Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-11-02
HAND FIRE ENGINE CONTESTS.
Interesting Information.

since they commenced, half century or
more ago-15 in all, and next year prom
Uses as many, if not more, as this fire.
mans fad is now in full force, and these
events, properly conducted, will continue
for some time to come.
The largest attended musters were
those held at Worcester and Manchester,
Y. H., in 1857, '5S and SO, before the adj
vent of steam engines, SO companies par
ticipating IN each.
With the Manchester muster in so they
ceased until after the war. In the mean
lime, steamers having superseded hand
engines in the largest cities and towns,
when they were renewed in 1865 it was
with greatly diminished number of
contestants.
In 1887 the newly organized veteran
associations renewed them on Boston
common in contest managed by the
Boston Veteran Association, and ever
since then they have been constantly in
creasing IN number, also in number of
contestants, the largest number of con-
testants at any one of them being "a, at
the New England veteran league tour
nament at Pawtucket last September.
The Is musters this year, with number
of contesting engines at each, were as
follows; Milford, Mass, June 30th, 10
contestants; Providence, r. l., July 4th,
seven; Rockland, Me-, July 4th, nine;
Peabody, Mass, July 10th, six; Essex,
Mass, July 10th, ten; Bennington State
association convention and tournament,
July 10Th, ten; Waltham, Mass, Sep
TENDER Sd, Labor day, II; Essex, Mass,
same day, eight; River Point, r. l., Sep
TENDER It'll, four; Pawtucket, r. l., New
England Veteran League, September
18th, twenty-four; Marblehead, Mass,
September 9th, six; Attleboro, Mass,
October End, eleven; Nashua, October
9Th, sixteen; Pepperell, N. H., October
18th, five, and Peabody, October 18th,
seventeen.
None of these musters were entirely
satisfactory, the wind interfering at all
of them. Some of the acknowledged
best engines made unusually small rec
ords because of unfavorable winds.
The nearest to calm day, the best for
this purpose, was at Centennial grove,
Essex, Labor day, but no large records
were made. 1t is not known just how
far most of them played, there being no
less than four claimants for first prize.
At Milford, Providence, Bennington,
Marblehead, AttleborO Nashua and Pep
perell a strong crosswind prevailed,
with small records.
At Rockland the first to play had a
strong cross-wind, which lulled toward
the last, giving the last to play greatly
the advantage and the prize.
At Peabody, July 10th, the first two
engines to play had favorable winds and
took the two first prizes.
At Waltham the wind died out toward
the last giving the prizes to the last en-
gines playing.
The Pawtucket and AttlebOro musters
alone were limited to veterans; the
others admitted both active and veter-
ans, with more veterans than actives at
most of them, except ROckland, Ben
nington and River Point, where all were
active companies.
At Pawtucket the first II engines had
favorable winds and captured all the
prizes.
At Peabody, October 18th, were the
most changeable winds ever experienced
at muster, sometimes with and some
times against the stream, changing back
and forth sometimes in the middle of
heat, those having a favorable wind cap
turing all the prizes, and so favorable
was the wind, when blowing directly
with the stream, that it enabled those
biggest records of the season.
AT none of these muSters was there an
opportunity to make big records on the
merits of the engines The best record
made was 221 fit. s in, made by the Gen.
Schuyler engine of Schuylerville, N. Y,
at Bennington. BUTT is alleged that this
was dole by opening valve which shut
off the draft from water supply, and al
lowed the engine to take water from its
body, which gave it great advantage.
Some of the other contestants entered q
protest, but as there was nothing in the
rules that governed the contest to prohi-
bit it the protest was refused.
The other records over 200 feet are
Roxbury veterans, 219 fit OF in; Peabody
veterans, PIG # in; Peabody union. POS
# II in; Salem veteran new engine White
Angel, POI TT l04 in, all made at Peabody,
Oct. 18th, with the assistance of favor
able wind; the j. j. Gray of Cambridge,
N, Y, 205 fit 10 in, made at Bennington;
G. F. Burgess of Rockport, Me-, POP fl
10 in; Nashua veteran, POI fG II 5.S in ;
NJ A. Pickett of Marblehead, POI # II
in, all made at Peabody, Oct. 18th, with
wind assistance; Rough and Ready of
Greenwich, N. Y, 200 it in, at Ben
nington.
VI THESE the Cambridge and Green
witch engines comes the nearest to max
ing their records on their merits, with.
out artificial assistance.
The aggregate amout of money paid in
prizes at these musters was 1920; the
smallest was S175, divided into three
prizes of 500, $50 and S25, at River
Point; the largest was $1,000, divided
into six prizes of S40O, 1925, $3.50, 500
$75 and $50, at Peabody, Oct. 18th.
The largest amount taken by one or
ganization was $3.50, by the Red JACKIE
veterans of Cambridge, who captured
two first prizes of 5000 each, one seconc
of $3.50, and one third of $3.50.
The Salem veterans come next, will
$3.50, two first of $3.50 and 500 each, on,
second and one fourth of 500 each; Pea
body union S475, one first S225, one sec
ond 500, and one third $3.50; PeaboG,
veterans 1926, two second of S225 anC
$3.50 each, and one third of $50; Rox
bury $500, one first; Baw Beese veterans
1915, two first of 1925 and $3.50 each
Newton veterans 1925, one second of $3.50