New Britain herald., 1917-06-30

that he would have to impart te tho, commissioners and 1t ts even betttng that in few weeks the attorney will have even forgotten the personnel of the board. The prosecuting attorney is m executive ofncial and if he has anything to communicate he, will communicate to the chief of police, who is. or should be, the executive head of that department.
 In many quarters there was con siderable surprise expressed because Howard M. Steele, the only veteran commissioner. was relegated into the discard and not elected chairman, while F. F. King. a newcomer and a democrat, was given the position. It was known that MT. Steel had am- bitions for the chairmanship and up to tho last minute still clunx to af faint hope that he 1nighti land the job. But he didn't, a fact which might Indicate a lack of confidence on the part of his fellow commissioners and the administration which appoint- ed him.
 Taken as whole however, the po- lice commission should prove . ca pable one and if the members would only agree to work in the open, rather than behind closed doors and in se- cret, giving to the public only what information 1t cares to and hiding all other 1t might win the confidence of the people. Until 1t does. howsvsr, the public Is apt to be suspicious.
 .
 1f han hANn e% since the New Britain ire department has had an outing and field day. but fifty yeads SEQ, in the days of~the old volunteer fire department, these an-. nual field days came with clocklike regularity. At various times there were a number of volunteer hose com panies and engine companies. among which were the Niagara company, the Ocean company. the Atlantic com- pany, the. Pacific company and the Emeralds. There are still a few of these old time members living. but most of them have been dead num- Der of years. The last two of the best known old time volunteers who have died were James A. Duffy and Dwight A. Parsons. Between forty and fifty years ego, when the field days were the events from which everything in town dated. the fire apparatus was of the hand variety. The hose companies had hand reels and the engine companies had hand pumps. while all apparatus had to be dragged through the streets to the scene of the fires by man power. fifteen or twenty mon pulling Tt ropes or pushing from behind. Those were the days of bright red shirt and the S,A> T. >l~ A Aa~a kS,SNr AntN One of the big events of the held day used to be . race between the various companies. The starting place WAS from near Broad street down Lafay- cite street to Washington street and the company arriving first won the prize. Following these races the com | panies would adjourn to the green, :" now known as Central Park. In the old days there was big wooden watering trough at the extreme south end of the green and this would be filled with water and each company would take turns in pumping 1t dry. the company pumping 1t out in the quickest time being declared the win. ner. It was generally the, experienced engine companies that won. as the hosemen seldom could stand the un- ,accustomed work connected with steady pumping. After these feats of fire lighting prowess the companies would adjourn to what was then known as North's grove. This was popular picnic grove at the corner of Maple and Whiting streets, located little to the rear of Mayor c. A. Quigiey's residence where even today there Is . small grove of oak trees.
 As time went on the rivalry be- Av.~ nj M&A0 hA~ came keen and at one time prizes were offered for the company arriv- ing at . fire the quickest It was this that led to the ultimate breaking up of the volunteer system and scandal that stirred the town for years. It was at this time that the so-called .barn burners came into being. Anxious to win the prizes. some mem- bers of the volunteer companies would assemble at their stations all ready to dash out, while fellow member would go to a stated place and set fire to a barn. The last fre of this sort occurred on Lake street whom a biz. barn burnd. It Is said that one company was already at tho Ire waiting for the alarm to be rune in. so anxious were the members to win the prize. This scandal resulted in a general civic upheaval and the arrest and conviction of several men.
 Platform Platttudes.
 (From the Ma con Telegraph
 When look into this sea of up- lifted intelligent faces"
 "I shall dwell upon ono other point briefly, and then am done."
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