Evening journal., 1905-11-22
DUPONT CO. BUYS
MORE PROPERTY.
Purchased the Friendship
Fire Company House for
$40, 500
HISTORY OF THE FIRE COMPANY

uielohl VI I'LL iuA 0uUil M /
The DUPONT Powder Company has
purchased the Friendship Fire Com
pany property at Tenth and Shipley
streets and the land on which the en-
gine house stands viii be utilized I'm
ereeting the proposed Office building.
The consideration was S16.500, which
price is considered reasonable. William
is, Hilles carried on the negotiations
for the DUPONT Company and Charles
c. Kurtz made the sale.
The property is &c feet 6 inches on
Tenth street and runs back 65 feet .
inches. On the site stands a our-story
fire house. The front of the building
Is Of iron and was the second iron front
lerected in this city. The fire company
has occupied the building since 1863
The cellar was dug by the members
and considerable brick work was also
done by them as well as other work
upon the building. The brick work
was in charge of Ezekiel Walker.
member of the company. who is still
living.
! Under the terms OF the sale the
! Friendship Company is to vacate the
property as soon as possible. II will
go into temporary quarters at some
place in the neighborhood yet to be ce-
lected and as soon as possible will
erect a new fire house on Tatnall street
above Tenth, where it recently pur-
chased two properties. The site on
Tatnall street is 46x96 feet and upon
this the company will erect a fire
house which viii be complete and up
] tO-date in every particular
On December %, 1775, seventy-four
lpersons feeling the necessity of some
protection against fire, organized them
tselves into a company. and called it the
Friendship Fire Company. No. /. of
Wilmington, Del.
Each member pledged himself to fur
nish, during a fire, two leather buckets
and large wicker basket with two
handles, and when a member left his
house, upon an alarm of FIRE at night
he was obliged to leave a lighted cam
die in the window for the purpose of
informing a passing member that he
had gone to the fire. If no candle was
TO be seen il became the duty of the
member passing to stop. and awake
the sleeper.
The following is a list of the MEM
bers of the company at that time:
Jacob Broome, Israel Brown, Nicholas
Way, Job Harvey. John Thelwell John
White, Patrick O'Flinn, Joshua Jack
lson, John Marion, Daniel j. Adams,
John Moore, Philip Bonsall. Francis
Robinson. John Mckinley. John Ferris.
David Brinton, Henry Troth, Benjamin
Alricks, William Pluright. John Spring
Ter, John Betson, David Park, Henry
lPaschall, Nathan Miner. William
lWoodcock, John Tripp Robert Hamil-
ton, Joseph Gilpin. Jonathan Rumford.
Jacob Fussill Bancroft Woodcock.
Joseph Warner. William Cook, Oba-
ldiah Dingee. Nathan Wood, james
lBrobson, Ralph Walker, Thomas Crow
Joseph Summell. Joseph Townsend
Vincent Gilpin, Peter Brynberg, Benja-
min Mendinhall. Nicholas Sellers, Johr
Clark, Joseph Lawson. Thomas Will
son, James Robinson. Jr.. Bezelell Bent
, ly, George Speakman. Samuel Bush
Henry Reynolds, William Robinson
Jacob Sellers. Thomas Jeferies, Johr
Bush, Joseph Dawson, Joseph Poole
John Way. William Hemphin, John
Fondray James Gilmore, James Lee
Jr., Thomas May, James Gibbons. Will
liam Poole, John White Arthur Thorn
) as, Benjamin Cook, John Kendall. Jr.
) Timothy Hanson. William Wilson
James jackson. Peter Justice.
These members elected William
. Hemphill as their first president.
Some time after the organization OF
the company they procured an ole
j pumping engine from a French frigate
/ During that time there we're no fire
plugs, and the engine had to be FED
= by buckets. The company used the
j engine for a number of years when they
procured one of more modern style and
, build. This one was used until theil
/ present one was built. II was contract
{ ed for on April 1. 1899. and arrived OF
! July of the same year. 1t was a sec
ond class Gould improved Amoskeag.
The first house Of the company was
built on Market street above Sixth
I where the Smith building now is; the
, house was a two-story frame building
with a tower and a bell. From ther,
3 the company removed to frame build.
ing at the northwest corner of Nintl
{ and King, thence to Orange stree
/ labove Tenth. where the colored Ode
Fellows buildings now stands The,
]. remained there until they removed t
4 their present location in 1859. This
house was contracted for in 1858 and
j, finished one year afterwards