The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-10
Nention The National Tribune

IL in such a way that showed he really sympa-
thlZed with the boy and did not desire 10 check
him in any innocent amusement. I remember
once TO have seen Tad" about the engine
house, and in talking with Mr.. Dickson the
other day / asked him to tell me something
about his experience with the boy whose sad
death blighted the entire household and caused
sincere mourning throughout this city.
" Little Tad" said 3Ir. Dickson, was wild,
mischievOus yOuugster with a courageous spirit
and full of daring and pluck. He frequently
came about my quarters with his bOyish COM
panions and would go in and around the engine
house mixing with my red shirted crew Of fire
lads. The boys encouraged him, and without
my knowledge had freman's suit made for
him, and occasionally he rode to fires on the
hose carriage or engine-tender Going to fires
over - -"ugh, uneven carrageways of this
city IN mo ties was hazardous and perilOus
aud accidents often occurred. Sometimes, in
running TO fire on a downtown run, the
driver Of a hOse-carriage or q tender would
jump the sidewalk to the conformation and
amaZement Of timid pedestrians. We had no
fre-alarm telegraph in those days, and we we're
obliged to have lookout towers on high build
iugs, and run for light in the night time and
unusually heavy volume Of smoke in the day.
"Dashing along 30 n fire one day, riding at
breakneck speed on Gen. Phil Kearny's favor
tie saddle-horse, which / had secured after the
gallant cagalryman's death, / came up with the
steamer fOur-tOn apparatus called the Hi
hernia, with four hOrses-On dead run, and,
as the driver swung around the corner of the
then steep Treasury Hill, at Fifteenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue, and almost tOppled
over into deep rut mady by some army wagon
trains was Mortified to see little Tad cling
ing to the cOal-bunker on the rear Of the NAM
moth engine with the engineer, jolly, fat fell
low, named George Orr. Tad was attired in
L ~ 4
enjoying the fun. Had the little fellow been
injured Of course / would have been severely
censured; but fortunately no harm came to
him, and he returned from the fire safe and
sound.
~ was not willing to take any responsibility
like that afterwards, however and Immediately
issued an order that no one not connected with
the fire brigade should be permitted to ride upon
the fire apparatus. / also instructed the men
that they must not encourage the little chap to
como about the quarters. subsequently called
at the White House and consulted with Capt.
Stackpole, the Steward, and Mr.. John G. Nico-
lay one of Mr.. Lincoln's Private Secretaries,
asking them TO aid me in keeping Tad away
from the engine-hOuse.
Not long afterward I received card from
Mr. Lincoln, whom il was my pleasure to know
intimately, and who, in his ocular, familiar
way, used to call me Mr. Fire Anuihilator,'
and say that / must battle with fire in the rear
while he wrestled with it in the front. The
card was as follows:
"WiII Mr. Dickson Chief Engineer Of HibernIan,
please pump the water out Of a certain well which
Tad will show. A. LINCOLN.
"Feb. q, ls65.
81 promptly responded to this order, and
found that the cistern in the rear of the Exc
cutive Mansion, which supplied the building
with cool spring water for drinking purposes,
was out Of order and in bad shape. 1t was sup
piled by branch, believe, from the spring at
what is now franklin Square, which furnished
the War and Navy Departments and White
House with cool water, and is now daily used
at Franklin Square. With some difficulty I
got the steam-engine in position attached a
double length Of suction hose, and started in to
pump out the cstern, having first cut OF the
supply. Little Tad was sitting in one of
the windows Of the East Room, fire hat belt
and red shirt on surrounded By several COM
paniOns, and giving orders to the men who held
the branch pipe to turn the hose on a couple of
gardeners working on the grounds and big Burk
the coachman. Tad took a special delight
in griuning and occasionally making faces
at me. On reaching the bottom of the cistern,
one of my men was lowered down and sent upa
couple Of bucketfuls of garbage and q cat with
a brick artistically fastened TO its tail. When
Tad found he was prevented by me from
going to fires and riding on the engine, and
also debarred from the quarters, he evidently
determined that he would prove that he could
do little bossing on his own account So he
and his companions befouled the cistern, made
complaint of the bad taste of the water, and got
the President to issue the order so as to have
the steamer at work squirting water around
his fathers back yard. Poor little fellow, he
was a great favOrite with his father, whom the
boy used to call, even in his presence, Old
Abe FRANKLIN t. HOWE.