Harbor Notes


"Fire Boat No. 2, the White Elephant"

By K. K. Pollard

I HAVE heard from many sources, including firemen, that Fire Boat No. 2 was the "White Elephant" of the department. After you hear something like that over a period of time and form so many sources you kind of wonder if they haven't got something. Jealousy could prompt some people to make a statement like that while just plain ignorance would take care of others. I was not on duty the day this boat went into action on that flash fire where 27 persons lost their lives. I can talk about it because I had no part in the wonderful work the boat did. Bit Bertha in all her majesty atop the wheelhouse, according to what I was told, did a very noble job that day. Big Bertha swept across the scene of the fire twice and all that was left of the fire was a few isolated spots and places under the wharf that had to be ferreted out with skiff and the 1 1/2-inch. The few minutes the big turret was in action saved many lives and lots of dollars and it was done so easily that few people realize what happened. There are plenty of firemen that don't know that there are six pumps in below decks that can, when pushed, throw out more than 12,000 gallons per minute and that when Big Bertha goes into action that it takes at least there of the pumps to keep her supplied. Few people other than boatmen know of long hours of practice required to co-ordinate the playing of the stream from a turret with the efforts of the pilot to keep the boat on the fire.

What I am trying to get at is that the boat is anything but a "White Elephant." Naturally a person would think while watching the boat in action that it is too large and why don't they have smaller boats and more of them. Small boats are swell but all of them put together couldn't have put a stream as large and effective as Big Bertha's on that or any other fire requiring that size treatment. Boat No. 2, while not in the same category as a life preserver, is sure handy to have around when you need her.

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I whish you could see what is in store for the Nips. This is only the beginning and the harbor is really jumping. Multiply it by all the ports on the coast and the hell that those yellow bandits have let themselves in for will be something to behold.

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We are quite proud of the honor bestowed upon us by the U. S. Coast Guard. When you consider that this award was given to this harbor and only this one out of all of the harbors in the United States, you can justifiably stick your chest out a little ways.

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Boat No. 2 uses four bells for a line up and we use various places for the line up depending on the occasion or the dignitary. It is an even money bet that poor old "Buck" Ellis will either not line up at all or line up in the wrong place when the four bells sound..

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Leonard A. Rapp, demoted from Engineer to Auto Fireman, looks bad when that is all you see. That is the way it came out in the Bulletin and that is all you have to go by unless you are interested enough to look farther and ask questions. "Brother" Rapp as he is known by most and "Cousin" by a few people, was demoted to make room for an Engineer returning to duty from military leave and was not stepped down for failure to "cut the buck." I mention this because anyone knowing the "Brother" would find it hard to think of a reason for his not being able to hold down the job. His new assignment is Boat 1-B and I know that he will get along fine there as long as he leaves Captain Barnett on his midden.

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If you can write with two kids hanging on you and your wife telling you what a dunderhead you are because you can't learn the difference between to and too, you are a much better man than I. So long.

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A glutton is someone who takes the piece of French pastry you wanted.

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Let us not pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.--Theodore Roosevelt.

This article appeared in the January, 1945 issue of THE GRAPE VINE.

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