Ann Arbor's Fire Department

The Detroit Evening Journal of Frilay last, sets ts "pliunny man" onto our re department. He bas tackled tbc hing in rood simpe, ind by the me of a enitirkable inngination mikes quite a readable articlc: Detroit feels very proud of lier tire de)artment and the sy.-teinatie nmniier in vhich everything onnected tlierewith 'S nanaged; yet tlieie are fire departmentt ind lire Uepartmenta. Ann Arbor lias one. fciome of her oklest and most reputable eiti.ens are a little uncertain regaidng the matter, yet it is sald to be a fact. Slie luis Ihreeengines and about the same iiiinber of base arts. Oue of the engines are run bv sleam and the other by chance. Wlien chance happens to be ut of the city on business, two of the ngines don't attend firea. By running mt lo Ann Arbor and looking over the ocendlary and lijrlitiiing eradicatort, )etrolt might piek up a few pofnta ou conomy. Kconomy is a good thing to lave ibont llie BOaK, even it does fail 0 extinguiah flret. The other day the lire heil at Ann Ar)or rang wildly out on the ambient and tlier varielies of slate university air. In leference to the intellectua] habita of the lace, the tire bell always rlng.íin Qreek, ometiines adding a few bars from Horice or Virjf 'I by wsiy of variety. As tlie nnii in charge of the engine house has nly read about half way through his jtttln books, it is tometlmes a little difflcult tor liiin to join the procession witb hat promptitude which gets away with 'xainination pri.es. On tliis day howvcr bc manaed to niakt the professors niderstainl lliat sinnelhing WM hurning lesidcs the inti'ller.lnal tires whicli it is n-tomary to use for luel. Away out on 1 back stieet a etrange Ihing liappened. As the lirst c'afslc note stiuck him in the country seat ot nis understandlng, a man vIki WM busily engaged in uuloading dirt p insed to listen. The next inouieiit ie had di-posed of tne remainder of his lunlen and was driving for the engine IOO8U in wildly inlellectual jumps. He {Ot there. One of the engines was liacked ¦lid '.Tl ïïiYi;MyirtVliil.iVU%i,kUW nient au omnibus that recently graduated with btgh honois in the scientilic course dahed up and ofi'ered its escort to a stoomt lire extiTininator. A baker's cart [ooked aller the picssinjr needs of the third, wbile a choice assortuient f less cultured farm vehicles grew violently attached to the hose earts. Theri evervbody started for the lire. Everyboiiy always does slart in Anu Arbor. It is another case, of "niany called, few chosen.'1 It had not yet been half an lionr since tlie bell first mug, and there was a pretty fair chance of seeing soniething of the conti igration before the building was entirely consumed. After the fire waa reached the foieman of the department had a lonr argiinienl with his subordinates regarding the advisability of weiing tlie hose. This was bis duty. Ann Arbor hose is dried by hand. Ir tlie drying pro cessis worth more than theburninff building, they don't wet 'em, On this oxrasiou the hose was saved. The argument was longer than the lile of the building. The man with the dirt wagon got $5 for belng the tirst to ftuatoh a tenm. Virtue of this kind is its own reward in Ann Arbor. One thing is quite pat. The fire bella usually do ring in Greek. That is, no one can teil what ward the fire is in by the ring.