St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-19

when years of maturity would enable
them to become full-fedged firenen,
they employed the interval as a proba-
tionary period and
FORMED JUVENILE COMPANIES
Among the notable ones were the
students" and the Mechanics" which
1ourished during the years '6S to IA.
The latter company, If the information
given me is correct, had the honor to
be the owner of the original McCloud
engine, as stated in the early part of
this article. Information concerning it's
membership and operations could not
be obtained in time for this sketch, but
l am told that John ]. Ahern has the
archives of the company in his memory,
the other data being lost. OF the STU
dents" the following were members:
Albert ]. Oertel, foreman; Wells Eddy.
first assistant; Joseph Handles. second
assistant; Frank Giles. secretary; Otto
Schiffbauer, treasurer: Charles W.
Spiel. Oscar Allen, Milford Kiefer, Otto
Kiefer, Albert Eibel, julius Faber,
julius Keller. George Schiller. Ed Stahl-
mann, Tom Mclaughlin, Gus Passa-
want, Henry Orlemann Jr, Emil Rosen-
kranz, Harry Riehl Frank Combs,
Ignatz Metzger, Ed Nagle, Rudolph
Schoenemann. Their ages at that time
ranged from fifteen to eighteen. The
company was under the special patron
age and membership of Thomas l..
WEIGH, veteran fireman of Hope En-
CINE Company No. l. The machine"
was a hand engine, force pump action,
built especially for the company by
Robert Safely, engineer of the steamer
City of st. Paul" 1t was no mere toy.
but quite an efficient affair and threw
a stream seventy-fve feet through a
half-inch nozzle. The students" ran
to fires regularly, were often first on
the ground and held the flames in
check until the department arrived and
occasionally they had the fire out when
the others got there The company
was feature of the
DEPARTMENTAL PARADES.
was warmly greeted along the route.
and its little engine on such occasions
was smothered under floral decorations
from fair hands
There are many pleasant incidents
connected with this history which must
be omitted a few of them however
ought to find place as they are suggest
ed by the names which have appeared
here and there throughout this article.
In the organization of the old Hope
company the regulations regarding
membership fixed the ages of eligible
| 1ty at from twenty-one to forty-five
! years. AT the time of organization
! George w. Freeman had not attained
| the requisite age, but being Of splendid
fireman'S material, the company made
| him torch-boy, and he served in that
| capacity until his years ripened him
| into full membership. 1t is now nearly
forty years since he took care of Hope
| company on dark nights in the humble
| capacity of torch-boy. The dignified
president of the st. Paul fire board in
1896 must look back with considerable
! satisfaction over that route between
the two extremes of fireman's life.
Then there is Jerry c. Prendergast,
who sits beside Mr.. Freeman as vice
| president of the board, and who has
! as his record of charter membership in
"Minnehaha," a long period of active
service, in the ranks and as an officer up
! to the chief engineership. / find in the
! old roster Of the same company the
name of
JAMES J. HILL
set down as leading pipeman," and
am reminded thereby of the eternal fit
ness of things which has made our lead
| ing pipeman the main pipe" Of one Of
the greatest railroads in the world
| see. in fancy, the dignified Maurice
| AGerbach skipping along at the sound
| of the alarm bell-sharp strokes to
| correspond with the number Of the
| ward and a succession of mad clashes
| where all the strokes roll into one
| skipping along supported by Judge
John B. Olivier and William A. Van
| Slyke and fanked by c.. d. Elfelt, J. l..
Beaumont, S. Lee Davis and Gen. John
| 3. Sanborn.
Tim Reardon used to be splendid
/ fireman, of genial disposition and good
nature; but who would trust him with
| a "Spanner" in the present day city
| will nrar
And so we might go on at length
through the roster Of
FAMILIAR NAMES
until a change comes Ger the spirit Of
our dreams as we observe how few are
still here and how many are gone. So
that many tell us that it was not
| alone in fighting fire that these veter-
| ans of the st. Paul volunteer fire de-
| partment were heroic and duty bound,
| for here is name after name of veteran MS
of sterner battle; of gallant officers
and gallant men, soldiers of the war.
| Some Of them are happily, still with us.
and others, who left the engine
house to take up arms in defense of
home and country, to fight on Southern
field where rebellion reigned and north
ern frontier where the cry of savage
was heard, returned no more. In the
list of the absent read the name of John
c.. Renshaw, of the old Hope, who died
| at Bull Run, the first sacrifice laid
upon the altar of the Union in the open
| ing battle of the rebellion. So we come
to know and understand what is meant
by heroes in peace as well as in war"
&C. J. w.