Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-01-17

DISCUSS new FIRE
TRUCK PROJECT AT
F|REMEN'S BANQUET
The annual business meeting and
banquet Of the members Of the Fire
mems Relief Association was held
Tuesday evening at the Hartford
Fire Station with a large attend
ance. At $50 fine banquet was
served at which Mayor Ernest L.
Mclean and four of the five men,
bers of the joint standing committee
on fire department presided. Those
of the committee present were AL
derman Shaw and Councilmen
Dreamer, Purinton and Taylor.
The dinner consisted. of baked
beans, brown bread, cold ham,
mashed potatoes, rolls, coffee, pickles
and doughnuts, and was served in
the assembly hall of the fire station.
At the conclusion of the banquet,
President Joseph Kicker. of the AS
ISOLATION, who acted as master OF
ceremonies, introduced Mayor Nc
Lean.
Mr.. Mclean, after expressing his
surprise at being called upon, stated
that he had heard it said that Au-
gusta has the best fire department
in Maine and that while he had no
personal knowledge of the other fire
departments in the State he was in
clined to take the same view of the
matter. He said that he had watched
the progress OF the fire department
since he was pupil at the Smith
school and he in common with other
citizens of the city were very glad
when it was possible for the depart.
ment to move into such fine new
quarters as they now have, which he
believed to be by tar the best loca.
ton in the city.
He played a glowing tribute tc
Chief Small of the Augusta Fire De.
partment and said that the boys
were fortunate in having a chief who
was looking after the interests of the
department., as Mr.. Small was.
Mayor Mclean then went on tc
say that he had always thought OF
Augusta as one great family, each
or the departments being one of the
individuals of the family. This fam.
ny, lie said. had wonderful posi-.
bllltles in the line of cooperation
and the friendly rivalry which ex.
lists between the different depart.
ments Will only tend to greater eff.
cheney.
He closed by stating that he ap.
preciated the zeal with which the
various departments stated theil
needs and promised the boys tina,
when they put in their requests, the,
would be met with whole hearted
spirit of cooperation and sympa.
thetic interest.
Everett "A. Shaw, chairman of the
committee on fire department, was
next called upon by the chairman
MIR. Shaw Is an old time fireman
retired for the past 20 years. and he
told many interesting stories abou,
the old fire department. He frs,
belonged to the department wher
the old hand tubs were in use, anG
they were hauled to the fire by hand
Later came the steamer and final,
the more modern apparatus.
MI. Shaw spoke of the need of reach
ing the rre early, because he said that
very short time makes a great diff
80 NAAS hiS, tildl III tie mat
Ter or equipment it would be neces-
sary always to keep moving ahead. be.
cause a standstill would really be Ia
fall behind the times.
councilman j. G. Taylor and Coun.
Gilman Alton Dreamer both congrat-
ulated the fire department on it's eff.
cheney.
Councilman Lawrence Purinton. IN
troduced as the baby" of the commit
tee. expressed himself as in favor of
two improvements in the fire depart
ment-first. the fixing of the station
on the other side of the river so that
it would be up to date and a better
place in which to live and, second, the
providing of motor hook and ladder
truck.
Henry Plummer who although not a
member of the department has a very
great interest in it, spoke to the may
or the members of the committee, ask
ing that they provide the new truck
as the present one is not provided
with safe ladders or ones long enough
to reach some Of the buildings in the
city.
Chief Small was then called upon,
Mr.. Small said at the outset that any
man could manage the Augusta fire
department at fire. as each man knew
what he was to do; but his job was to
get the apparatus to the fire in a short
time so that they might have a small
fire to deal with. He said that he
was no good with big fire but was
nightly good with small one-the
sma ller. the better.
He asked that the mayor and men,
bers of the committee watch any FIRE
and note how few lines are played from
the street. the firemen in nearly every
case taking the hose right into the
building. He said that his boys would
rather go into the building and take
their chances in the smoke than to
trust themselves to the ladders now in
use.
He then described the truck which
could be procured for $4,000. which
would be equipped to handle fire in
any building in the city and would
have large chemical tank as we'll as
all sorts of paraphernalia which is
used at fires. One of the greatest rea-
sons for getting this truck is that
they may have better apparatus with
which to work. but another is the fact
that the streets are constantly getting
harder for the horses and it is q crime
to drive them as they must be driven
to reach fire in time to be of service.
Il Ia r-ns 4 l.