The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-08-29
WRITTEN IN FLAME
Memories of a Man Who
Fought Fire for Sixty
Years.
coMRADE KILLED BESIDE BIN
Captain William Godber. of News
ark, Interviewed on His
Retirement.

Newark Fire Department. after sixty-one
years Of service as a ire-fighter. The
Captain is seventy-ave years old, and he
receives a pension of $500 a year for the
rest of bis days.
The Newark Evening News sent
around to see the old man and the re-
porter ound him busy receiving the con-
gratulations of his friends, and if good
wishes count for anything he ought to
be a happy man. There were times, how
ever, when he seemed to be rather sorry
that he was soon to quit the active. ex-
citing and dangerous business of fire.
lighting.
The Captain was in a reminiscent mood
when the reporter for the News saw
him at the engine-house. He talked free
ly of his life, and very modestly r~ecounted
his share in many a hot fight with the
flames.
Seventy-fve years ago he was born in
France. and while he was still an infant
he was brought to this country. His
parents settled for a short time in Eliza
beth and then they came to this city.
There were no public schools here at that
time and so Mr.. Godber paid for his edu-
cation, or rather his parents did. His
first efforts as a wage Garner were made
by him as a tobacco-stripper.s When he
was about fourteen years old his parents
removed from their home on Halsey
street to the corner of Rector and Centre
streets. Soon after, the happening that
made Mr.. Godber a fire fighter occurred.
His father was returning home from a
serenade about one o'clock one morning
r-ho Ao "A -- 4, -, Eo1lor-a rsr 10 ~
net factory. on the west Of Broad street,
in plain sight of his home. He raised an
alarm and his son, the present Captain,
was soon on the scene. Near by the en-
CINE company had its headquarters The
apparatus was one of the oid-fashioned
arrangements that were drawn around by
the men and worked by hand Torches
were a necessary part Of the outfit, and so
torchbearers were in demand
That morning Captain Godber did his
first work al a fire. He seized a torch,
and small as he was, he handled it in
such a way as to be quite useful to the
firemen. The fire was -extinguished with
out much trouble and for the next three
years Captain Godber carried a torch at
every blaze. Then he carried the signals
for a couple Of years and In 1913 he became
a regular h~re-fighter, attaching himself to
Engine Company No. 2. which had its
quarters on Washington street. At that
time the fremen received no salaries.
Some time later the Captain was trans
ferred to another company, and IN 1856
he, with the others, received salaries. The
got $50 a year. It was while he was with
thai company that Captain Gcdber met
with his first accident.
I'VE were on our way to ia fire." said
the Captain. In speaking of his mishap
last night, land the boys were pulling the
little old steamer along at a laundering
/ went at 1t. The thing was soon fixed,
and just as / went TO get from between
the two wheels on the side, / was thrown
down. The steamer went over my ankle
and-weil, ] was laid up for four or i've
weeks
AS soon as he recovered, however, he
was ready to fight fire again, and he stay
ed with the men until 1851, when he en-
listed with the Twentieth New Jersey
Regiment and went TO the war. About
a year later he returned, and once more
he started In as a fire fighter. The fire.
men all "chipped in" about that time
and bought the first horses used In the
city for fire purposes.
"One night along about that time" said
Captain Godber, we got an alarm for
q fire - H. g T nasbs nd fact9 1s On Warren re
= Z E- Ai6 - P0tt eAR$ LII ~
foreman, was killed. How? Well, Jake
was standing with me in a small garden
near the burning building. We had the
pipe and were playing water on the
structure without much effect, when there
suddenly came a rumbling, cracking noise.
/ can hear that now. I looked up kinder
quick like.
wall is coming. RUM We both started
away, and with us ran Johnnie Thorn, one
Of Dur men. Down came the wall with a
crash. Some of the scattering bricks
knocked me down. n when | got up
Thorn was lying nearby with a broken
arm, and Jake-Jake was dead under the
ruins. He never knew what hit him,
poor chapps
The captains voice was husky as he
told the story. and when it was over he
leaned far back In his chair and for sew
eral minutes seemed to be thinking deep
and a few questions brought out the fact
that he remained In the department until
1870. Then he went to work for q manu-
facturer, burt at the end OF three years
ne was anxious for fire duty again, n
went back to that work as an employe
OF the city. He was detailed at the old
frame engine house, where the present
quarters are now located, and there he
remained for six years. Then he was sent
TO No. ] engine. and some Where along
about 1886 he was made the captain. Four
years later be was placed in his present
position. at the head of No. s Engine
Company, He had been there about three
years as captain when he had another
lively experience. That va In 1893. A Are
broke cut near st. Francis street in an
u~noccupied factory, and Captain Godber
with his apparatus was soon on the scene.
The captain, with several of his men,
fought their way Through the smoke into
the building, and after some trouble, they
got up on the third floor. Under them the
flames were burning AVA In one corner
and the men were working the hose. The
. smoke finally became 50 thick that they
we're forced to move. Tfre captain led the
way. He had hardly gone a dozen feet
when the floor gave way beneath him
ed on his feet, and wasn't hurt a lt1tle
bit. except a mighty good jarring.s' The
ot1er men saved themselves from the fall
by clutching the beams.
The veteran frankly confessed at the
end, that he had nd idea how many
Ares he had been at, but he declared that
they were many and that he had beeh
| In some pretty hot places, where 4 man
couldn't see his hand IN front Of him
through the smoke. The largest IRE
he could recall happened IN 1886, he safd.
It broke outs at corner OF Market and
Broad streets and burned everything il
its line down Market street 10 8 place
about opposite this "Newsr ONCE fh<n
It took d turn and wefzt down broad
street to Mechanic street. the
houses on thnt block Wert destroyed and