The Smoke Eaters


Read by Lee Smalley

(4.7 stars; 18 reviews)

This book vividly brings to life the unimaginable risks of fire-fighting and the bravery and personal interactions of Captain Meaghan and the crew of Hook & Ladder Company No. 0 in New York City.
A 1905 review in the New York Times notes:
“’The Smoke-Eaters’…is one of those rare good treats that fall to the reviewer’s lot…. There is enough humor and pathos of a grim and rugged sort, enough tense life and excitement and thrilling heroism to make a dozen...of the ordinary run of books, and it is all told with a straightforward simplicity that well accords with the single-hearted devotion to duty of the men who...‘eat smoke and spit black buttons’…. Not only are they the best sort of stories about firemen, but some of them would stand as models of all that any short story should be – so compact, so restrained, and yet possessed of a vigor and force that keep expectation keyed to the highest tension.”
A pdf of the FULL REVIEW may be accessed
here:
– Lee Smalley (4 hr 38 min)

Chapters

The 'Red-Ink Squad' 28:41 Read by Lee Smalley
A Charge of Cowardice 28:52 Read by Lee Smalley
On Circumstantial Evidence 28:54 Read by Lee Smalley
Private Morphy's Romance 21:15 Read by Lee Smalley
In the Nature of a Hero 26:15 Read by Lee Smalley
Corrigan's Promotion 22:46 Read by Lee Smalley
Training 'Sally' Waters, Part I 22:14 Read by Lee Smalley
Training 'Sally' Waters, Part II 25:40 Read by Lee Smalley
A Question of Retirement 24:29 Read by Lee Smalley
A Personally Conducted Revolt 30:13 Read by Lee Smalley
Not for Publication 17:20 Read by Lee Smalley

Reviews

awesome stories!


(5 stars)

Interesting stories of NYC firefighters from the time before automobiles. These guys rode a horse and buggy with a stream engine. Very exciting tales of valor and adventurous rescues. I enjoyed this well read book throughly. Thank you.


(5 stars)

Well worth hearing The stories present life in a pre-automobile, city firehouse.