The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-06-29
Chemical Engine Housed.

rebuilt auto chemical engine of Uniol
Fire Company was housed after parad
by the four fire companies of the town
| All the fire apparatus of the depart
ment was in line, accompanied by uni
formed members of the companies
Music was furnished by Irons band, 0
Burlington. The old, original hand en-
CINE, purchased by Union Company il
1885, was also in the parade, drawn by I;
pair of mules driven by the veteran
fireman, Daddy" Dietz.
There were also in line a number o
automobiles carrying veteran firemen.
The new chemical engine was in charge
of Relief Company until the parade
covering principal streets of the town
had been completed, when it was taker
to the Union house and formally turned
over to that company by l.. l.. Sapp
chief of the department, whose speech
follows:
CHIEF sAPP's SPEECH
AS chief of the Northampton Fire
Department | take great pleasure in
presenting, not in the term generally
used as gift, but to formally place in
your keeping this beautiful, most
modern and efficient first aid piece of
apparatus, an automobile chemical en-
CINE.
The addition of such modern fire
fighting machine is a great credit to
the Mount Holly Fire Department, and
a still greater achievement for the
members of Union Fire Company, who
after many weeks of hard and dill
gent labor and the expenditure of con-
siderable money, have turned out such
grand piece of apparatus.
This occasion may also be termed
double housing. for not only have we
the pleasure to present this automo-
bile chemical engine, but also the
housing of remodeled hose wagon;
this apparatus being also product of
the Union Fire Company's own MEM
bers' handiwork and ingenuity.
Organized ITO years ago, with
small frame building as its headquar-
tiers at the corner of Main and Garden
streets; then moving the building to
the rear of the Friends Meeting House
on Garden street, the Union Fire Com
pany gradually grew until it erected
its present building. Union Company
has record of which its members are
justly proud.
The first fire engine in Mount
Holly, formerly called Bridgetown,
was purchased by the Britannia Fire
Company, now known as the Relief
Fire Company, in the year 1865. The
engine was purchased by Aaron Smith
and cost f34.
The next piece of apparatus was
bought by the Union Fire Company in
1885. This piece-a hand engine
the company still has in its possession,
a relic undoubtedly priced more highly
than the modern engine housed to-day.
Remarkable earnestness and zeal
has been characteristic of the men,
bers of Union Fire Company in their
work.
1t may also be fitting at this time to
make special mention of the good work
done by the members of America Fire
Company in adding their modern
combination chemical and hose appara-
tus to the efficient equipment of the
Northampton Fire Department and
which already has proven of great
value in the surrounding country as
well as in our own town.
With the splendid equipment of the
Relief and Good Intent Companies
the time may not be far distant when
they too will become motorized-it
will be difficult to find town better
equipped to combat with fires and we
believe a conclusive proof to every
citizen of Mount Holly that the money
Department is being judiciously ex-
pended.
AS representing the Relief, America
and Good Intent Companies, | wish to
thank the Union Company for the
courtesy and privilege it has extended
to US in assisting to house such an
ideal apparatus and bespeak for the
members bright and prosperous fu-
ture.
The engine was received, for the
by Robert S. Gaskill, presi-
dent of the fire department, who said:
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT GAsKILL
Mr.. Chief:
On behalf of Union Hose Company
it is with great pleasure that | accept
this very useful and magnificent chem
ical engine and truck, and in the name
of this company / thank you and the
members of yoar company and the Re-
lief, Good Intent and America COM
panies for what you have said and
done.
l presume that it is safe to say that
few, if any, fire companies in this
country have seen so many changes in
fire fighting apparatus as has this
Take a peep at the consti-
tuition of the company and look at that
little old hand engine, bearing the
date of 1905, only a few years after
this country was freed from the bonds
of England, and then look upon this
magnifcently mounted chemical en-
CINE on high grade chassis of mod
ern motor car, and you will see what
it was and what it is; you will see the
old and the new, the past and the pres
ent. Then read the constitution of
this company, the noble rock upon
which it is founded, and you will see
there written by our forefathers some
thing that shows the caliber of the
men who started this company. You
will see there sacrifice and devotion
hard to match. There you will find the
true spirit Of volunteering to fight fire.
Article of that document is we'll
worth the time of any man, no matter
how high his station in life, to read
anu POAiOOl ONCI. III oOOobeAhSC IAi1o
article provides that every man shall
furnish himself with two leather buck
cts at his own expense; that he shall
keep them in his own home and shall
use them for no other purpose than
fire.
Isn't that sacrifice, devotion and
loyalty? These Union men have an
ancestry to be proud of. They Install
ed the true spirit of volunteering to
save property and life from fire. And
so we can truthfully say that away
back before electricity or even steam
was used for locomotive purposes,
when the telegraph and telephone
were undreamed of, when raising wa
ter by steam or gas power, or NOV
ing fire or other apparatus by these
powers was unknown to the wisest of
any community of our charming little
state of New Jersey or our magnif-
cent nation, Mount Holly had fire de-
partment. Our fathers and grand
fathers had fire department in this
lovely old town that was great in their
days, but could they come to earth to-
day and behold the department of
their posterity, how their eyes would
sparkle with wonderment, how they
would start and stop, and start and
stop again, and look through their
honest, old eyes at the marvellous
achievements of their nOStaritV