Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-03-03

| ben Partridge and S. w. Brick receive
the thanks of this company, the former
! for his kind remembrance in presenting
| them with a fine large stone pitcher and
| the latter for his gallantry in Offering 10
| paint and mark the same. Also voted
! that Mrs. Eph. Ballard receiveour thanks
| for preparing in the best manner the
| bread and beans. 4" after several songs
| and speeches from the individuals present
| as a pleasant joIliiicaton which lasted
| until u past nine O'clock II is thought
| worthy of record that S. Deering sent a
man to pay his assessment for this feast.
but refused to pay fine for absence. and
that VIM. Caldwell left before the men,
berS were assessed.
The next meeting and for many In the
coming years II is recorded that the en-
gne was taken to the reservoir near the
satisfaction of all.e once asked one of
the few survivors why it was that they
always played from that particular res
eryoir and he told me that the proprietor
dealt in a particularly choice brand of
gin and fine cigars. Imagine the feelings
of the spectators in the present day TO
see fifty or seventy-iive of the gilded
youth file into a bar-room for a nipper of
gin whiie the spectators waited for them
to come back and finish squirting.
The time at my disposal forbids my Civ
ing any extended account OF this COM
pany. They had a hall which they fitted
up handsomely. Ii was in fact the club
room of that day. The young men had
great pride in their engine and were
pretty regular ut the meetings. Iney palu
fines when absent either from meetings
or fires. Generally they had collation.
at their monthly meetings. consisting of
brown bread and beans. CLAIMS coffee and
such things Once in great while they
treat themselves to oysters. At one meet
ing Capt. Geo. w. Jones received an anon
ymous letter expressing dissatisfaction
with hin him which led to a factional quar-;
rel. They bought their fire clothes of oil
cloth by Withholding dues. In March
1877 the company quarrellel with the
town and disbanded itself but later re-
scinded to vote to do so. Often and num-
erous were these quarrels the nature Of
which is not shown. In los they took
part In a parade clad in a uniform Of
Kossuth black hats. red shirts. black
trousers and white belts,
About this time the town paid them for
working the engine by the hour and
every exercise was now drawn out to two
been given them. they went out and
worked with strong arms and full benies
three hours" Now and lnen they chafe
because the selectmen refuse to let tue
machine go to musters, and once in a
while they receive visitors and escort
them through the city with torches.
These three earlier engines are gone:
they were ingloriously broken up for old
iron and sold in the old Lambard foun-
dry. Even as recently as the late Mr..
Thomas Lambard had a foundry near the
railroad the wheels of two of these old
engines were used on ntrucks to carry loads
about the plant. They were finally de-
stroyed by fire when the foundry was
burned up. TO me the strangest thing is
older men when | was growing up APP
pearing in these records as active young
men. g. w. Stanley. Charles Gowen.
Asa A. w. w; Hedge; Chas. w; Stafford. Frank
burbank, s'1; Thomas aeHe 5. Bartlett Bartlett. 3 David
Knowlton, Fri Wills. J. D. Pierce and
scores of whom no memory is left save
only the name.
The. next period is really the glorious
period of the fire. history Of Augusta the
days of the Atlantic 3s'' and the PA
cific IS" or. as they were called by friend
"mechanics"; names given them in
reference to the large number of dandy
clerks on one and the honest young me-
clsanics on the other. What. world of
"Reminiscences is aroused in. the minds of
my older friends when we have talked of
these old times; Of the intense rivalry of
these two tubs. which unable ever to win
prizes from others. continually were pitted
against each other. of the races for fires.
of the deeds of daring at times and the
numerous situations at others. How well
Aleck McDavid marched as torch boy.
OF the magniiicence Of the battle lantern
carried by the Pacifics in all their pa
rades, Why, one night when the Cascos
of Portland were here at ball. think
after a muster, the whole crowd turned
out to a fire at the dam. working ali night
in uniform. That night George Ballard.
one of Augustus most upright and res
pected citizens. lost halr and WhlSkerS in
the roaring flames. and morning found
Ben Swan. still grim and determined,
hanging to a nczzle directing the stream
at the new fire he discovered in the ris-
ing sun. 1t was still in these days that
Vassal Pinkham took an ak to cut out
the wooden dadoes in the parlor when
the flames were being extinguished in the
barn. These companies. filled with young
men as they were, were much depleted
by the war. Many of them went to the
front; some never to return. The re-
mander often4 turned out to escort reg
iments on their way to or returning from
the battlefieds The subject is so full of
pleasant things and so replete with anec-s
dotes of our older citizens that | could
talk for an hour and scarcely begin: but
l will only briefly refer to one or two
things I find IL the old records of the At
lantic.
These two engines were purchased at
the same time in Boston and shipped
from there by steamer to Hallowell.
where they were met by a delegation OF
the Deluge company and part Of the part
" organized volunteer companies and
brought by them toAAugusta That same
day the Pacific was tried by her new
company and played. much to the aston
ishment OF the niitives. five streams: TWO