The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-11-02
BIG SIX INTELLECTUAL BECAUSE NEGLECT
ED BY THE COUNCIL.

under organization for two or three
wears under the name of Monumental
Co., for The purpose of manning and |
keeping in repair the old lire engine
which did such efficient work in days
gone by. Yet there are three or four
in our town who have continually
protes,ed against doing anything with
"Big Six" ever since the time The new
engine was procured. The C:iy Coun-
Gil fell in with the ideas of lhe pro
testing parties and they too have con-
tinually and repeatedly discouraged
doing anything with "Big ST." Mon
umental Engine Company was drove
out of place to meet and had no
place to house the engine and the
City Council like an inactive lot of
putty stuck up for ornament sat by
and by their negligence failed to pro-
vide any place for the company to
meet or a suitable place for her en-
CINE to be housed. At last they
placed her engine around in an old
shed in an out of the way place in
front of which mud ge.s knee deep in
winter. From such place aad
through such mud the illu,trious
"penny wise" and pound negligent
city dads expected human muscle TO
drag this heavy engine 70 the cisterns
when her aid in the saving of property
was necessary, Or else they intended
to so discourage the company as to
cause it to disband, the latter was the
effect. 1t is true chat the old engine
is heavy and cannot be taken quickly
across the muddy back stiee,S. Tn;s
however, is not neces ;sry; her useful
ness can best be UTILIZED on man
street where buildings are thick, where
large fires occur and When two en-
gines are necessary not only to throw
a large amount of water but also to
economise wafer and draw from two
cisterns, SO as to better prevent any
one cistern from being pumped dry.
Why discard the old engine? Why
cry her down and discourage a COM
pany from manning and taking care
of herr Is sucl a course consistent
with the best interest of the cily and
the pre-. PC y nodes who are taxed
year aiaer ye..r % keep up a c;.y gov
ernment and f1e department? Or
is it in disregard of such interests,
when all Of the long recldents of the
town knows that the old engine has
done moe and better wo.k at fires
and saveo moe properly than any
engine in the Town or engines in any
other place? We will venture the
assertion that there is not another en-
gine in the State of Oregon that can
show as good work as was done in
saving the low of wooden buildings
when the old city hotel three stories
high burned in three feet of the build
inss saved. What she has done is not
the prime question. The indisputa-
BILE fact that at times and under Cir
cumstances which may occur at any
time when fire is had on main street
two engines are wanted in good repa r
and under such circumstances 'Big
Six" is as good as we could have.
The present City Council was elected
supposing it would be in the interests
Of efforts to protect properly and pre-
serve good order in the city, but many
of our best citizens have lost all such
hopes. Although Monumental Co.
have disbanded so far as hereafter
taking charge of the old engine, yet
under such unfavorable circumstances
if the City Council would at this late
day manifest Willingness to provide
a proper place to keep the old engine
and provide company with what is
necessary to keep the machine in Or
der and work it, another company
could no doubt be formed who would
do their duty. If the present Council
intend to serve the interests of the
city and property holders they can
make it known as easily as any other
way by taking such action as will In
dicate whether they would provide
what is isnecessary for a company to
man the old engine and house it in a
proper place where it could be got to