Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-13
OLD TIME FIRE LADIES.
The Friendship Company to Take Part
In the Washington Centennial.
PREPARING TO 90 TO NEW YoRK-dES WASHING
TON AS VOLUNTEER FIREMAN-HIs GIFT TO
THE OLD OVERWHELMING TO FIRES IN
oLDEN TIMES.

oLDEN TIMES.
Inc friendship volunteer fire company. of
Alexandra, of which Gen. Washington was a
member, Will attend the Ne W York centennial
celebration and take part in the civic parade on
May L. Mayor Downham has been commune
eating with Mayor Grant and others to see that
'he members OF the company are well cared for
while in New York
The company will take with them their old
engine that was put in service about 1850.
1hey Will also carry number of old leather
buckets, some of which were used when Wash
ington was member of the company, and
when, like the other members. he used TO run
to the fires.
About the year 1774 there was established
what was known as the fire brigade and il was
not until 1916 that
THE FRIENDSHIP COMPANY
was regularly organized. The old laws relat-
ing to fires were very strict and the penalty
for violation Of the regulations was SO many
pounds of tobacco. During the days of the fire
brigade buckets were kept in every house
within the corporation limits. The law re-
CURED every house to have two buckets and
three-story houses were required to keep on
hand four buckets ready for service. When in
l776 the Friendship company was organized
the fire laws still existed. Gen. Washington
presented the company with their first engine,
which was built in Philadelphia and taken to
Alexandria in that year.
THE ORIGINAL ENGINE
Capt. Webster of the Alexandria police. told
STAR reporter the other day that the original
engine was square box which held the water.
1t was worked with a sort of suction-pump and
could squirt the water but could not draw it. The
nrst englne-house was situated at the corner of
al low nd 4
building erected as carriage shed. About
nfty-hve years ago the corporation wanted the
property, and then the company went to an
other frame structure on King between Fay
ette and Henry streets. Later the members of
the company found a more desirable location
and moved to another frame building on King
streSt between Alfred and Columbus streets
III was situated on the north side of the street
adjoining the peg factory, where about five hum
dred persons were employed making shoe
| pegs. Ihls was the most desirable location
because. III case of fire, the factory hands could
run out with the apparatus and not much
time would be lost. Again the company
was compelled to seek new quarters and
| they secured an old frame building on
Alfred, between King and Prince streets The
company had not been there long before the
building caught on fire and was badly damaged
nat building was bought and paid for with
tobacco which was currency at that time
After the fire brick building was erected.
"AtNh 40 NJ" OCcupleu ny the company ana IN
1t the old engine is kept. During the war the
company went down considerably and their
engine was taken by the troops and carried out
OF the city some distance to the Federal camp
James Atkinson, who was then president of the
organization obtained an order from the proper
authorities for the return of the engine, but
when the order was taken to the camp the SOL
diers drove off the fire laddies. Later the en-
CINE was secured.
THE SECOND ENGINE
This engine was the second one owned by
friendship company. 1t was an improvement
on the one presented to Washington. 1t could
not only squirt, but could also draw water
The engine was constructed in Baltimore about
1850 and was drawn in the great firemen's pa
rade IN Baltimore about that year. 1t was
taken from the shop in Baltimore by twenty
two members of the company, among whom
was Capt Webster. OF the twenty-five mem
bers who drew the engine only few of them
are now living in Alexandria.
OTHER RELICS.
In addition to the old engine the company will
take with them part Of an old hickory chair
that was presented to Capt. Cohagan, former
president of the company, by his father nearly
hundred years ago. They will also take with
them copper pipe, which is supposed to be the
only relic OF the original apparatus in existence
Everything presented by Washington disap-
u
was purchased. The old engine was put under
sheds here and there until it finally landed on
vacant lot at Patrick and Cameron streets
There being no one to guard it, the couplings
ana brass hnlshlngs were stolen from time to
time. 1t could then have been purchased for
less than SIS. Being out in the weather, the
wood work soon rotted away, and that was the
last OF Washington's present to the company
THE OLD BUCKETS.
Some of the old leather buckets that will be
carried to New York can be traced back to the
year 1112. On some of them is the name
Friendship" which is almost obliterated
THE OLD COMPANY.
Capt. John Cohagan, to whom the old hickory
chair was presented, was captain of the COM
pany when it attended Washington's funeral at
Mount Vernon. 1t was composed of many of
Alexandria's best citizens, among them being
Capt. Cohagan, Capt. Jas. Webster. Adam LYNN.
and Presly Jacobs. The membership at one
time numbered nearly one hundred men. At
one time in the history of the company an eff
fort was made to bring in new members and
give the organization fresh start. Many new
members, chiefly young men. were added to
the rolls and they soon wanted the name of the
company changed from Friendship to Column
bia. Their proposition met with the disap-
proval Of the older members and there was a
split in the organization, the boilers organiz-
ing what was called the Columbia company.
THE SIX COMPANIES.
This made six companies in the CITY, the
Friendship, Columbia, Hydraulion, Relief, Star
and Sun. The Star apparatus was called the
piano engine. The members Of the company
were mostly well-to-do men. The engine could
throw an immense stream, but it was very large
and required a large number of men to operate It.
The hooks and ladders in those DAYS were kept
in the market house. They were not on trucks
as they are kept now, but were slowed away in
the building and if needed in case of fire thew
were carried to the fire. Both the hooks and
the ladders were very heavy and required a
large force of men to carry them.
FIRES YEARS AGO.
Fires in the earlier days always caused con-
siderable excitement As already stated, water
buckets had to be kept in every house, and
were inspected two or three times a year to be
sure that they were in good condition to be
used in case of fire. When an alarm was given
for a fire the male members of the family were
obliged, if they were at home, to take the buck
cts and proceed to the fire. If no men were at
home the buckets were thrown to the sidewalk
by female member of the family, and the man
who passed bucket so placed without picking
it up and going to the fire soon found himself
behind the bars and required to pay to the city
many pounds of tobacco for liberty. At almost
every corner in the city there was a pump
which supplied water for the engine In
places where the engine could not get close to
a pump and throw the water on the fire, line !
of men would be formed from the pump to the |