Henderson daily dispatch., 1946-08-06

bfcCkcnr!USe street. near where
the Henderson Tobacco Company
plant now stands. The horses Slipped
III the slime. even as the wagon did.
and extra teams had Ia be called in
| IL pull the shiny red wagon out tn
! solid ground
The former chief tells the story
that when the wagon first was
shipped. II came equipped for only
| one horse. The wagon weighed more
| than 1000 pounds and was too much
! for Old Dobbin alone Double shafts
had 10 be bought and fitted to the
| wagon and an additional horse was
purchased. y committee from the
board of aldermen was sent To Bait
more 10 buy two now horses. each
weighing some ! 900 10 LOO pounds.
They were shipped by boat To Nor
irlk. where horse traders there adj
mrcd them SO much they threatened
,n buy them. One of the horses died
and soon thereafter motor equip
mcnt was purchased by the city and
the remaining horse was sold.
The late X. J. Switzerland. who
afterwards was for many years coun-
! ~ recorder. WAS mayor when the
Old hose wagon was purchased. His
Office as mayor was in n small
brick building which al that time
stood ON the site now occupied by
the Perry library opposite the court
house on Young street. and Il block
from the present fire department
Chiefs Biggest Fire
The biggest fire that occurred
while Mr.. FaIkncr was chief was
one which destroyed the Smcrdor
machine shop and the adjacent Bca-
com stables. whose owners lost q
number of head of livestock III tine
blaze. The chief did not. of course.
ainy al the fire department.. but had
Taper IN his home um Andrews
avenue - notify him of fire. The
bell IN the present clock tower. also
serving linen and now as fire
alarm device, was acquired al Il
| later date
II was not until 1913 that the ci-
| ~ bought lis first motor truck equip
/ mcnt. That was Il SlO.OOU machine
| equipped with hose. pump and lad
| dcrS. and also chemical tank
/ Ihiriy-yCar term bonds we're issued
| 10 pay for the equipment. and thus..
| bonds were paid off in lump sum IN
| lDl5 after interest in the amount of
]
/ had been paid from year to year.
Modern Alarm System
a fire alarm system Of twelve
! boxes. electrically operated. was in
! stalled IN 1919 al about the time the
new truck was purchased. This
served until several years ago when
! II became so obsolete and dilapi-
| dated that il would no longer func-
| ton. and since that time calls TO
ilrcmcn have been made by tele-
! phone.
Only this summer however. the
| city has purchased new and mod
EN- electric fire alarm system. with
"a boxes To be located in convenient
| spots all over the city. More than
100000 will be spent for this equip
mcnt. which is to be installed this
autumn. as soon as it can be manu-
/ featured and shipped.
II is far cry from firc-fighting
facilities in Henderson in the old
days of the old red hose and ladder
wagon TO the modern equipment now
IN use. AT the present time there are
four motor trucks, all equipped with
| bumpers, hose. ladders and chemical
tanks.
whereas back in 1913 there was
one full-time employee, who was
paid $50 per month, Their are now
nine. including the chief, with lowest
salaries several times that received
by Robctr Falkncr when he kept the
vigil alone for many years, with his
only company at night being the
two handsome. robust horses that
furnished the motive power for the
| wagon.
Days Of The Fire Bugs"
At times during the intervening
years Henderson has had some dew
astating fires, despite its modern
equipment, but they we're OF the kind
that were discovered only after they
had made such Roadway that only
a delugc of water could have over
come their force and heat.
| Old-timers remember, too, the
days Of the fire bugs" back in the
early twenties, when ring of con-
spirators set fire to properties in
which they we're concerned and for
the purpose of collecting insurance,
and when they burned many another
large building with the idea of di-
ycrting attention from their own