Year: 1876

1t is known that VIM. M. Tweed,
whose case is now attracting so much
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 connee-
ton with it. 1t 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, originated from the
fact that at the time of tine reorganiza-
tion of No. 6 the city had caused to be
constructed four 81 gines OF the Phila-
delphia pattern, two of the largest of
which were assigned to recognized
companies, assuming the prefix "big" "
to distinguish them from their prede-
cessors. Niagara company thus became
known among firemen as "Big Four, 1"
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 o
"goose neck" which term denotes a
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 tire 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 confagration.
At the fire the bucket holders were
formed into two lines, extending from
the engine to the various town pumps
in the vicinity, the one line to pass the
buckets when filed to the engine, which
had 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
fuence, and. even claimed the Office of
register as o reward for the faithful SER
vice of popular chief engineer, the
foreman of "Big Six " naturally aspired
to municipal representation of the ward
in which he dwelt. Consequently he
ran for the aldermanship of the Fourth
ward, but was defeated. Chagrined OF
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
sistant alderman of the Seventh ward.
His election laid the foundation of q
prolonged political career, his influence
speedily extending over the Congress
sional district, proven through his elec-
tion as representative over Conrad
Swackhamer, prominent political lead
er, and editor of the Democratic Re
vieso. Only once was he defeated, and
then in contest for the aldermanship.