St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-10
FIRE LADS or THE PAST.

Turning over some old minute books
up at the Central police station last
night, GLOBE man ran across one
labeled "Minnehaha Engine Company
No. 3" 1t was dated 1866, and proved
TO contain the minutes of the old v0ul-
teer fire company whose quarters every
Oid-timer will remember as having uc-
cupied part of the present site OF the
Giiiillan block. The names OF the nlein-
berS are also given, and the number Of
times each member was fined 80 cents
for non-atteniance is plainly shown.
Among the names on the roll are those
of many citizens now the most promi-
nent i'm the financial Northwest 1t
is stated in black ami white
that James }. Hill. pipeman, WAS fined
half q dollar for abSenting MIN self with
out leave. Timothy Re4rdon is shown
by the regularity with which his name
Is checked off 10 have been the soul of
punctuality. ii. Il. Constans, now res
ident on Summit avenue, and large
owner of st. Paul realty, Is commended
for bravery exhibited in resculng pet
poodle from burning building, and
Maurice Lyons, one Of the pillars of the
ST. Paul of to-day. is referred to as "a
swift hand on Il ladder" John Bell,
father of the late recorder, is pict-
ured in the capacity of cap
tain Of the AK brigade, and
Conrad GotZian; Edward Dunn, for
merly proprietor of the Old NicOllet
house; w. Schlicter. formerly alderman
from the Fifth; Hermann Harff, of the
Minnesota hotel. all of whom are now
gathered to their fathers, were active
members when these meetings We're in
progress twenty five years ugo.
There are others still living, though.
W. *. Nelson; c. T. Miller, who owns
large section of Seventh street :;
W. L. Donaldson, the wholesale crock
cry man of Sixth and Sibley streets,
and 4 dozen more are among the men
who formerly dragged apparatus around
town and fought the fiery element.
Bartlett Presley was chief of the de-
partment in those days, and his wife,
Mrs. Presley. WAS the most enthusiastic
among the admirers of the brigade. She
was an honorary member OF every fire
company in the state, aud never was a
night so cold or storm so severe that
the mother of the department, as
she was called by the tiremen, was
not on hand with hot coffee tor them.
She died in 1873, and her funeral pro-
ceSsiOn was the longest ever seen in the
MES and apparatus in attendance from
everywhere, and half the firemen in the
state followed the remains to their last
resting place.
The old engine house is now saloon.
1t has new Scrolled roof on it, and it
stands next door to Adam Decker'S es-
adjustment. Come to think of it. MIR.
Decker was a member of the COM
pany, too. At the time of the city
elections in November, 1867, the
engine house was used as q
voting place. A row occurred while the
ballots were being counted. The trou
bic was over the alderman for the First
ward. ltwon't do to mention names in
this connection, but some people claimed
the ballot box had been stuffed. and i'm
the melee the box disappeared. 1t
showed up later, the votes were counted
and everything was lovely. The follow
ing verbatim report of a fire appearing
on the minutes of the next meeting of
the company explains what became OF a
lot of those ballots:
Regular Meeting. Nov. 6. 1867
About half-past p. m. an alarm was
rung in caused by fire break
ing out on The south side of Third
street. below the Ingersoll build
iHS- WO lfaIne DullulDgS were
totally destroyed, the roof burned off
of c. A. Morgan'S brick building, and
the cOrnice was damaged on the Inger-
soil building. The engine was taken
up Fourth street to the cistern on Wa
basha very quick and put to work, but
did not play owing to her having been
made the recipient of waste ballots on
election day, causing her valves not to
work properly. We stayed TWO hours.
and then got orders TO timber up and go
home"
If the walls of that old building could
talk, they could offer some pretty strong
arguments in favor of the Australian
ballot system.
+
Here is another account appearing in
the minutes of meeting held Jan. 9,
1867:
about $50 an alarm was rung,
caused by fire being discovered in the
shoe store of c. Grieb. on Third street,
three doors below Wabasha, on the
north side. which was entirely de-
stroyed, together with the entire stock.
Also the auction store of Langley &
Semple, and the store of Martin n. Kel-