FIRE THRILLS RECALLED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20254, 14 May 1929, Page 10

FIRE THRILLS RECALLED.

WELL-KNOWN CHIEF RETIRES

TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS' SERVICE.

After fighting fires for 28 years, Superintendent B. A. Allgood, of the London Firo Brigade, has retired to Brighton to devote his time to golf and fishing. "Chasing golf balls and catching fish will be restful after fire-fighting," he said in an interview.

Mr. Allgood lightly dismissed his many experiences as "all part of the game." Once he was nearly suffocated in an attempt to rescue two men who had been, trapped in a post office tube filled with coal gas in London, and on another occasion he was present at a fire in 1902 when 10 girls were killed. "That is the largest number of lives ever lost in a fire in London in my time," he said. "Tho girls were trapped on the roof of the General Electric Company's showrooms and were surrounded by a sea of flames. Two of them jumped to death in the street below and the others Avere burned to death on tho roof."

"There are fewer big fires in London to-day than 25 years ago," Mr. Allgood said. "With motor appliances wo can reach fires more quickly. We save time against tho horse-drawn brigade. On the actual journey to the fire, the time taken for getting out on to tho road is not much quicker. Wo reduced the business to a fine art in the old days. Pairs of horses were always on duty day and night, and as soon as the' alarm bell sounded, the gates were thrown open, and the horses were trained to take up their position in the shafts. Tho harness hung abovo them and was dropped over their shoulders. The collars were fastened, and away we went. It took about 20 seconds from the time we had the alarm to the time wo were on tho road."

When Mr. Allgood was at Cannon Street fire station in 1921, the station set up a record time in practice drill. Only three seconds elapsed between the alarm going arid tho motor-escape leaving tho station.