as set forth in the September number of _Boy's Life_
until, to quote Jiminy Gordon, "They could say it backwards, or upside
down, and do it blindfolded."
Gradually after weeks of toil the fleet of fire fighting motorcycles
assumed a business-like appearance. And as for "Old Nanc" she, redolent
with the odors of fresh red paint, loomed above them all exactly like a
mother hen keeping a watchful eye on her brood of chicks.
Each motorcycle was equipped with a fire extinguisher clamped on either
side, just back of the seat. Directly in the rear of the seat was a
small red tool box in which hose-coupling wrenches and two sets of
harness were kept. This harness, devised by Mr. Ford, was made of canvas
in the form of a sling to hold the extinguishers in position on a Scout's
back. In that way a boy could enter a burning building and carry an
extinguisher with him, still having both hands free to operate the
extinguisher hose. On top of the tool box was strapped a short coil of
hose with a small nozzle ready to be brought into action when coupled to
the nearest street hydrant.
"Old Nanc," besides carrying an extinguisher and the oxygen-acetylene
blow torch tank, also contained the remaining hose, an equipment of axes,
pike poles and scaling ladders, and provided accommodations for three
Scouts and the driver besides.
Until a few days before the tournament the Scouts were working on their
equipment. Indeed, the very last coat of varnish was put onto "Old Nanc"
the Saturday afternoon preceding the tournament day, which fell on
Wednesday. All that remained to be done was to deck the machine with
flags and bunting and she would be ready for the parade. In truth, that
very morning Bruce had gone on a motorcycle trip to St. Cloud City,
twelve miles south of Woodbridge, to buy the necessary decorations.
"By Jove, she looks like a real fire fighter, doesn't she?" said Romper
Ryan, backing off, paint brush still in hand, to survey his own handiwork
on the sides of "Old Nanc."
"For downright good looks I think our equipment has it on anything
Woodbridge ever experienced," said Jiminy Gordon enthusiastically.
"Well, we'll sure create some sensation," said Bud. "This is going to be
a complete surprise to everybody. Has Bruce heard from Chief Blaney yet?
He sent him our entry for the tournament events last week, you know. I
wonder--Here he comes now! I heard his siren. That was a mighty quick
trip to St. Cloud."
Bud and several others rushed to the door. Coming up the hill at top
speed was Bruce, his motorcycle fairly flying. When he caught sight of
the group in front of the machine shop he began to wave a blue paper
above his head.
"Hi, fellows, here's our reply from Chief Blaney," he shouted as he
jumped from his machine. "I just got it at the house. Haven't opened it
yet. Come on, gather 'round and hear what he has to say."
With eager fingers he tore off the corner of the big envelope and ripped
open the top. And as he unfolded the letter every scout pressed closer
to get a glimpse of its contents. Bruce began to read aloud:
Mr. Bruce Clifford, Chief of the Scout Engineers' Fire Department.
Dear Sir: Your entry blank and fee for the tournament events reached me.
I am returning your fee herewith for, unfortunately, your company cannot
take part in the tournament. In the first place your organization is
only a juvenile company, and in the second place it is not an accredited
member of the Woodbridge Fire Department.
The fact that you have not a charter from the town authorities will also
prevent your little department from taking an active part in fighting
fires in this village, for the Champlain Valley Volunteer Firemen's
Association has passed a ruling preventing any individual not wearing a
badge of a recognized fire department from entering fire lines or
participating in fire fighting work. These rules are rigidly enforced by
my department. Very truly yours,
(signed) W.T. Blaney,
Chief Woodbridge F.D.
"Well, what do you think of that!" exclaimed Romper disgustedly.
"And after all our working and planning," said Jiminy bitterly.
"Oh, we're only juveniles," said Bud sarcastically, turning away to hide
his feelings.
And as for Bruce, he could hardly believe his eyes. He re-read the
letter and when he finished he slowly tore it into little scraps and
tossed them to the ground.
"Well, fellows," he said with a grim smile, "I fancy 'Old Nanc' won't
need the flags and bunting I ordered to-day. And I guess our little fire
department sort of busts up before it gets started. If old Blaney is
such a stickler for regulations they'll never let us fight any fires in
this town. Tough luck, isn't it?"
Tournament day had been declared a holiday in Woodbridge. Stores and
factories were closed and the village decorated from stable to Town Hall
with colored streamers, flags and bunting. Since early morning fire
companies had been arriving in town headed by bands and drum corps until
the place was crowded with uniformed figures from every section of
Vermont.
But in spite of all this gaiety Bruce Clifford and the Boy Scout
Engineers were dispirited. Indeed, for the past week they had been very
unhappy over the turn of affairs. They tried their hardest to brace up
and be good sports, but their disappointment was greater than they had
expected. On tournament day they wandered about with a cheerless air,
watching the various companies file into the side streets to await the
formation of the parade that would be conducted up Webster Avenue to the
tournament grounds.
They were not so downcast, however, as to ignore the fact that here was
an excellent opportunity to view a number of fire fighting machines of
all varieties. Indeed, they inspected the equipment of every out-of-town
company they ran across, and in the course of the morning had become
partly familiar with everything, from an oldfashioned gooseneck hand
engine to the latest type of hand-drawn chemical engine, the pride of the
company from Middlebury. This last appliance was an excellent piece of
work and Bruce and his friends realized that even, with her new paint and
shining brass, "Old Nanc" could not compare in general appearance with
this costly equipment.
Promptly at half-past ten the automobile in which was seated the Mayor,
Fire Chief Blaney and several other dignitaries, swung into Webster
avenue. This was followed by the Woodbridge band and the parade to the
tournament grounds was under way. The Boy Scout Engineers reviewed the
procession from the curb, and when it had passed they hurried by way of a
short cut across the fields to the tournament grounds, reaching there
just as the Mayor's car turned in at the big gate.
A makeshift two-story frame building had been constructed in the very
center of the enclosure, and the village authorities had erected a dozen
temporary hydrants in a half circle about the front of the building. The
plan was to conduct the contests on the level stretch of turf before the
grandstand, and as a finale set fire to the wooden structure and have a
real demonstration of fire fighting.
The procession of visiting companies made a circle of the grounds after
entering the gate while the Mayor reviewed them from his automobile.
Then after the various engines and hose carts had been parked at the far
end of the field the Mayor prepared formally to open the ceremonies with
a speech of welcome. But he had hardly uttered two sentences when Bruce,
for some unknown reason turned and looked down Webster avenue towards the
town. In the distance he saw a great cloud of black smoke mounting
skyward above the roofs. He grasped Bud Weir's arm and shouted:
"Look! Quick! Afire!"
And as if to verify his words the far-off clang of the village fire bell
sounded.
Instantly the tournament grounds were in a turmoil. Every one raised a
cry of fire! In a twinkle the grandstand was empty, but before the crowd
could reach Webster avenue the companies had begun to leave the
enclosure. With a rattle and a clang one engine after another swung into
the broad avenue. Then with the old hand equipment of the Woodbridge
vamps in the van the whole aggregation hurled itself down the street
toward the village.