CHAPTER II
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 outexactly what in the matter of equipment they had at their disposal. Thiscould only be determined by a visit to Mr. Clifford's mill and severalother places where they could borrow fire fighting apparatus and stillnot let the news of their secret organization leak out.
Mr. Clifford, when he heard of the plan, was particularly delighted andhe personally conducted the boys through the machine shop and mill,making numerous suggestions meanwhile. First of all he found that hecould spare eleven small, two-and-one-half gallon chemical extinguishersand 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 thebrigade and one for the automobile. It seemed rather unfortunate toBruce that they could only get one for "Old Nanc," for he had had amental picture of the red automobile with a shining extinguisher oneither side of the driver's seat. Indeed, he was so keen on thisartistic arrangement that he pleaded with his father to spare anadditional tank.
"Why, I'll tell you what you can have to balance up 'Old Nanc,'" said hisfather laughingly, when he heard Bruce's reason for wanting anotherextinguisher, "here's a light oxygen-acetylene tank equipment with a blowtorch I've been using around the mill. I'm going to get a new one oflarger capacity, and if you polish this up it will look mightybusiness-like, I tell you.
"These torches are being adopted by the city fire departments too. Yousee they are composed of two tanks, one filled with oxygen and the otherwith acetylene gas. These gases both flow through the same opening inthe torch and unite before they strike the air. If you touch a match tothe end of the torch, _presto_, you have a thin blue flame, so hot thatit will cut through the hardest steel. The flame gives off a heat ashigh as 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit; think of that! It literally burns itsway through the toughest metal and does the job before you can say'scat.' The city fire departments use them to burn the hinges off irondoors 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 theapparatus, "handy and compact. Doesn't weigh more than a hundred pounds.Two of us could handle it in fine shape. We certainly _would_ like tohave it."
"All right," acquiesced Mr. Clifford, "it's yours."
The good-natured manufacturer also gave the boys a set of old fire pailsthat needed fresh coats of paint, and several lengths of old butserviceable 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 anomission. Then as he considered the capacity of "Old Nanc," hecontinued: "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 beable 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 tophooks forged for you if you'll build the ladders. They'll be light andserviceable and you can work up a mighty spectacular drill with them."
"Great, we'll do it," said Bruce. Then he added, "perhaps we _will_ havea real fire department after all."
"Old Nanc" spent the busiest day of her career gathering up the loads ofextinguishers, hose and other equipment before she was laid up foralteration, and the Scouts for many days thereafter found that theirspare time was well taken up with their work at headquarters.
From the hour that the Woodbridge Academy closed until ten o'clock in theevening they toiled like beavers. Bruce, always a capable manager,divided the patrols into working squads and assigned them to the varioustasks to be accomplished. Those who were handy with carpentering toolshe set to work making a new fire patrol body for the automobile. Thosewho excelled at the forges he assigned to the task of making brackets andmetal clamps with which to fasten the extinguishers onto the motorcycles.Some were appointed ladder makers, others were painters, and stillothers were buffers and polishers, who shined up the tarnished sides ofthe tanks and took the rust off the axes and pike heads. And when theyall became active the interior of headquarters was a veritable beehivefor busyness.
The boys did not devote all their time to building work, however, forthey realized that to win honors at the firemen's tournament, in whichthey meant to compete, they would have to be well drilled in every branchof fire fighting. Consequently every evening, just before dusk, theentire troop assembled in the field back of headquarters.
Scaling ladder drills, first aid work, rescue work, bucket brigadedrills, and hose coupling contests were indulged in until the lads workedwith the precision and accuracy of trained fire fighters. For the sakeof unity Bruce had been appointed fire chief, having charge of all threepatrols. The entire squad was under his command and in a very few dayshe had systematized their work to the point where there was scarcely alost motion or a false move.
Indeed, the Scouts drilled with such vigor and enthusiasm that inside ofan hour they would be completely tired out. Then, while they wereresting, Bruce would put them through a sharp oral drill on the rudimentsof firemanship as set forth in the September number of _Boy's Life_until, to quote Jiminy Gordon, "They could say it backwards, or upsidedown, and do it blindfolded."
Gradually after weeks of toil the fleet of fire fighting motorcyclesassumed a business-like appearance. And as for "Old Nanc" she, redolentwith the odors of fresh red paint, loomed above them all exactly like amother hen keeping a watchful eye on her brood of chicks.
Each motorcycle was equipped with a fire extinguisher clamped on eitherside, just back of the seat. Directly in the rear of the seat was asmall red tool box in which hose-coupling wrenches and two sets ofharness were kept. This harness, devised by Mr. Ford, was made of canvasin the form of a sling to hold the extinguishers in position on a Scout'sback. In that way a boy could enter a burning building and carry anextinguisher with him, still having both hands free to operate theextinguisher hose. On top of the tool box was strapped a short coil ofhose with a small nozzle ready to be brought into action when coupled tothe nearest street hydrant.
"Old Nanc," besides carrying an extinguisher and the oxygen-acetyleneblow torch tank, also contained the remaining hose, an equipment of axes,pike poles and scaling ladders, and provided accommodations for threeScouts and the driver besides.
Until a few days before the tournament the Scouts were working on theirequipment. Indeed, the very last coat of varnish was put onto "Old Nanc"the Saturday afternoon preceding the tournament day, which fell onWednesday. All that remained to be done was to deck the machine withflags and bunting and she would be ready for the parade. In truth, thatvery 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 RomperRyan, backing off, paint brush still in hand, to survey his own handiworkon the sides of "Old Nanc."
"For downright good looks I think our equipment has it on anythingWoodbridge ever experienced," said Jiminy Gordon enthusiastically.
"Well, we'll sure create some sensation," said Bud. "This is going to bea complete surprise to everybody. Has Bruce heard from Chief Blaney yet?He sent him our entry for the tournament events last week, you know. Iwonder--Here he comes now! I heard his siren. That was a mighty quicktrip to St. Cloud."
Bud and several others rushed to the door. Coming up the hill at topspeed was Bruce, his motorcycle fairly flying. When he caught sight ofthe group in front of the machine shop he began to wave a blue paperabove his head.
"Hi, fellows, her
e's our reply from Chief Blaney," he shouted as hejumped from his machine. "I just got it at the house. Haven't opened ityet. Come on, gather 'round and hear what he has to say."
With eager fingers he tore off the corner of the big envelope and rippedopen the top. And as he unfolded the letter every scout pressed closerto 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 cannottake part in the tournament. In the first place your organization isonly a juvenile company, and in the second place it is not an accreditedmember of the Woodbridge Fire Department.
The fact that you have not a charter from the town authorities will alsoprevent your little department from taking an active part in fightingfires in this village, for the Champlain Valley Volunteer Firemen'sAssociation has passed a ruling preventing any individual not wearing abadge of a recognized fire department from entering fire lines orparticipating in fire fighting work. These rules are rigidly enforced bymy 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 hidehis feelings.
And as for Bruce, he could hardly believe his eyes. He re-read theletter and when he finished he slowly tore it into little scraps andtossed them to the ground.
"Well, fellows," he said with a grim smile, "I fancy 'Old Nanc' won'tneed the flags and bunting I ordered to-day. And I guess our little firedepartment sort of busts up before it gets started. If old Blaney issuch a stickler for regulations they'll never let us fight any fires inthis town. Tough luck, isn't it?"
Tournament day had been declared a holiday in Woodbridge. Stores andfactories were closed and the village decorated from stable to Town Hallwith colored streamers, flags and bunting. Since early morning firecompanies had been arriving in town headed by bands and drum corps untilthe place was crowded with uniformed figures from every section ofVermont.
But in spite of all this gaiety Bruce Clifford and the Boy ScoutEngineers were dispirited. Indeed, for the past week they had been veryunhappy over the turn of affairs. They tried their hardest to brace upand be good sports, but their disappointment was greater than they hadexpected. On tournament day they wandered about with a cheerless air,watching the various companies file into the side streets to await theformation of the parade that would be conducted up Webster Avenue to thetournament grounds.
They were not so downcast, however, as to ignore the fact that here wasan excellent opportunity to view a number of fire fighting machines ofall varieties. Indeed, they inspected the equipment of every out-of-towncompany they ran across, and in the course of the morning had becomepartly familiar with everything, from an oldfashioned gooseneck handengine to the latest type of hand-drawn chemical engine, the pride of thecompany from Middlebury. This last appliance was an excellent piece ofwork and Bruce and his friends realized that even, with her new paint andshining brass, "Old Nanc" could not compare in general appearance withthis costly equipment.
Promptly at half-past ten the automobile in which was seated the Mayor,Fire Chief Blaney and several other dignitaries, swung into Websteravenue. This was followed by the Woodbridge band and the parade to thetournament grounds was under way. The Boy Scout Engineers reviewed theprocession from the curb, and when it had passed they hurried by way of ashort cut across the fields to the tournament grounds, reaching therejust as the Mayor's car turned in at the big gate.
A makeshift two-story frame building had been constructed in the verycenter of the enclosure, and the village authorities had erected a dozentemporary hydrants in a half circle about the front of the building. Theplan was to conduct the contests on the level stretch of turf before thegrandstand, and as a finale set fire to the wooden structure and have areal demonstration of fire fighting.
The procession of visiting companies made a circle of the grounds afterentering the gate while the Mayor reviewed them from his automobile.Then after the various engines and hose carts had been parked at the farend of the field the Mayor prepared formally to open the ceremonies witha speech of welcome. But he had hardly uttered two sentences when Bruce,for some unknown reason turned and looked down Webster avenue towards thetown. In the distance he saw a great cloud of black smoke mountingskyward 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 bellsounded.
Instantly the tournament grounds were in a turmoil. Every one raised acry of fire! In a twinkle the grandstand was empty, but before the crowdcould reach Webster avenue the companies had begun to leave theenclosure. With a rattle and a clang one engine after another swung intothe broad avenue. Then with the old hand equipment of the Woodbridgevamps in the van the whole aggregation hurled itself down the streettoward the village.