The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-12-03
ED PIERCE AS
GRAFTON FIREMAN

Ed Pierce in his magazine, Hits
and Mrs, tells the following interest
ing tale of the time when he was Sec
rotary of the Grafton fire department:
A number Of years g I Joined a
fire company. I did this because l
felt 1t my duty to assist in protecting
property from the eager tongue Of the
angry blaze. L intended to be an ac-
tive fireman and when occasion de-
manded would run up q shaky ladder
accompanied by a brass nozzle as
heavy as g. young stove attached to
w blocks Of hose which was about
to be the outlet Of a $4,000 artesian
well, the bottom of which had never
been seen. I could see the furniture
moving out, the old rocking chair, and
family album accompanying it on the
piano. L could hear the'assistant fore
man shouting to someone to turn on
water and with fire in front of me n
fremen behind me / would point the
nozzle at the angry blaze and let her
go. Perhaps the force Of the water
would cause the nozzle to knock me off
the ladder. If so 1 would fall back
gladly and let the next man in line d.
his duty. But when it came to a, fire
I was assigned to the other end of the
hose, being allowed a clerkship at the
hydrant where L sat and watched the
SApSI1SICeQ llISIlSn JuilIlnB HrOunQ
on red hot tin roofs in a careless and
fearless manner, occasionally soaking
a bunch Of idle taxpayers just to be
sociable. l concluded that I wasn't
, much of a fireman after all and with
the exception Of being exempt from
doing any road work in the hot. sun
or from paying 81 to some real work
ing man to do 1t for me, / didn't see
that I was cutting much ginger bread.
But at the next business meeting
there was a change, I was elected Sec
rotary of the general department at a
salary of 5000 per year payable an
nually or as soon as there was any
thing to kick about. 1t was my duty
to sweep out the hall, grease h hose
carts, mend the hose, notify each fire.
man, on foot, of meetings, and on the
night of the meeting ring the bell I'M
til there was a quorum present. Aft
er a few opening remarks from the
president, a popular gentleman gener-
ally smoking a good cigar, the secre-
tary was instructed to call roll. 1t
was found that about Awo-thirds Of
the members were absent and on mo-
ton Of a faithful member the alb
sentees were 1ned and the secretary
was instructed to collect the fines be-
fore the next regular meeting or they
would not be allowed to risk their
lives saving a neighbor's home or
place Of business. 1t may look to
some people that it would be a hard
ship to be deprived Of the privilege Of
spelling a good suit Of clothes or hav-
ing your eyebrows burned off at the
burning of an empty tenement row or
dry lumber palace for horses, but a
good many of the members who l
touched up stated plainly that l could
go 10 -, an inland town without
q we'll. They wouldn't pay and the
matter was dropped after the secre-
tary was properly censured by a rising
vote. 1 kept the minutes Of the meet
lhgs IN an old day book, which had a,
lot of job printing accounts in the
front. The cash was kept in a less
prominent place until the treasurer,
who was building a house and needed
some ready cash, insisted that I should
turn the money over to the proper Of
ftcer, which was himself. After he
had insisted a couple of more times I
turned the money over n the car
penters returned to work. The same
DAY a man who was building a fence
FOR me quit Along about 1889. it was
decided hat all active fremen in good
standing should be measured for a
uniform. l wasn't around when the
tape measure was used and evidently
the man do1ng the work measured a
short, plump barrel for my clothes. I
was so slim In those days that it took
two men to see me in cloudy weather,
put tall as. ever, so when I put nv
new uniform on 1 looked like a half
dressed semicolon, but I marched in
the procession, we'll up to the front.
according to my height, my coat lean
ing over in front to see how far it was
to the ground. One day when most
Of the fremen were away attending a
tournament, the Merchants hotel
started to burn down. 1 was kicking
a press at the time and without stop-
ping the press, which was operated
by a detachable leg motor and would
stop anyway. l hurried to the front.
soon we had two streams of water.
three sizes larger than the. Park river
turned on the blaze, and ' the ching
chug. Of the pump at the power house
could just be heard above the shouting
OF the man who was landlord at that
time, as he called out on the ridge
board over the dining room to get at
tentfon. BY some mistake a stream
was turned on him and he would have
lost his balance If it hadn't been for
a quick witted nozzle man on the 9TH
er side, who turned his stream on him
and both streams held him I'D nicely
TrackIess TroIIHx