Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1905-09-05
MONTANA FIRE FIGHTERS AR
RIVED IN LEWISTOWN LAST NIGHT
MANY CITIES OF THE STATE SEND DELEGATES TO the CONVENTION
---WIll BE ONE WEEK OF UNINTERRUPTED PLEASURE
PROGRAM OPENED THIS MORNING.

All of the principal cities Of the state
lave representatives in I.ewistown
this morning, the occasion being the
Sixteenth annual convention of the
Firemen's Association of Montana.
The train arrived in the city about 8
o'clock last night, having been delay.
ed to await the arrival Of the belated
N. P. train into Lombard with a lot of
delegates from the eastern part the
state, The local fire company, accom-
panied by the Lewistown band and
several hundred citizens were at the
head of Main street where the train
was stopped, to meet the visitors.
AS soon as the bunch got off the
train, they We're formed in line and
marched to the fire hall where re-
freshments We're served and an inor-
NAL reception held. Beds We're found
for them and as a greater number Of
the visitors were somewhat weary
from the trip over. they went to bed
to get in shape for the "big loin'"
which will come off all this week
Frank McKechnie and Tom Stout
were delegated by the local depart
ment to go to Lombard and meet the
visitors. Upon arriving in Lombard
Saturday morning, the local ENJOYS
learned that bunch of the incoming
delegates We're in Helena so went on
up to that burg and met them.
Together with the live delegates from
Havre and Helena, the two represen-
tatives came down to Lombard Sun
day night and found number o the
boys from Butte, Missoula and Hamil-
ton had arrived on an early train Sun
day afternoon The management Of
the Montana railroad company turn
ed the Monday train over to the Lew
istown boys and added a special car
for firemen and their friends. The
west bound train on the Northern Pa
cifc was late by several hours. This
train brought the delegates from Bill
lings, Red Lodge, Livingston, Boze-
man and other eastern towns. 1t did
not arrive until noon. All delegates
then took dinner with Billie Kee, the
Celestial boniace at Lombard and at
/ o'clock the train with Conductor Mil
Ter in charge and Ed. Vaupel at the
throttle, pulled out for the metropolis
of the Judith Basin.
Nno f,psv info %o
the least. During the morning, the
delegates had time to get thoroughly
awake and all who had any left-over
lethargy were aroused when the ir-
repressible Bill Nye of Livingston
struck the platform with his big bell.
A firemen's convention without Bill
Nye would resemble barbecue with
nothing but celery and cranberries
He is almost as essential as Captain
Jack Bond of Billing or George Lapp
of Butte.
Soon after the train started, Stout
pinned on the badges while McKech-
ME uncorked some mineral water
from Milwaukee. The trip up was
more or less eventful. Some cattle
tried to hook the train off the track up
in Sixteen mile canyon and two of
them was more or less battered up.
The cows got caught in a bridge
across the creek and Bill Nye headed
the relief expedition. They were ex-
tricated in due time and the journey
continued, the rythmatic clicking Of
the rails keeping time with the ryth-
matte popping of the corks from the
bottles of soda-pop-that is, minerol
water
But it was a hard day on stock. A
band of sheep, thinking that Bill Nyes
bell belonged to the bell-wether, tried
to board the train and three of them
were promiscuously strung out along
the line. Nothing else of serious ma
ture occurred until Harlowton was
reached. At this point Bud Davis ran