St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-11-24
Village To Investigate.
Committee Appointed at Special
Meeting to Look into Fire
Protection.
George A. Burbank, Ernest A. Blodgett
andlOuiS N. Smythe Named to do
the Work and Report tOReg-
ular Village Meeting in
January.

The matter of establishing paid fire
department and the purchase of improv-
ed fire fighting apparatus in the village
of St. Johnsbury is to be thoroughly in
vestigated by committee OF three practi-
cal men and report made to the regular
village meeting in January for the guild
ance of the voters in deciding whether or
not the trustees shall be empowered to
purchase chemical fire engine, establish
central fire station and employ paid fire
department. This was the vote of the
special village meeting which was held in
the town hall Monday evening at which
there was a good attendance of voters.
The three men chosen by the meeting
were George A. Burbank, chairman, Ern-
est A. Blodgett and Louis N. Smythe.
The meeting was called to order by J..
Rolf Searles, village president and the
call read by Village Clerk Preston E. May.
When the president asked what action
the meeting would take on article one of
the warning. Louis N. Smythe said he
had a resolution he wished to present.
He said that he for one did not know
what it was best for the village to do
and he believed the subject should be in
vestigated by a complete committee and
report made to the voters before def.
mite action was taken. He read the reso-
luton to show its purpose.
President Searles said he believed il
would be necessary to take some actor
on the two articles in the warning before
the meeting could act upon the resolu
tion. Elisha May moved that articles
one and two of the warning be laid or
the table until an adjourned meeting bt
held and that the resolution read by Mr.
Smythe then be taken up for considera
tion. This motion was carried.
A. !. Gleason moved that the resolu
tion read by Mr.. Smythe be adopted
The resolution is:
I To the end that the voters may intell
gently act upon the matter, of securing
if possible, better means to extinguisf
fire and save human life at fires, it i:
hereby resolved that committee o
three, one of whom shall be trustee 0
the village be elected tonight to
First, ascertain the cost of a chemica
engine and fire ladders
Second, the probable cost OF the es
| ldOHSHlneHt Ol one VI uolC pau HL'
companies; and
Third, the propriety of uniting the po
lice force with a paid fire company, ant
that said committee be requested to OBJ
tain and give the voters at an adjourned
meeting all the information that it i
possible for them to obtain as to all tn
matters hereinbefore stated and to otfe
suggestions as to the same.
The resolution was adopted with som
votes in the negative. The committee a
given above was then named. On til
motion of Elisha May the meeting vote
to appropriate not to exceed 5000 t
pay the expense of the committee. l
was adopted by a close vote.
George Caldbeck then made, a motto
that the village trustees be instructed t
compel all telephone, telegraph and elet
trio light wires to be placed undergroun
on the main streets OF the village. Th
audience Immediately showed its approx
al of Mr.. Caldbeck's S motion but it wa
decided that the trustees did not hav
the power to act in the matter unde
present laws and no vote was taken o.
the matter.