The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-21
CHEER NUMBER ONE
WIOHITA'S FIRST HOOK AND LAD
DER TRUCK SENT AWAY.
1t is Taken with Pomp and Parade to the
Depot-Wiu Become No. 1 at saltwater
Oklahona-Crouds of People Witness
the Depsrture-Oid Fire Boys Make
Run and are Cheered by the MaIsisude-
The Men who Pulled Number Through
the Streets Agsin-Manted to Keep the
Relic.

Relic.
Yesterday was the day selected TO
ship the first fire implement owned by
Wichita. hook and ladder truck No. !,
to Saltwater. Ok
At 10 o'clock yesterday morning the
men who answered the fire alarms N
Wichita twenty-three years ago, began
to assemble al the new court house
They gathered in a group on the big
stone steps at the north entrance and
talked OF the old times and the tirst
fires in Wichita.
Chief Walden drove up and hitched
his horse to the curling on Main street
and went in 10 see how many or the
first fremen OF Wichita had reported
for duty.
A few minutes later the old hook and
ladder truck No. ! was hauled up IN
front Of the Main street entrance OF the
new court house and the members or
the old Frontier company who were
present followed by the crowd went
out 10 inspect II.
The ladders and buckets were all
loaded on the truck and II was the
admiration OF all present. So Tar as
appearances indicated il was just as
good as the day il came from the shop.
The entire outfit had been given
new coat OF paint and the truck looked
| fresh and new.
The truck was painted red and the
( ladders blue, while all round under the
4 ladders hung the freshly painted black
/ buckets on the sides of the truck IN
neat bold letters were saltwater Fire
! Department, II. and L. No. /.
J Wichita has more formidable nre
engines now than this old No. /, but
when the big steam fire extinguisher
I a 49, al aufr md
and machinery of the fire department
/ drew up in line TO march 10 the depot
/ none of them looked cleaner or neater
than the old favorite No. truck.
Chief Walden gave the order for the
old firemen 10 fall in and the new incn
rope was pulled from the windiass ana
| the members of the old fire company
present marched out with smiling faces
and took hold OF the rope.
| There were Jack Pittinger. Judge j.
NJ Baiderson, ex- Mayor j. L. Allen,
Ben Aldrich. c. II. Allen, General w.
S. Corbett. ex-Sheriff Rufus Cone, ex-
Judge w. p. Campbell. Al Biting. r..
W. White. Chas. Hunter. ex-Probate
Judge Z. q. Jewett, Chas- Gardner
George W. Fryer. George Mathews.
! Chas. Phillips. ex-City Marshall Rich
ard Cogdell. ". j. ElSer, c. b. wilson
Chas. Rogers. Chas. Horner, G. }.
Fuller and George Stewart.
I d
! company, took his place on the truck
and bore aloft banner inscribed
Frontier BOYS of 1873" The process
sion thus formed marched down Main
street paraded by a brass band and
east on Douglas avenue 10 the Santa
Fe depot.
The Streets all along the line OF march
were lined with people. Some cheerec
and others kicked because the city
had sold old No. 1 and said Wichita
had always been lucky about fires and
| they were afraid our luck would de-
part with old No. /.
When the procession arrived at th'
corner of Main and Douglas II was
halted and the band was allowed u
get a block away when Chief Valdez
dashed ahead of the old fire boys anC
! sounded the fire alarm on his wagon
/ The old boys at the rope lit out afte
him at furious rate and the yen Una
! followed from the crowd burst out Tx
I some great eruption and rolled and re
!. viberated like d Kansas July th1nde
: storm.
When the cheers had subsided the oil
, fremen looked back and expected Z
. see Jack Ledford and Culey Marshall
, and Old Red and Roudy Joe. and
whole troup Of COW boys dashins dow
. the street. But they didn't.
: When the procession arrived az IN
II
took the new painted buckets from IN
trucks for fear somebody might 100
with them, and took them into N
E depot, and the truck and ladders wer
turned over ID the railroad men.
, Then the boys OF 1873 gathere'
| around the truck and gave three heart
; cheers for old No. j and came OF up IN
street in squads disputing whether
, was George Mathews or Dock kesle
: who came down Main street in the IA
. of 20 blowing a big horn and Gale
| out the whole fire company because n
| saw a light from a burning hay stacl
: over on Four Mile.
There was also good deal q diver
: sity OF opinion in regard 10 the DAT
: when Ed Jewett fell down and IN
? boys pulled the truck over him an
what particular fire IL was that be
: Aldrich got onto the truck and rod
; instead Of helping pull
= Some OF the old timers who telt badI
at parting with old No. ! console
| themselves with a thought ina
/. seemed n have a wonderful soothin
: effect That was 10 have a great dem
> onstration some time and invite IN
: Saltwater fire company 20 come U
, and bring No. along with them
Next Tuesday evening. July -. al tn
! Crawford opera house, Caroline HarT'
sion circle Will celebrate It's third an
? niyersary OF its organization IN az
5 ting manner y nice program !s bei1
! prepared However. the main fsatUT
= OF the evening vii be the supper. ~