New-York daily tribune., 1865-10-17
Thirty COMPANIES FROM ABROAD
Twenty Thousand "Fire Ladies'
r7grcSYcY TIE FIRE DEPARTMENT
E,.n Our Special Correspondent.

,n,ea have held so distinct and potent place IN the
,eial and political life Of America as the 'olunteer
ireman For nearly twenty years his was the aoSou'e
bunal in all our great cities lie assisted 10 make
I,,s ord xos essential to the breaking Of them he
the athletic educator of the Repubhc ITS ias' ueS
when the rights Of the mass ana the tastes
the few met In juxtaposition, and around him cen
red for many years the riotous elements Oh 'ne
o,th-meu who would fight fire. fight an antagonistic
Hcion. fight an obnoxious race, fight danger ngnt
" frbt ANYTHING rather than submit to anything. |
ID singulary enough he fought the best, the oiten'
4, T. and with the best support in the broad QUAKER
ty About the year ls49 this town was kept In per
tusl dread by the intestine rivalries OF its hremen
he returning soldiers from the fields OF Mexico fought
er again in the rightangled streets Of this shady
lage their tropical endeayors, and the name oi
fler anatiye American politician, who was shot dead
religious melee became corrected with worse ad
ntures prosecuted amid the crash Of falling buildings
the glare of confagraton against such aggrcgations
= these Of the killers" and the Berneys' who were
Identified with bodies Of fremen supposed to represent
.ntagonstic races and creeds. That the climax of
xreboy life his most proud and most turbulent era he
carried in his belt tie revolver with tho wrench and this
reman knew the the billy better than the facility
a. the horn The man who crushed all this mutny in
VIC Duu was JOIN he.stI EuOAc oh4CSi' 10 iSOAiSes
os any Of the rOters and since his day the Volunteer
Firemen not in Philadelphia alone, but everywhere in
he United States have quietly and submissvey retired
from notice until to-day the entire remaining strength
Of the fremen Of America made manifest here in
what consider the ultimate exhibition Of the species
Commencing with few water buckets and pump
Market st. the system OF suppreSsing fires by muscular
volunteer effort, inaugurated by Benjamin Franklin
expired to-day with procession which takes my breath
away recall it One hundred and two hose carriages
81 steam engines, II hand engines. l2 hook and
ladder carriages, and 2l ambalances paraded-in
nj 2O3 vehieles-for the suppression Of fire. The New
York Fire Department appeared ito stalwart advant
Ige Engine No. "A brought "a pen ail tall, martial
looking people, but not finer than the Hope Hose No
80 which brought 35 and Hahn's band. Hose Company
10 II brought IS men and Manahans band. The
s' Americas" No e. brought 90 men and Supervisor
Tweed. Hose Company No. % brought 30 men and
Alexander Davis for foreman. Manhattan No.
brought 60 men and George Peterson in charge.
Gulck 6Ose No. Ii, broug5. z. NJ Everett, the cee-
@Tsted war.dog dE poifOa; and Engine NO OF Brook
l,a accompanied by Chief pgiueeor Cunn ham, and
stlan Stevenson brought 60 Hose no es was on
aGt add altogether upward Of $50 New. York nrvm.n
appeared These wore those excellent suits which are
now generally adopted the world the best for
protection and the most durable. The streets over
which the parade moved--perhsps eleven mes-were
densey lined with spectators and business almost
entirely suspended after 10 O'Clock.
Among the results Of this grand convoeaton OF cit
,ens noticed particularly the impetus it gave TO
Philadelphia Journalism The great literary feature OF
Philadelphia has been for years its Sunday papers and
these gained their initial well their lou
evity by catering to the Fire Department Its adver
sements Of balls and assemblies per veek!durng the
Winter equal TO the total cost Of weekly news
aper. Therefore the tone and the patronage of this
potent branch Of the press In great part formed
rom the Fire Department, and when the Department
1ost prestige at the beginning Of the journalism in
Philadelphia suffered a corresponding decadence.
Fewer Trustworthy and eneIprsIg statements Of the
war have been published in Philadelphia than any. |
where But to-day and suneay this singular local
revival brought out all the eneges Of this provincial
press and the Sunday papers iad actually as much as
eight columns Of ito programme. very industriousIy
compiled Might 1t Lot be veil to turn this huge popu
lar element into noel and progressive channel
just at this uncture before 1t disappearsi
The total value of Ere equipments and Fire Depsrs
1nent property in the United States is stated at
- the nunbF Of freDen and attaches GOO COO
zhe number Of orgsy1 ations 1000
So passed the " lderful display Of men afoot the
Teatest p7ocessbl Of stalwart people ever arrayed
against any eleEept-unless among the elements we
cunt Rebeh and these have already rendered TO
be co nry fullest service in their power The old
Gre d. spsrtuent a grsnd gymnasium for the young
men: i da particularly refine them but it gave
then brGwDy tuition organization, and inseDsbility TO
aBger and these requisites have since proved wonder
Illy sryiceabe In the four years No class Of
che ,eokle have TUNED out better in the past great
struggle chan the fEemen; they have not done so well
TrRct in leayen. If Billy Wilson failed, and the
fswort Fire ZoRages fell short Of expectations, the
comy 1nents became extraordinarily efficient when
ded wi the miscellany of volunteers. We have
"a air officers IN our conquerng army; have had
lequaed p vates from the folks who followed in the
car Of the iose and worked the brakes Of engines
Nese will hereafter find better fields Of industry max
= taem capable Of the higher demands Of citizenship.
has obyated the necessity for Drawn and endur
ice; after awhile shall have prizefghts by steam
any rate our hOusesafre fear the great nozzle and
few pounds Of kindlng more than the army of
'ung gentlemen who formerly expanded their lungs in
rather than in labor and danced at ball quite
earnestly thes stood to their levers aud sprinkled
? ashes.
In the procession all sorts Of odd affairs were ex
d biied; it riyaled the Lord Mayors Show in gro.
fesqueness and Wide Awake procession in numbers
md enthusiasm. Cannon fired during its PASSAGE
~ night bella and rockets made the darkness luminous
Il was NOT only local sensation but registry in the
history Of Western civilization. With this scntla-
zion the days Of the volunteer frenen are past |.
No the Anoeisted Presa IL
PHILADELPHIA, Monday, Oct lG, 1865.
The grand parade of the Philadelphia Fire
department. today, 10 one Of the most imposing and