Year: 1876

whose case 1S now aGbracbluS so uuon


attention, commenced his political


career in New York as foreman of fire


company. "Big Six " was the name OF


the company and Big Six " has been
attached to Tweed's name ever since. A
New York paper gives some incidents OF


this company, and of Tweed's connec-
ton with it. It says: Upon the occur
renee of the Hague street explosion. at
an early hour in the day, Tweed and his
company were among the first to reach
the scene of the catastrophe, and to them
was committed the task of extricating
the living and dead from the ruins.
Faithfully and laboriously did they toll,
remaining upon the ground all that
day and night until three o'clock in the
morning of the next, while the mem
bers of other companies retired after
several hours of labor.


The term "Big Six," applied to the
Americus engine, orig ginated from the
fact that at the time of the reorganiza.
ton of No. 6 the city had caused to be
constructed four 9. gines OF the Phila-
delphia pattern, two of tho largest OF
which were assigned to reorgsnized
companies, assuming the prefix "big"
to distinguish them from their prede-
cessors. Niagara company thus became
known among Aremen as "Big Four"
and Americus as "Big Six" In this
connection it is interesting to note the
gradual and successive changes time and
circumstances have wrought in the size
and fashion of the engines used by our
volunteer fire department during the
last half century OF its existence. Origin
ally companies employed the primitive
style of fire engine, destitute OF the
power of suction, yet furnished with
"goose neck" which term denotes
species of universal joint attached to
the tube Running down into the air
chambers, to which joint could be
screwed the discharge pipe, rendering it
capable Of being turned in any direction
by the pipeman, who played directly on
the fire from his station on top of the
case containing the air chambers. TO
supply water for this machine the citi-
zens were pressed into service, each
house being by law compelled to keep
hanging in the hall near the street a
number of leathern buckets, inscribed
with the owners name. Upon an alarm
of fire in the neighborhood, each house
holder tossed his collection of buckets
into the street, to be picked up by pass
ers-by hurrying to the contlagratlon.
At the fire the bucket holders were
formed into two lines, extending from
the engine to tho various town pumps
in the vicinity, the one line to pass the
buckets when filed to the engine, which
had a box at the rear end to receive the
water, and the second line to return the
empty ones to the bumpers. After the
fire was extinguished, the buckets were
piled in huge pyramid in front OF the
city hall, and on the morrow the park
swarmed with colored servants in search
of the property of their respective mas
ters.


As the fire department had for many
years exercised strong local political IN
huence, and even claimed the office OF
register as reward for tie faithful SER
vice of a popular chief engineer, the
foreman of Big Six" naturally aspired
to municipal representation OF the ward
in which he dwelt. Consequently ne
ran for the aldermanship Of the Fourth
ward, but was defeated. Chagrlned at
this untoward result, the company per-
suaded their foreman to remove from
Vandewater to Rutgers street, and he
was there placed in nomination for as
s;stant alderman of the Seventh ward.
His election laid the foundation OF a
prolonged.political career, his influence
speedily extending over the Congress
sioual district, proven through bis cleo.
ton as representative over Conrad
Swackhamer, prominent political lead
er, and editor of the Democratic Re-
view. Only once was he defeated, and
then in contest for the aldermanship.