Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-23
DAILY KENNEBEc JOURNAL SATURDAY SEPTEMBER q 1899

friend and foe alike, the stiff dickies''
and the ..'mechanics;" names given
them in reference to the large number
of dandy clerks on one and the honest
young mechanics on the other What
a 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
humorous situations at others How
well Aleck McDavid marched as a
torch boy; of the magnificence Of the
battle lantern carried by the Pacifics
in all their parades! Why, one night
when the Cascos of Portland were here
at ball. l think after a muster. the
whole crowd turned out to a fire at the
dam. working all night in uniform
That night George Ballard, one Of Au-
gusta's most upright and respected
citizens, lost hair and whiskers in the
| roaring flames. and morning found Ben
| Swan, still grim and determined. hang
ing to nozzle directing the stream at
| the new fire he discovered in the rising
sun. 1t was still in these days that
Eassal Pinkham took an ak to cut out
| the wooden dadoes in the parlor when
the flames We're being extinguished in
the barn. These companies. filled with
young men as they We're were much
depleted by the war. Many of them
| went to the front; some never to re-
| turn. The remainder often turned out
to escort regiments on their way to or
returning from the battlefelds. The
subject is so full of pleasant things and
so rcpete with anecdotes OF our older
citizens that l could talk for an hour
briefly refer to one or two things l find
in the old records of the Atlantic
These two engines We're purchased at
the same time in Boston and shipped
from there by steamer to Hallowell.
where they We're met by delegation
of the Deluge company and part of the
and brought by them to Augusta.
Tina same day the Pacific was tried by
her new company and played much to
the establishment of the natives. five
s,t,-
and three from the tank. The first
uniform of this company was a blue
oil-cloth cap. with white shirts. red
leather belts and black pants, with
loose leggings. The helmet bore the
proud motto, Relief our Watchword."
In 1854 l read that the Atlantic's uni
black pants trimmed with gold lace,
and cloth caps trimmed with the same
to cost from SO to s15"
The Atlantic. No. 3 Co. was organ
lied March 3. 1851. The report of the
reception of that engine is as follows:
Since our last regular meeting the
company has been called out several
times to work the machine, which ar
rived on the morning OF May II, per
steamer Ocean. On the same after !
noon. we took her out and through $50 |
feet of hose. we forced an inch stream |
of water over the weather-cock on the !
South Parish church, 40 feet high,
without even wetting the tail feathers
of said rooster.
ION the following Monday, We were |
again called out in the evening, and |
forced water from the river through |
200 feet of hose 20 feet above the Stan
ley House and clear over it into Com |
mercial street We also threw an inch I,
stream 1879 feet horizontally several
times
| will not try to tell you of the more
recent days since the purchase of the
Cushnoc steamer in 1865. You all re
member how she was first called out to
a fire in the barracks at Camp Coburn.
and how a short time later she took
such a great part in the terrible Great
Fire" That calamity would have been
spared had not the niggardly policy of
one man in the city government pre-
vented the purchase of new hose; and.
when the trial came, the old leather
pipes were ripped as if by knives and
the fire became uncomfortable.
Our present fire department was re-
organized to meet the changed con-
dition brought about by the present
water system, which has made fire
machinery other than hose carts al
most unnecessary here. AT no
| time in her history has Angus
ia had better or more intelli-
gent lot of young men serving as fire
| men. than those who today make up
| her five or six hose companies. They
I are among you daily and you know
them as we'll as myself. The chiefs in
| ~. caryica have olwayS been DODullr