Milford chronicle., 1958-08-29
Cord Hazard. of Milton.

CORD HaZZarQ, OF MllLOn.
He gives credit to his outdoor
life for his exceptionally good
health through the years and even
today. Once, he said, he thought he
would become an attorney but gave
it up because he couldn't stand the
confinement.
And through all the adventures
of his life has run the big interest
of his life-frefghting.
In the group he had been assist
ing back in 1888 were well known
men long since deceased-CaIeb
Layton, Landis Layton, Rufus Tor
bert, Walter Torbert and others.
They had dozen of the leather
buckets, long ladder and an
other ladder with hooks. The head
quarters of the department was in
the county courthouse. Employees
of the Pennsylvania Railroad which
usually had several engines at
hand here, would blow the engine
whistle as the call to the fire.
The buckets we're carried to
the scene of the IRE on foot and
water was obtained from the near
est well. There were numerous well
sweeps in those days and every
one cooperated in fighting the fires.
According to- Mr.. Pepper, no one
particularly wanted to be fire
chief but eventually the late Chas.
Moore became and provided the first
transportation to fires. He had a
white horse which he hitched to
wagon and drove to the fires.
Mr.. Pepper was himself the
second fire chief, according to his
recollections and later served as
assistant chief under Joseph Green.
Then came a hose carriage and
the hook and ladder truck, pulled
by hand, which has been preserved
by the company and may be seen
at the present fire house.
The first place which the firemen
had to themselves was beside the
present print shop of Olin D. john
son on S. Race st. Then they built
a house and still later, around 1921.
they bought the old First National
Bank Bldg, on the Circle which
they have remodeled into one of the
best equipped fire houses in the
area.
1--WE had an awful time getting
rid. of the vault, Mr.. Pepper re-
marked reminiscently. I'VE used
sledges and one thing and another,
but finally got it out"
Three marble steps, about to
be scrapped, were salvaged from
in front of the bank building by
Mr.. Pepper and taken to his home
on North Bedford ST., where they
stand today as good as when he
acquired them.
Mr.. Pepper had little to say in
comparing those old days of 1888
with 1858 except, of course, about
the growth and development of
Georgetown and the fire company.
He remarked, however, that
there weren't any uniforms or par
ades when those early members ran
on foot to the fires, passing the
buckets from hand to hand.
"Just hard work" he said.
) Mr.. Pepper has lived all his life
on that same block on North Bed
ford ST, except for the time spent
in Pennsylvania. He was born
several houses to the north of the
one which he has occupied for 55
years. His parents we're the late
Thomas B. and Mary q Pepper. He
has been married twice. His first
wife, Martha Zimmerman, died, and
his second wife, Florence v. Shear
er, formerly of Carlisle, Pa, now
"a, is totally blind and crippled
with arthritis. He has no children.
Mr.. Pepper takes complete care
of his wife, and among other things
has rugged up rope on the spa
cious screened porch, so that when
her arthritis doesn't bother her too
much, she can walk around the
porch without danger.
a.