Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-07-11
That Engine.


While many other lesser towns
than Olympia are taking time by the
forelock and providing themselves
with steam tire-eng;nes, our gallant
boys are still compelled to drag
about the old machine, with little
hope of ever lettering their condi-
ton. To think that city making
the pretensions of our own, should
be without all the modern appli-
ances to guard against the ravages
of dire confagration, is getting to be
painfully prepostcrous. While many
of our citizens are inclined to look
with distrust upon the heavy burden
that the purchase of such an engine
would impose upon thom, they seem
to forget that they are carrying
much heavier burden in the way of
the insurance money that goes, every
year, to help fill the Golfers of princely
corpo rations which count their yearly
dividends by the million. That the
presence of good steam fre-engine,
with all it's accessories, would go far
towards lessening the rates of insur-
ance, is so evident that the question
admits of no discussion; it is simply
what any business man would call a
foregone conclusion.
One of the first questions put by
strangers from abroad who contem-
plate opening business here is,
What are the facilities of your fire
DEPARTMENT. No clear-headed capt.
talist is going to invest his money in
a wooden town that boasts only the
old-fashioned and old.fogy methods
Of fighting a midnight conAagration.
We have thought and said some
pretty hard things against our we'll
to-do property owners, because of
their backwardness in putting up
good, substantial buildings of other
material than our combustible woods,
finished with the everlasting cloth
and paper; but upon sober second
thought, we do not know but they
are more than half right. Like the
Adventures who come to spy us
from the East, they do not feel i'll
clined to put their money into fine
blocks and then be awakeped, some
night, only to see them so cracking
heavenward, while our firemen stand
passively looking on, knowing, full
we'll, that they have not the means
Of rendering the smallest available as
sistance. No, we need not hope for
any great advance in building up the
business part of Olympia, till prop
erty owners can see that there is
some way made and provided for
} protecting the buildings they have
reared.
! While the praise of our beautiful
streets is in everybody's mouth, our
business stands are the worst of eye
sores. While we have Sound and
ocean steamer communication on the
North and railroad on the South,
with all the minor facilities for build
ing up prosperous and far-reach-
ing commerce, we lack what every
considerable city should possess, the
most approved facilities for the pro.
lection of our property from acct
dental or incendiary conhagration.
We have been asked to work this
matter up into some kind of practi-
cal shape, but to present the sub
ject before our people in few Of its
more important points, will be the
extent of our efforts.
Who will start a petition to be
presented to our city Authorities,
signed by every man and woman who
owns hundred dollars worth of
property? By all Juggling at strong
pull, long pull and a pull altogeth-
err, it is practically within our power
to have q steam fire engine in our
city, ready for service, inside of sixty
days.
AN ambitious item is going the
rounds of the papers that, between
Eastport. Maine. and the most west