The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-07-17
HOW FIRES WE'RE PUT OUT IN
THE LAST CENTURY.
(From McMaster's New History of the People
of the United Statesl

From McMaster's New History of the People
OF the United States)
The law then required every house
holder to be fireman. His name might
not appear on the rolls of any fire COM
pany he might not help to drag
through the streets the numbering tank
which served as fire-engine, but he
must at least have in mis- .hall-pantry, or
beneath the stairs, or hanging up behind
his shop-door, four leathern buckets in
scribed with his name, and huge bag
of canvas or of duck. Then, if he were
aroused at the dead of night by the cry
of fire and the changing of every church.
bell in the town, he seized his buckets
and his bag, and while his wife put a
lighted candle in the window to illumin-
ate the street, set off for the fire. The
smoke or the fame was his guide, for
the custom of fixing the place of the fire
by number Of strokes on bell had not
yet come in. When at last he arrived
at the scene he found there no idle spec
tators. Each one was busy. Some
hurried into the building and filled their
sacks with such movable goods as came
nearest to hand. Some joined the line
that stretched away to the water and
helped to pass the full buckets to those
who stood by the flames. Others took
lposts in second line, down which the
empty pals were fastened to the pump
The house would be often half CON
stunned when the shouting made known
that the engine had come. 1t was mere
ly pump mounted over tank. Into
the tank the water from the buckets
was poured, and pumped thence by the
efforts of dozen men. No such thing
as suction-hose was seen in Philadel-
lphia till 1894. A year later one was
made which became the wonder of the
city. The length was 100 feet. The
material was canvas, and, to guard against
decay, was carefully stepped in brine.
The fire-buckets, it was now thought,
should be larger, and a motion to that eff
feet was made in the Common Council.
But when it was known that the new buck
cts, if ordered, must hold ten quarts, the
lpeople protested. Ten quarts would
weigh twenty pounds, and the bucket five
pounds more This was too much, for,
as everybody knew, the lines at fire
were often made up Of boys and lads not
used to passing heavy weights. Eight
quarts was enough. Much could also be
accomplished by cutting the city into
fire wards and giving different color to
the buckets of each ward. They could
then be quickly sorted when the fire was
put out. thew London five fire war
dens took charge of the engines and all
who aided in putting out fires. To dis
obey warden's order was to incur fine
of one pound. If a good leathern bucket
was not kept hanging in some convenient
place In the house and shown to the
warden when he called, 6 shillings a
month was exacted as punishment. At
New York, however, it was long before
the bucket gave way to the hose. There,
if a householder was old, or feeble, or
rich, and not disposed to quit warm
bed to carry his buckets to the fire, he
was expected at least to send them by
his servant or his slave. When the
flames had been extinguished, the buck
cts were left in the street, to be sought
out and brought home again by their
| owners.