The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-12
FIRE FIGHTERS OF OLD
Volunteer Firemen Meet and Spin
Interesting Yarns.
Tales of the Days When it Was a Great
Honor to Fight the Flames-Well-
Known Men Talk.

The volunteer firemen met in the Circuit
Court room last night and spent a couple
of hours in exchanging pleasant reminis-
cences of the early days of fire fighting in
this city. There were present at the meet
ing about fifteen men, all Of them fifty
years of age or past, and their object in
assembling was to recount the incidents OF
rivalry and unrequited deeds Of courage that
had been performed by the old boys of the
volunteer fire companies. Their portrayals
Of the primitive methods employed to fight
the fiery elements were, in some respects,
amusing as viewed from this later day of
perfected apparatus. To these veterans 1t
was amusing in a manner. but under this
was another, deeper feeling than one Of
mere amusement They were young men,
some of them mere boys, at the time the
incidents they alluded 10 were transpiring,
and there were stamped upon their hearts
and memories impressions that endure with
time. The speakers, as they told OF the
little rivalries that had particularly inn
pressed them, were listened TO very atten-
lively by the men assembled. who seemed to
become young again as they listened to or
recited the happenings of their younger
days.
erstwhile firemen called upon. He arose
and began speaking in tone that indicated
that he was meditating upon the days Of
long ago he spoke. He said: mo part
of my life has afforded me more food for
pleasant recollections than that part of it
spent in the old volunteer fire company. and
if had my life to live again would never
think Of leaving that part of it out
know of no service that was or could have
been more honorable than that in the
volunteer fire department. Here We were,
In a little community not sufficiently
wealthy to employ men for that service,
ard the duty devolved upon the citizens,
and through the volunteer fire companies
they performed we'll that duty. 1 remen-
Der very well the first step towards any
manner of organization for fighting fires.
We had no engines nor fire apparatus of
any kind, and a town meeting was called.
At this meeting it was decided that each
citizen should provide himself with two
leather buckets and when alarm Of
fire was sounded by the changing of the
church bells, the men of the house turned
out with their buckets TO subdue the flames.
Each man had his name upon his buckets,
and though they might get lost in the eX-
element OF the fire. they were always re-
turned. 1t might be the next day or the
their way back to the owner. In time
something more than buckets were needed,
and the Marion Fire Company was organ
lied under the leadership of old Jimmy
Blake ] was too young to become
member of the company at the time of
it's organization, but / always attended the
fires and did the best / could to assist the
1iremen. In the course OF time other COM
panies were organized. one Of these was
on South street where No. 2 Hook and
Ladder House now stands, and another was
on New Jersey street After awhile we
could brag Of four hand engines / remem-
her
very little for the fire force, and most of
the appliances and even the cisterns were
secured through subscriptions raised by the
firemen themselves. who served in their
noble work without pay. and often without
thanks. / remember the first
steam engine the city ever had.
a fire broke out in Hammonds drug store
which was then the largest drug store in
ton street. between Delaware and Penn
sylvania streets. The fire broke out about
ly; The building was full of paints and
oils, and i don't believe that fire could have
ever been put out with hand apparatus. The
steamer and the building was flooded. In
about an hour the fire was extinguished
and the people were satisfied that they had
done a good thing in purchasing the steam
er. remember way back in those days /
was a member of the Legislature for about
the Legislature was to introduce a bill ex-
empting firemen. from road and poll tax
The day before the bill was to be intro
duced in the Legislature, a fire broke out
in an old rookery just across the street
here turning and pointing across Delaware
street,. The building was an old, dilapidated
frame structure. tenanted by a dsrep-
utable lot of people. and the firemen were
not very quick in getting to work upon the
fire, and when they did more of their water
was sent against the telegraph poles than
upon the fire. The next day, when the bill
to exempt fremen from the taxes specified,
IL was opposed by a member from Terre
Haute and one from Greencastle, in half
serious and half -jocular vein. and their
mixture of wit and sarcasm upon the work
OF the hre-hghters the evening before de-
feated the bill"
Robert f. Smith told of his connection
with the O. X. Bucket Brigade. He said
they started in with one hundred buckets.
but found it very difficult to keep up the
supply as the boys would get excited about
a fire and throw the bucket and all into the
flames. The company had hook fastened
to the end of long rope which they used
effectually in tearing down a burning build
ing
John c. New was called upon for his rec
objections of the old volunteer boys. lie
said: THE call which has been published
in all the papers announcing this meeting
has not met with the response that 1T would
forty years ago. Fortythree years ago If
the call had been sounded by the church
bell every volunteer fireman would have
hurried To his company's house and then to
the fire. and would have remained there till
the fire was out. In those days we paid
ourselves for everything we got; the COun-
ell did nothing. Once or twice a year,
remember, we gave a 1alr IN Masonic Hall,
and the proceeds were used to defray the
expenses of the volunteer fire department.
These things have grown since then, and the
city has grown with it, till we have
our paid department for which we pay
100000 per year, and L am not prepared to
say that it is too much; The volunteer COM
panies were composed in great part of
young men, who had no property of their
own to protect, yet gave their time and
energy freely and willingly for the protec-
ton of the property of Others and often
without even thanks for their efforts. / like
TO remember those old days when our hair
was black and ii was thick upon our heads.
Isam Hughes told little incident of
fire at Underhill's mill, on South Meridian
street 1t was in the halcyon days of the
volunteer fireman. On the way to the fire
the boys got stuck in the mud and never
reached the fire They tugged nanfully but
could not get their apparatus out OF the
mire. After seeing the mill burn almost be-
fore their eyes they all adjourned to neigh
boring establishment and partook of spruce
beer.