Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-23

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0aun lE2RI :
ment. If his judgment failed, certain
Iy no person could doubt the sincerity
and ardor of the zeal displayed.
l have endeavored to give Won a
hasty and imperfect sketch of what is
| really a great safeguard of our CITY.
| 1t is unfortunate that carelessness in
the custody of valuable records and a
belief that they are of no particular
value often leads to the loss of histori-
replacing. Somewhere. If not de-
| stroyed. these books and records
are lying as old lumber. which would
| give us the completed story OF this de-
| partment and the men who have been
| in il. Is it not a lesson to us all to r..
member that this Historical Society Of
fers 10 everyone safe and proper
place for the custody of all such ma
| terial and the thousand ana one things
| zeal reminders.
| Just one word in closing this paper.
| Few of us realize the exactions and
dangers of a freman's life Called on
at all hours of the day and night to do
duty involving the hardest kind of ply
steal work; facing death from acct
dents and exposure and fighting with
| mind and body against a terribly
fierce and devastating element. no
words of praise can be too strong for
the simple manliness with which they
heroically conquer their enemy. The
pay is insufficient and is little or no
temptation TO the young man; ii is only
strong sense Of public duty that in
duces the men to stand between US and
the loss of our property and sometimes
of life itself. Let every one OF us re-
member this and when within our
power extend the aid of our influence
and our contributions when called on
TO assist in keeping up the splendid
reputation for zeal. courage and intel
ligence which has marked Augustus
firemen for one hundred years.
Land, yes. the fire alarm in those
days used to stir us up to action about
as soon as ii does now said Mr..
George Pillsbury. who was one of the
old time firemen. THE first alarm
would be heard by one man and it
would be all over town by that lime.
We all turned out to 4 fire in those
days. Every man was trained to be n
fire fighter and it came natural to us
Mr.. Pillsbury is a genial. well pre-
served gentleman of about 20 years. 4
man who has been in California and
earned some of his bread there. and is
now enjoying a we'll spent life in a
pretty home on Crosby street.
My father was a fire warden he
said He used to be the warden, and
his only badge of Office was pole
about six feet long with hook in the
end Of it. When there was a fire alarm
he would rush out. always taking that
stick How the people used to obey
the commands he gave. They were
| far more readily oheyed. it seems to
me. than those of the chief engineer
now 1t was a crime in those days to
ha af firA nd at
| Il fire, but there was no need of the law
for everybody seemed ready to turn to
| and help fight a fire.
Yes, father always taught us boys,
four of us. to be firemen, so l guess it
| was bred to the bone. We used to
have difficulties in those days. to over
come. that they do not have now, and
again we had advantages. Why, we
used to go into places to fight fire
not to go. You understand the houses
are not built as they used to be. and
there is always a collapsing of the roof
/ when fire starts today. In those
days, with the massive beams that
were used. we never used to think of
the things falling in for long time.
Il well remember the day of a fire
in a two and a half story house on
Water street, about down opposite the
City hotel. when the fire caught up in
the roof. When I arrived with my
men, was foreman of Pacific As. and
there was the rival company, the At
antic S. thought the building would
be lost, as the whole roof seemed to
be gone. 1 knew, though. that with
those mighty timbers they would not
burn through for an hour so that they
would fall. and l ordered my men up
into the building 1t frightened some
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