Evening star., 1902-02-05
THE VETERAN FtREMEN
CELEBRATION OF wAsHINGToN,s
BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY PROPOSED
Committee of Arrangements Named
Secretary Peabody's sketch of
OId-Tfme Fire Companies.

/ The regular monthly meeting of the Vet
| eran Volunteer Firemen's Association was
held last evening at the old union engine
! house, 10Th and H streets. Mr.. James Ii.
| Richards was in the chair and Mr.. ]. j,
Peabody served as secretary.
The question of celebrating Washington's
| birthday anniversary the 22d instant was
| discussed and the fact that many OF the
| members. on account OF age and infirmi-
| tives. would be unable to parade was not
| ed. After some debate 1t was decided not
| to forego the parade IL the weather permit
! ted and to hold the banquet In company
| with the ladies' auxiliary. The arrange
| ments were committed to Addison Belt.
| Alonzo Shaw. F. A Lowe, c. G. Thorn and
James HI. Richards.
The oId-Time Fire Department.
| Mr.. Peabody contributed an installment
1 Of his sketch Of the oid-time volunteer fire
companies, from notices in the National
Intelligencer. the Washington Gazette and
| the records Of some of the companies which
have been preserved.
The annual meeting of the Columbia Fire
| Company the I'd of January 1921. was
| first noticed, and the names of the officers
and members given as they were classified
1 in the directors. engineers aXmen, ladder
| men and sentinel divisions. Ex-Mayor
| Rapfne was elected president. Colonel An
| drew Hunter. vice president; VIM. 1ngle.
| secretary, and John Pic, treasurer; James
| Young. James Middleton, Griffith Coumbe
| and John G. Mcdonald, directors. Among
| the engineers and others were many of the
| leading citizens whose descendants
| residents of the city.
| The annual meeting of the Star Fire
| Company tthe second ward organization)
| was held January s, 1921, and Colonel w.
| wa al tod
Sessford, vice president; ], A. NJ. Duncan
son Gather of Mr.. c. c. Duncanson), secre-
| tary, and David Bosworth, treasurer. This
| company. some years before, was a boys
| company.
The Union Fire Company at its an
nual meeting January s. 1921, organized
by e'ecting John N. Moulden president,
| Thomas Sandiford and James H. Handy,
vice presidents; Henry NJ. Steiner, secre-
! tary, and Joseph Bromley. treasurer. The
| several divisions were organized by the as
| signment of fourteen to the engineers,
| fourteen to the lane men, seventeen to the
| laddermen, fourteen to hosemen, sixteen to
| furniture men and eleven to the sentinels.
] Ihis was strong company, numbering
| about 100 men, among them a score or two
! OF department clerks, the first postmaster,
| several who were or had been city fathers
and more than one minister manned the
ropes. Among those who may be named
| are Thomas Carbery, the surveyor; the
| Forests. c. W., Joseph and Henry; Capt.
John Woodside, superintendent Of the treas
| ury; John Potts. Fred'k d. Tschiffely
Frederick, Philip and Abram Hines, Samuel
| Brook, Thos. B. DaShiel William Linkins,
| Thomas Fillebrown, William Williamson
| and John Craven.
1t would appear from the fact that this
meeting and others were held at the West
ern Academy the public school on / street
near 11th) and not at the engine house that
| the company had no suitable hall then.
The Patriotic Fire Company met at the
engine house attached to the General Post
Office January IL, 1921, at clock on the
call of John Frank, secretary.
| There Is no record to be found Of a fire
at the Presbyterian Church January 81
| 1871, but an advertisement for a breastpfn
lost there locates fire there at the time.
A Tavern Fire.
The Intelligencer Of Wednesday, Febru-
airy 8. 1921, notes fire at 1 o'clock in the
morning OF the previous day. in the build
ing opposite the new public office, east of
| the Presidents house, occupied by Mr.. Wolf
| as a tavern. The paper states that the
night was very foggy and the streets al
most impossible. but the engines arrived
on the ground in time to save the neigh
boring property. The combustible portion
| Of the building was burned. card of
thanks by Mrs. Eliza Clark and family TO
used to preserve their property from fire
appears in the Gazette Of the following
day.
The Star Fire Company was called to
/ meet at Cn6 engine mouse
1921. by the secretary, Mr.. DUNCAN
The Intelligencer Of Februarv ,s 80
an attempt of a few nights 10 nose, .e,
fire to house near r. nav yarS by
.hroM'ns Ih;os prane .n a cellar window
which commune" red to the sill
In March, -, there We're % meetings q,
me c-ffor. and Columbia companies.
me .ninutes OF the Navy Yard fire com
pany show that a meeting was held "a'
esrly candle light at Moss tavern Apri
l nd al thn nff1no vI-era tt,,,, ar
, in office until the next annual meeting
December g. The restriction Of the mum
, Der of members to fifty was removed ant
several new members were elected. M
meeting appears to have been held from
, January 4, 1920 to this time. and at thai
, meeting the old officers were continued tc
January p, 1921.
A meeting of the Patriotic Fire Company
, was called for Saturday, April 21 for the
purpose of giving the new engine a full
and fair trial, for which ''the whole forct
| Of the company will be requisite"
The Columbia Capitol HID Fire Com
pany was called to meet at Queens Hote
May 1. At this meeting John 7. Frost
John Queen and Henry V. Hills were elect
ed members. Mr.. Frost had been a mem
Der in 1907 and prior to 1915 the secretary
. and with the others was employed on th'
Capitol.
The Union company was called to NEE
, at the Western Academy May 9. and tn,
Star at the engine house May 3, 1921.
Trial of Engines.
Thursday, May 81. 1921. there appears t.
) have been a trial of the engines of the
several companies The Gazette Of May
: 80 contains a call for the Patriotic Fire
Company to meet at 4 o'clock the follow.
, | ing day, which says. 1T is expected We
: wards for the purpose of trying the pow.
ers of the engines" The Gazette of the
, 31st contains similar calls for the Unior
; | and the Star companies.
This trial took place. and, will be seer
by the decision, the Union company came
off best:
THE undersigned having been appointed
by the Patriotic and Union Fire Companies
! of the city to make test of the two en-
gines belonging to said companies at the
trial of the same on the 31st of May
have no hesitation to state with confidence
| that the engine belonging to the Unior
Fire Company. made by M. P. Lyon OF
Philadelphia. far exceeded that Of the Pa
r triotic Fire Company at the first trial, ovel
! the Weightman's buildings and at the sub
4 x,l-I H. I'll, A,x n