The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-10-20

[ for the TomHnson Spring and Axle l Across the street were stabbed the l horses, cared for by ''Matty'' Ward
 A&i driven by him to all the fires 1 IT. csc horses, a beautiful team were l bought in New York for the city ot 1 Bridgeport by George B. Waller, pres ] tdent of the City bank and a lover of good horseflesh- MT, Waller was the l grandfather of Samuel NJ hawIey, | nov president of the Bridgeport Saw l ings bank.
 | One of this pair of horses lived to a 1 good old age and for several years | previously was used on the two 1 wheeled hose cart. He would follow | the steamer to a fire with his nose 1 up against the smoke and sparks
 thrown out by No. 1 as it dashed l through the streets. Tom as he l was called. died many years ago, be- 1 loved by all the fire company, and | Is buried in the rear of the fire house on John street, near the base of the bell tower that is soon to go.- For the reason that Mayor Sterling was indefatigable in his endeavors to secure the steamer for the protection
 aldermen voted that the steamer be named The D. H. Sterling No. 1.'
 Chief Cheered Them Up
 The next year-1865-two smaller
 steamers were bought by the city, one
 Protector No. g and Excelsior No.
 5.'' These were drawn by hand pow
 CT, with the result that No. 1. with
 horses, generally reached fire first. This was exceedingly exasperating to the old hand-drawn companies, and Chief Ho1comb would try to cheer them on by yelling: Run, boys. run Nike Hell and get ahead of that steam squirt"
 But On Dec 22. 1885, the ID. H. Sterling No. r. proved it's supremacy at the F. Wood and company fire. This huge carriage factory building Si a the Cannon and Broad streets, was in full blaze when No. l reached it and began pumping four streams into the building, en- tiraly drowning out the fire with tons of water before the other engines ar rived. That settled hostiluities and horses were secured for No. ? and No
 Until 1868 the fire department was still a, mixture of men and horses. It was not until 1872 that the paid de- partment was organized and all steamers thereafter were drawn by horses.
 D. H. Sterling was mayor during the Civil War and was followed by Clapp Spooner. The following year mayor by the Republican party. But the ffremen never forgave him for breaking up their various hand ma chire companies and turned out en and elected Jaratt Morford. the Demo- cratic candidate, mayor by a large majority.
 Many Big Fires Then
 MT. Sterling accepted his defeat with equanimity and continued to fol- low No. 1 to all the important fires his namesake played an inn portant and conspicuous part Some of these were the fires of Beardsley and Wilson's lumber yard in May, | 1871; S. c. Nickerson and Sons lum- Der yard in September, 1872; Court 1 land block in February, 1875: the | church On Myrtle avenue in December, 1874; Wheeler and Will | sons factory in December, 1875; and l Glover Sanford and Sons hat factory l early in 1877, wherein eleven lives were lost.
 The first bell in the old tower on l John street became cracked after a | while and another was installed. The oe!l which did duty on the No. l 1 steamer came from a locomotive which an off the railroad bridge draw and vas saliva ged by Jacob Horkhe1mer, who, at that time, was assistant en- ,fneer on No. Is. This old bell was lftel wards taken from the steamer md placed on No Is truck After hat truck was shifted to Steamer No; ,'s house On Middle street the bell vas removed. No one knows where t is now but MT. Horkheimer.
 With old No. l gone. From dead md buried. the two bells silenced' 'Matty'' Ward and Jesse Duncomb lead, and now the old tower to be is there left to be lappy about