The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-01-24
FIRE FIGHTERS.
They Celebrate Their Fourth An
niversary I'm due Form, and
select Omcers.
Capt. COe Reelected Chief-TO.
Gether with am Emcient Corps
of Assistants.
Interesting Annual Report by
the Chief, which Will be
Read with Interest.

GENTLEMEN OF THE SAUK CENTRE
FIRE DEPARTMENT.: 1t may not be
fresh in all of your minds that this is
our tenth anniversary, and 1t does not
seem out of place to indulge in tin
wedding celebration, and buy few tin
horns. or some other kinds of horns
that you may think proper to use on
this occasion. 1 believe we have, or
should have, right to blow our horns
once in ten years, if we blow them with
moderation and do not disturb the
peaceful sIumbers of our neighbors. /
know YOU all and know who can blow
their horns to the best advantage.
also know who can do the best job at
smoking. once a year. The ten years
that we have been organized to do fire
duty dates back to December 9th. 1884.
The charter members numbered fifty
four at that time, and at present their Is
only sixteen in service, of whom seven
are in the Acme; five in the Aetna and
four in the Clipper companies. Their
has been two deaths, Messrs. Kirk and
Mullen, in the ten years. We never lost
but one man by accident, and we should
return thanks for the kind providential
eye that has watched over us all these
years, for no one knows when he leaves
home to battle with a raging fire,
whether he will return to alive. For
this reason let us always be cool, meyer
losing our heads, nor rushing into any
unnecessary danger, for our lives are too
dear to ourselves and our families to
throw them away tor a half burnt
building. We have had in ten years
thirty.eight fires. and some of them were
bad ones. Five OF these fires were total
losses, but it was not your fault they
were SO. The property involved in
theseh was valued at 500, $50; the in
surance paid SIS, 2SS. The insurance
companies agree that there is no town
or city in the state that has a better
fire record than Sank Centre. 1t gives
me pleasure to say again, what have so
many times said, that your oble, manly
ways of doing your duty as fremen is
worth many times more to the CITY of
Sank Centre than you receive for it.
We have banded ourselves. together to
do one of the noblest duties that can be
performed by man, to save lite and pro-
erty. We have had many hardships and
we have had many pleasant social
times that are hard to be forgotten; and
/ hope and trust we may live to enjoy
many more of just such good old times.
l am not young any more, as | was, but
1t does not make me provoked that
Others can ENJOY themselves as I can
not; but there is one thing l can do, and
that is to look on and see your fun. We
can not complain of the fire duty that
we have been called upon to do this year.
We have had five fires ant i've runs and
IN every case your promptness in re-
spending to these calls. and your effec-
fective work, has made them ttifling
affairs, you could hardly call them fires.
The property involved in these fires was
$14, 900; insurance paid, $2,OOS; insur-
ance paid last year, 1921, or 1929
less this year than last.
The reports fromthe several secretaries
show that your m onthly meetings have
been we'll attended, aud this IS ample
proof, that you are sincere in irving to
keep up your organization. We have
had five joint meetings. Hook and lad.
der, number enrolled, 16: total attend
ance Sc: average 111a. Acme Hose No.
I, enrolled IA, total attendance Al,
average 9 2-5. Clipper Hose No 2, num-
Der emf oiled Is, total attendance 81,
average attendance 10 II 5.
The reports show that all members are
in good standing at the present time. l
see you have taken steps to drop from
your rolls men who are only hremen
to save poll tax and evaGe jury duty.
Such men make poor fremen, and 1t is
no disgrace to get rid of them, and.
when YOU find out by experience that
you have a drone in your camp, pay
him off and let him go. and get good
man in his place. Our improvements
for the last year consist OF one new play
pipe. and repairs OF one, $1,000. Two
double hydrant gates $45 rs. City
council appropriation for expenses to
state meeting, $4,000. Total, $124,25
The council also voted us new bell
which has NOT yet arrived. You can all
see that we are adding as improvements
little every wear. 1t we had another
hose cart, which would enable us to al
ways have 500 feet Of hose on wheels,
instead of l 900 feet, we would be as
well equipped as any fire department in
the state. Let us thank our city fathers
for the interest they have al wavs taken
in our welfare, and for the kind manner
they have treated us when we have
asked tor what we believed to be of
benefit to the department and the citv
On December LIST, 1894, We had i'm the
relief fund $511.25; i'll the department
fund 5000. Receipts from our Thanks
giving dance. tickets sold. 1OS at SO
cents. $54 90; expences $33.7S leaving a
balance $2O25. which was placed in the
general fund makinga balance of$5O.O9.
Our receipts for last years dance was
$50 90; expenses $33,75; leaving bal
ance OF $46 25; or $26.O 90 less this year
than last We cannot express ourselves
for the kind and generous manner III
which our citizens responded in pur
chasing tickets this wear, for which
we extend our sincere thanks.
must say that in every instance our
newspapers have always been willing to
lend us helping hand for which they
will p ease except our thanks.
Before closing will make a few sug-
Restions:
The estimations in which fire de-
paI tment should seek to he held bv the