Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-24
THE OLD FIRE COMPANIES.
A Reminiscence by Mr.. John T. Given
The Embellishments of the Paid Depart
nlenf.

81 was looking over some of my old papers
the other day." remarked Mr.. John T. Given to
STAR reporter, land came across what was
TO me very interesting relic of former days.
1t WIS the draft of a bill which had drawn
up about the year 1858, think, for the pur-
pose of establishing paid steam fire depart
ment in this city, AT that time our city was
dependent upon the volunteer fire companies,
and nearly all the citizens were connected with
one or the other of them. The machines and
other apparatus were supplied by the govern
ment and placed in charge of the citizens, and
they We're expected To protect the government
property. For instance. the Franklin COM
pany, 10 which belonged, Was connected with
the Treasury department The Union COM
plny. in the first ward with the W ar and Navy
departments; the Perseverance, of Sth street
with the Post Office department.; the Columbia,
on Capitol Hill, with the Capitol. There
was also the Anacostia, near the navy
yard and there was the Northern Liberty Co.
As was the case in all cities under the vOlun-
teeT system, the membership Of these COM
panie> comprised the best citizens. but the
trouble was that great rivalry existed between
the companies, and the boys could not te re-
strained when they went to a fire. The conse-
Quence WAS that the men would fight with each
other instead of attending to the work of put
ting out the Are, and the most diSgraceful
scenes occurred coming and going TO fires. The
Companies had a demoralizing effect upon the
young men, There was no one TO restrain
them. We had no police force then. \ small
force of peace officers, known us the Auxiliary
Guard, in command of Capt. Goddard. vino is
living in this city, were expected to preserve
order in the city. They were too few in number
To exert much influence, and on occasions law
lessness had full swing. 1t must be admitted
that the old IRE companies were the active
cause in the majority OF cases OF breaches OF the
public peace, and II was felt that something
must be done"
II tnin.. that / had the honor to make the
first move in this matter, continued Mr.. Given
10y Offering In the city council "a resolution re-
questing Congress to transfer to the city govern
nent the engines and other apparatus in use
D. the lire department / afterwards prepared
dFait OF "A Dill To organize a steam fire depart
nirnt, and II II interesting TO note how the city
has changed The entire annual expense then
Proposed Was SD go, and the force TO be EN-
p!oyed CONSISTED! OF chief engineer, three engi-
Hfer>. eight foremen. five hOstlers and thirty
e!Sht extra men : suppose then there were
slAty or seventy thousand Inhabitants in the
city. To-day our lire department costs from
On" hundred TO one hundred and twenty thou
sand collars per year. My bill did not become
Jaw, because just then the slavery question
was cDgrO>si NJ the time OF Congress and il did
Lot cOine up Then the war broke out, and dur
Ing The early part OF the war had a great fire
on the Avenne opposite the Metropolitan hotel,
which so aroused public attention the needs
% the city mat lire engines We're procured from
Philadelphia and New York. Then our depart
nIent Was organized pretty much as IL exists
Today, except that the fire board has been aboI-
lSned, which, In my opinion, was a great mis-
lake,