davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
First Paid Fireman.

]. +. Benin, now president of the Veteran
Firemen's association of Omaha, returned
from the war in 1866. and Immediately be-
came Identified with the Fire King" COM
pany. He fired the first steamer used for
fire purposes in the city. That machine
was located on the present site OF the
Board of Trade building. Mr. Behm re-
ceived s25 a month for his services as
fireman, and was the first paid fireman
in the city. He stayed at the fire house
all the time, and received an additional
income by repairing harness. Mr.. Benin,
who would about as soon talk of the old
fire days as he would play a game of
nnochle. told the other day of a long run
his company made one night to Council
Bluffs 1t was in 1868, when a big fire. for
those days, broke out in the BLUFFS. Benin S
company went over to help. Nearly 100
Omaha men took hold of the towline and
pulled the steamer to the ferry boat which
was quickly fired up In the dead of night.
and the steamer quickly placed on the
other side of the river. The men hurried
for five miles and reached the fire in time
to be of assistance Council Bluffs citi-
zens had damned the Lowsy creek and
so vigorously did the fremen work that the
dam was pumped dry several times during
the fire.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Of Present Movemen

Canadians like our fashions and novelties.
Our people understand the market and,
with little counting on our part the trade
might be greatly increased. 1 have before
me the items of Canada's foreign COM
merce in 1904. They show how we COM
pete with Great Britain in the markets of
the dominion. OF the goods covered by
the tariff SO per cent came from the United
States, and only 30 per cent from the United
Kingdom, notwithstanding the preferential
rates. AS to articles which paid no duties
we furnished II per cent of them and
Great Britain only 16 per cent. -
1t is interesting to look at the figures.
In manufactures OF iron and steel Uncle
Sam then sold $l7,OOO.Ooo and John Bull
100000. In hardware Uncle Sam S, 600 600
and John Bull less than 100000. In coal
Uncle Sam 100000 and John Bull s33O,OoO.
In farming implements Uncle Sam about
100000 and John Bull $4,000.
The same proportion exists as to many
other items. During that year the United
States sold Canada s2.5OO.0o0 worth of cleo
trical machinery. while Great Britain sup
piled only $4,000 worth, and in vehicles our
sales amounted to s1,6OO.0oO to Great Brit
aims $4,000. Indeed, the percentage is al
together on our side of the ledger.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Company with Good Record.

Going back again to the beginning OF
things, it is a matter of record that during
the twenty-five years of the Pioneer hook
and ladder companys existence not one
member was killed. although the company
attended every fire during the quarter of a
century from May ., 1860, to May 8, 1885.
A. j. Simpson was the first chief of the
fire department to perform that service
without pay. He served from 1866 to 1865
chief of the volunteers. j. +. Markell,
while conducting his bakery, was the first
chief to receive a salary, which was at
first 500 per year. Then as the city grew
the fire department grew and the good
old days passed away as a dissolvlng
view, to be recalled only in memory's halls.
on May 8, 1855, the Pioneer company met
for the last time. The paid department
having been well established it was deemed
wise TO muster out the old guard with due
honors. The DISARMAMENT was marked with
exercises Of civic character, John NJ.
Thurston being the orator of the day.
The Pioneers closed their books with 5000
in the treasury and 1873 members on the roll
of honor
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Birth of the Association.

AS a living monument to the old days, the
Veteran F1remen's association of Omaha
was organized in December, 1887. Frank
II. Koesters, who was the secretary OF the
Pioneer company, became secretary Of the
Veteran association at its organization and
has held that position to date. He has
been one of the chief mainstays of the
Veteran body and was one of the active
ones in the days of volunteer fire fighting.
Julius Treitschke, the present treasurer Of
the Veterans is another of the old guard,
who was always on the hose line when
the bell rang. d. z. Beard, who owned
those white mules is now first vice presi-
dent, while Charles Hunt is second vice
president Hunt and Beard are both In
active business at present and remarked
the other day they believed they could
make another run with the old machine IL
Fred Benin would pull the bell
John Banner, who has lived for forty
,ears at his present address, Nineteenth
and Cunning streets. was in close touch
with the old fire house at Twentieth and
lizard streets. For years he was an officer
of that company and can recall hitching up
many times with Boards mules for a trip
down town.
And after the organization of the Veteran
association came modern history.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

The early volunteer fire department was
known as the Pioneer Hook and Ladder
company No. l. Along in 1860 when the
little colony of people making UP the viii
lage was agitatng the establishment of
a fire department. Ben Stclies, James w.
Vanstrand and w. J. Kennedy constituted
a committee to circulate an agreement,
the signers of which pledged themselves
to support the proposed volunteer fire de-
partment In few hours the committee
secured thirty-three signers. On the sec
ond day of May. 1850. Mr.. suckles called
b meeting at the office OF ]. s. Mccormick.
on Farnam street where the Postal Tele-
graph office is now located. The company
was organized two days laer under an
especial charter from the legislature, which
empowered the company to own 5000
worth of apparatus. The certificate OF
Incorporation was signed by the late ].
Sterling Morton, then territorial governor.
The leaders in the organization of the
pioneer company were Ben Stckles, w. ].
Kennedy, J. c. Mccormick, Henry Gray
Henry u. Curtis, NJ. II. Clark A. j. Simp-
son and p. w. Hitchcock Among those
Joining the company during the first five
years were Fred Krug, J. f. Markell. JOS
eph F. Shelley, p. Windheim, Samuel
Burns, j. c. Megeath, L. S. Reed. w. l..
May, George Giacomini Frank Murphy.
John NJ. Shelley, w. P. Wilcox p. j.
Karbach. d. c. Sutphen and Henry Pundt
Many OF those mentioned are still living
In Omaha, while not a few are active in
the community. A. ]. Simpson. who con-
strUcted the first fire truck used In Omaha
is still in business.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

In the memories Of those members still
living. There were thirty-three men in
red shirts, white duck trousers black belts
and small glazed caps. on the truck were
ladders. hooks, axes and wooden buckets.
The buckets were important implements
in the life OF a fireman in those stirring
times. The appearance OF the Pioneer boys
on that bright Fourth Of July day, with
their glazed caps cleaning in the sun
shine and their pretty wooden buckets.
nice enough to hold lemonade at a Sunday
school picnic. was such as to draw nearly
every woman. man and child to the route
Of the parade. which was nearly all on
Farnam street The brand new apparatus
was placed in a building on the west side
of Twelfth street. between Farnam and
Douglas streets, after the parade, and the
thirty-three members of the Pioneer Hook
and Ladder company No. l went to their
evening meal with the feeling they were
real firemen and ready for any case Of
combustion which might come along.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

ern Canada can pull together. The con-
trolling political influence in the east is
French. The premier, Sir Wilfred Laurier,
is a Frenchman. the party now ruling Is
bossed by the French and the French hold
the balance of power in the federal legisla-
ture. The west is Anglo-Saxon and the
French are comparatively few.
The French-Canadian wants no change.
He loves Canada an annex to Great
Britain, and he would fight for it as SUCH
He looks upon the Anglo-Saxon almost as a
foreigner and prides himself as being the
real Canadian who antedated him and Is
indigenous to the soil. His element is not
confined, as some suppose, to Quebec.
There are French in every eastern prov
ince. Seventy per cent of the citizens of
Montreal are of French descent, there is a
large French element in Toronto and In
every town east of the Great Lakes. The
largest newspaper in Canada is French,
and there are towns in Quebec and On
tario where French is better understood
than English.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

world. and the men who work II will nat
urally be free traders They will have to
buy what the people of the east make to
sell. and they must now pay, not only the
high prices caused by the tariff, but also
the enormous tariff in freight to the rail-
road which must carry these goods to
them, a distance of thousands of miles
The time will come when such things can
be more cheaply furnished from the United
States, and when our great factories Of
the west can supply them at nominal
freights over the roads built north and
south.
Politics is generally supposed to be a
matter of sentiment. There was never a
greater mistake. Politics is based on self
interest; and whenever the western Cana
dian finds he can add a dollar TO his pile
or an extra pound of feathers TO the pillow
on which he rests his weary head by join
ing the United States, he will do It, In
this l speak not of the conditions of today
when there are 100000 in eastern Canada
and only 100000 in the west. 1 speak OF
the time, soon to come, when there will
be an equal number here, and OF that, a
little farther on, when western Canada
will have its 100000 or 100000 and east
ern Canada, in all probability, but little
more than now.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

ambition Of his life. Mr.. Altstadt told the
young man to be on hand that evening
and then summoned the members OF his
company to assemble at the fire house to
transact important business.
The members OF company No. were
on hand soon after milking time and the
young aspirant was at the fire house eager
for the fray. Young Man From the Coun-
try was told to partly undress, which he
did; then the hremen filed past him. pla-
cling pieces OF ice on his bare body as they
walked. Instead of ninchng or remon-
strating the candidate on that occasion
called for more ice and declared he did
not care how much he might suffer SO
long as he became a fireman. His name
was entered on the roll, he became one
of the best men in the service and later
rose to prominence in business affairs
Recalling that initiation one day last week
Mr.. Altstadt said that young man was the
happiest person in town when a fire badge
was pinned on his coat.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

Indeed, our institutions are in many re-
spects the ideals of the Canadians. Moth
ing succeeds like success. We have taken
raw country and made a great nation.
Canada hopes to do the same. The people
here believe in the American tariff and in
American business methods.
The opening up of this new country is
largely due to our citizens, and the other
immigrants who are coming in look up to
and model their ways after them. AS it is
now one-third of the new settlers are COM
posed of slow-acting eastern Canadians,
who lack initiative and push. A second
third is made up of Europeans who are
largely ignorant and must be educated and
assimilated before they will make good
farmers or citizens, while the last third Is
composed of bustling. energetic, pushing
sons of the United States, the most of
whom have come here with money in their
pockets and constitute the cream of the
country. The native-born western Cana
dianiis as like his American brother as one
pea is like another. so that the native west
erners and new Americans will work to-
gether. Both are united in their desire to
build up a new country and both care so
little for the old that they will smash the
images at the slightest provocation. II 1t
pays them to stay with eastern Canada
they will do so. II it seems advisable to
separate and have an Independent west
they will do that, and II the time comes
when their pocketbook interests are with
the United States they will drop Great
Britain and the east and go for annexation
These are possibilities which may be real
lied in the future. and the natural condi-
tions are such that they will probably
bring about striking changes within not
many years.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Some Early Experiences.

The method of giving an alarm OF fire
In the very early days was by ringing
the bell on the Methodist church, then
located on the present site of the Omaha
National bank. The church belfry was
of such an elevation that the bell could be
heard all over town. Later the Congrega-
tional church people sold the firemen their
old bell. The chief water supply those days
came from cisterns which were located at
convenient places. Wells and creeks were
often drawn on. as the occasion arose,
During the month of February 1861, the
volunteers used up a large snowdrift while
putting out a fire in the home of Fred
Krug at Eleventh and Harvey streets.
Not long after that fire the city council
was induced to build cisterns with a
capacity of 1000 gallons each, at various
intersections
In 1866 the citizens began to feel the
need of more fire protection so A. ].
Simpson was delegated to go to Daven-
port, Ia, where he bought a hand fire
engine, known as the Fire King" The
engine was received by steamboat and
welcomed with much acclaim. Colonel
Lorin Miller, the mayor, took much in
terest in the fire department. He requested
the citizens to assemble at the town hall
and view the new engine. The bellies of
the town gathered in their best bibs and
fuckers while the beaux wore their best.
Speeches were made and test of the ma
chine was witnessed About a hundred
feet of hose was attached to the engine and
Chief Simpson was at the nozzle. The
mayor was twenty feet away in his white
trousers. When the water was forced
through the hoze the nozzle became I'M
comfortable and the mayors immaculate
garments were despatched with muddy
water. W. ]. Kennedy made a speech of
apology on Behalf of his comrades and the
mayor promised to forgive and forget.
Fire King was placed in the fire house
on Twelfth street, between Farnam and
Douglas streets. The first members of
that company were A. J. Simpson, Charles
Goodrich, Martin Donahue and Fred Ken
nick. During 1867 the first steam engine
other steamer was secured to replace the
old Fire King" The second steamer was
called the Fire King" and it was placed
in house on Tenth street between Far
nam and Douglas streets. In 1870 the
third steamer called Nebraska" was
bought and located at Twentieth and lizard
streets. In 1870 the apparatus consisted Of
two steamers, one hand engine and one
hook and ladder truck. q
The first sensational fire to be recorded
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Early Day Fire Fighters of Omaha Experiences

living now in Omaha are a few
scores OF citizens who can lOOK
Il - back over the years wniCn
UlEnlll marked the growth OF the city
S-3 from a village OF the frontier type
To city Of the metropolitan class, and
picture IN their mlau's eye the develop
ment Of the city's ire department from a
small coterie OF eight volunteers to the
present paid department of 10 men with
equipment which would have made the
fire ladies of we olden days think they
were seeing things. In those days long
since gone, but of which the old guard
loves to talk Of when they gather every
three months in Chief Salter's Office, or at
their annual banquets, the fireman was, in
way, privileged character. BY an es-
pecial act of the legislature he was alb
solved from jury duty and poll taxes; was
prominent in social affairs and a cynosure
Of all eyes on gala days.
Notwithstanding the fire fighters of the
early days volunteered their services, they
were inspired with pride which was mo-
table They took pride in the maintenance
of their equipment and quarters and were
heroic when the town bell called them to
a fire. As the city grew and the needs for
better fire protection became necessary the
volunteer department received recruits, dis
sembling as an organization on May %,
1885, after just twenty-five years of service.
That the old associations and memories
might be kept alive members of the old
volunteer company organized in December,
1887, the Veteran Firemen's association Of
Omaha, which still exists. and which meets
quarterly in the fire chiefs Office in the
city hall
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

was left dangling to the upper side OF
hand pump is to make any Of the old
firemen laugh. In the days OF the hand
pump one side Of the mechanism went up
while the other went down. After fire
at barrel factory at Sixteenth and Chi
caSo streets John Butler, then chief OF
the department. and a few others got up
a joke on Mr.. Ahstadt. BY some hook or
crook the Judge was left alone, hanging
by his hands from the raised side of the
long and high handle Of the pump. AS
Fireman Atstadt was not VERY pig oop
undt down" his plight caused him some
CONSERVATION and his comrades much mer-
riment. To drop from the handle to the
gallery" was not easy. so MIR. Altstadt
closed his eyes and released his hold to
land in a tub of water Then Little Bis
marck took the boys around to Fred
Heitzke's place. where they gathered
around the stove and warmed both the
outer and inner man.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

in the annals Of the early fire fighters was
the burning OF the w. r. King grocery
store at Thirteenth and Farnam streets
While fighting the flames the men came
across the dead body Of a clerk. said to
have been murdered by a porter named
Baker. Baker was said to have hidden
$500 of the FIRMS money in an oyster can
and then killed the clerk before setting
fire to the building. While the fire was
yet raging the Waterman. an evening
paper. came out with a story roasting the
fremen. Editor McDonough was located
on the street by some of the men. who
frightened him by getting a rope and going
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
what Canada Sells.

-
What Canada Sells.
1 do not wonder that the eastern Cana
dams are strong for protection. Under the
present high tariff it's industries are every
where growing. There are now more than
100000 workmen employed in its factories
and the goods made sell for almost $780,
100000 a year. All the large cities are
growing. Montreal has now about $50, 600 900
employed in manufacturing and is paying
out S1S,OO0.000 annually in wages. Toronto
has $50, 1000 worth of capital so invested
and other large manufacturing centers are
Hamilton, Quebec, Winnipeg, London and
Ottawa. In Quebec there are more than
500 manufacturing establishments of one
kind or another and the town of, Hamilton
has 230, many small. but some large. Can
ada now sells abroad more than S13, 900 900
worth of minerals and manufactures every
year. The country is going into the cotton
business, and it now has twenty-five cotton
mills 1t has 100000 invested in wood
pulp factories and is doing big business
in the differet kinds of provisions. 1t is a
big dairy country. 1t sends butter to Eng
land and 1t is exporting cheese to the
amount Of $lS,000.000 year. 1t sells millions
OF dollars worth of eggs and in the shape
of fish It draws more than 100000 out
of its oceans and rivers every twelve
months. Talk about your gold In sea
water! Canada gets it.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

questions asked. The firemen had police
authority and occasionally pressed by
ISLANDERS into the service, although the
rule was there were many willing hands
about whenever a fire was on.
For several years before the Pioneers
got gay with their own team of fine horses
engine company No. I, Twentieth and lizard
streets, frequently would hitch a small
team of white mules to the line and the
little fellows would go to the fire like
veterans. Dan p. Beard. now working in
Charles Hunts paint shop. owned those
mules and took great pride in them. Though
not much larger than jack rabbits the
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

tiers over the houses. The paid hands de-
vised an initiation which consisted OF
toting heavy iron wheel up n flight Of
steps and to the center Of room. If that
feat was performed without stops on tho
way the applicant was recorded for
strength. The next test was climbing a
ladder, which lacked some of the rounds
and with some rounds as frail as match
boxes. The applicant would then be re-
quircd to slide down the ladder. The third
number was to blow long and hard and
try to fill a small bag which contained a
tiny hole unknown to the candidate. Then
the applicant would be requested to draw
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25

While Mr.. Benin was stationed at Six
teenth and Farnam streets some of the
town wags would give a false alarm OF
fire, particularly on Saturday nights
Charles Goodrich lived near the firehouse
in question. and it was the delight of
many to watch. Mr.. Goodrich rush down
the Farnam street hill with the small
hose cart which could be pushed by one
man on a dry day. 1t is said of Goodrich
that sometimes the cart would get away
from him going down the hill and he
would hang on, although his feet might
not touch ground for 100 feet at times.
One Saturday evening Benin heard the
boys talking down at Windheims inn, and
expected a false alarm before the evening
was half spent. Mr.. Benin then hurried
back to the fire house and secured the
bell rope in a manner $50 that the alarm
could not be given unless he would give Il.
Sure enough some of the boys dropped
around and tried to ring the bell but the
"curfew did not ring that night"
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Manufacture. and Farmers.

Another wedge which sooner later
must split apart eastern Canada from the
west, is the tariff. Just now the sentiment
is in favor of high protection and wall
of duties against the United States. This
is SO because eastern Canada, which con-
tains about fve-sixths of the population.
is largely devoted to manufacturing 1t
is naturally fitted for great Industrial
empire. and the tariff is bringing Ameri-
can plants from across the boundary and
adding to the working population of the
towns and cities.
Western Canada, on the other hand, is
TO be composed almost altogether of farm
ers The wheat belt, which at a low esti-
mate comprises something like 10000 900
acres is to be one of the granaries of the
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Initiating a New Fireman.


A glance over the rosters of the early
volunteer fire companies will show the
names of many of the city's foremost
business men. To get on the membership
Ioll required passing examination, not
so severe in itself. but sufficiently exact
ing to lend dignity to the organization.
When the city could afford to pay some
of the firemen the engineers and stokers
received an honorarium and lived in quar-
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Uncle Sam VS.. John Bull.

In the meantime. Notwithstanding this.
Canada continues to coquette with John
Bull. throwing bouquets at him in the shape
of preferential duties. When 1t comes
down to real business It buys of Uncle
Sam. The truth is we make better and
cheaper goods than the English. and the
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
American Capital I'm Canada.

Me truth is the Canadians like American
goods better than English goods. And
away down in their souls believe they like
Americans better than Englishmen / over
heard one of their commercial travellers
talking to a group OF his fellows in the
hotel here last night. The subject was the
invasion Of American capital and of Amer
leans, which had been denounced by one
of the papers. Said the drummer:
This opposition to Americans makes me
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-25
Parade on July Fourth.

The completion of that truck was quite
news item in those days. The vehicle
was finished in time for the appearance OF
the company on parade July 4 1860. The
occasion was one that it is still cherished