They're the ones that really caught it, they caught hell.
What do you mean they caught hell?
They were at ancient 11 and that was it, they couldn't do this.
This is the word of mouth, they had a system where, see they worked around the clock
and when you would detail, they wouldn't actually go to bed, they would send you back to ancient 11.
You couldn't use their beds.
Oh wow, so you would detail to another engine company.
And when nighttime come, you'd go back to your own station.
They would let you sleep in their bed.
But they would let you work there?
Oh yeah, they would work there and sometimes they would let you work there.
I went to engine five when they were 37th and Ludlow and I was working four to twelve.
And I went over there, before that, the night before, I took my clothes home with me, running clothes,
boots, helmet, and coat.
I lived in my house around three o'clock and went over to 40th and the market on the alley, down,
walked to 37th Street, over to Ludlow, working there.
And it happened that the city owed us some money and they sent a check down to everybody.
And somebody called the captain up and said, you got a check here, come get your check.
But in the meantime, I was sitting there and I went to the front of the station and they all went to the right.
And I said, uh-oh, in one of those days, I said, okay.
I went back in the station and I found about five or six religious digests.
I got myself a chair, light, I'm going to read these books, cover to cover everything, advertise it.
Page one.
I started reading.
I finished one book on the next book and this man walked up to me and said, well, you close.
Who are you?
I mean, who am I?
I'm sitting there with dungarees on like anybody else in the firehouse,
way back in the kitchen, back in the station.
And he said, I'm the captain of the station, and who are you?
And I looked around and they said, yeah, he's the captain.
I said, my name is Waldo Gentry.
I'm a D&T, I've ever mentioned 11.
Go home, we don't need you.
I said, beg your pardon?
Go home, we don't need you.
And I looked around and they got his check.
They went and got my boots, my helmet, coat, had a little lunch, put you down in my boots.
Went on home.
I didn't go back to the 11s, I went home.
I wanted to go back there and get a fire and get hurt, so I went home and that was it.
