The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-06-13
ward to make the best of mighty bad bar.

The members of the company are entitled
to all credit for what they have done and
what they wished and intended to do, and no
one has had word of ridicule for them. The
ridicule has all been directed to the miserable
apology for fire engine which the borough
council have foisted upon the company and
the community, and when we look upon the
transaction in all its bearings it seems won
derful that the feeling of good-natured sar
casm heretofore manifested does not change
to demonstration of red-hot indignation on
the part of the people against those who have
SO shamefully squandered the peoples money.
Had the organization of the fire company
been deferred until the apparatus had been
received and tested, it is doubtful if a corpor-
ais guard could be enlisted to-day to work it,
but the company was organized first and find
themselves as egregiously stuck as the rest of
the community.
Just look at it, About Is years ago the
young men of the town organized fire CON-
pany and with funds raised partly by SUBJ
scription and partly by entertainments and
festivals given by the company, purchased
secondhand fire engine of the Reliance pat
tern. This engine, after due and persistent
trial, proved insufficient. was voted failure
and thrown aside to rot as worthless. 1t has
been lying around town ever since, veritable
vagrant among engines One of the members
Of the old company is member of the coun-
Gil. The whole council and all the people
were fully cognizant of the fact that hand
engine of the Reliance pattern had been tried
and found wanting. Yet in the face of all
this the council purchased of the Salem au-
thorities without even the formality of test
on our own ground to see if she could be
made available with our facilities) an old Sec
ond-hand apparatus which they had long tried
in vain to dispose of, the first intimaton to
our taxpayers that the purchase was COM
pleted being the statement in the published
proceedings of the Salem council published
in the Salem papers that the sale had been ef-
fected, for, be it known, that our council has
carefully refrained from publishing any of
their proceedings in the newspapers or fur
nishing any invitation or accommodations to
the public to be present at their meeting.
And today the people are openly chuckling
over the way they unloaded their engine on
the simple people of their neighboring bor-
ough.
Again, the council organized fire company
to consist of sixty members, each to be ex-
empt from tax to the amount of five dollars.
Assuming that each number of the company
would otherwise pay tax of five dollars,
possible loss of $500 per year in taxes is the
result in addition to the cost and expense of
maintenance of the engine This loss the
other taxpayers must of course make up.
No fault could or would be found to this as
it is very small compensation to faithful
member of the company if only there was
anything to show for it. But what have we !?
An engine too hastily condemned at the
first trial" but which, after three months
continued effort, has not yet been made "to
throw water with sufficient force to be of prac-
teal utility at fires" An engine to work
which requires two gangs of 80 men each re-
Ieving each other every ten minutes An en-
engine which, in spite of all the exertions of
the Reliance boys" has not yet been able to
throw stream for five consecutive minutes.
and which has at every trial required from 20
minutes to half an hour to get into working
order after arriving at the source of supply
and when we consider that the only available
source of supply in the midst of all the closely
built business centre of the town is one small
well, which respectable engine would suck
dry In twenty minutes, the consummate follv
of the whole business become so manifest
that criticism falls fat,-the subject is beneath
it,
At the first trial of the engine it was said,
1.-The boys don't understand her yet. Wait
till they learn how to work it," And the peo-
pie held their peace and waited They are
waiting yet to see this marvellous piece of
mechanism, which was sold to us Gin good
order and thoroughly overhauled," made to
do sufficiently good service to justify dragging
her to fire. If it is so complicated that our
mechanics have not yet mastered the secret
of her operations we had better lay her aside
The trouble is certainly not with the com.
pany. Let them persevere in their efforts
but let them not be hasty in assuming AZ