Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . s sectionin order to arrest the flames intheir progress across the city. Dur-ing this work, William Peterson,foreman of engine 15, was overcome with the heat, and was carriedfrom the scene insensible. He died a few hours later. The engineof which he was foreman afterward adopted the name of months after this conflagration, an alarm of fire was soundedabout six oclock one evening, and, according to the entry in theminute book of engine 21, the fire proved to be nothing but thecomets tai
Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . s sectionin order to arrest the flames intheir progress across the city. Dur-ing this work, William Peterson,foreman of engine 15, was overcome with the heat, and was carriedfrom the scene insensible. He died a few hours later. The engineof which he was foreman afterward adopted the name of months after this conflagration, an alarm of fire was soundedabout six oclock one evening, and, according to the entry in theminute book of engine 21, the fire proved to be nothing but thecomets tail. It was on April 24, 1833, that the City Hotel wasburned, and through the bravery of the firemen and the coolness ofthe late Uzziah Wenman, then chief of the Department, a seriousconflagration was happily averted. On the 1st of July, in the follow-ing year, Eugene Underhill and F. A. Ward, both members ofEngine Company No. 13, were killed at a fire at No. 273 PearlStreet. At a fire at No. 109 Washington Street, on July 3, 1837,Thomas Herton, a member of 13 Hose just one week, was killed in. 220 Reminiscences of the Old Fire Laddies. the discharge of his duty. On the 16th of April, 1840, James , assistant engineer, and James Glasgow, of Hose CompanyNo. 15, were killed at a fire in Eldridge Street. Both men were ex-ceedingly popular, and, at the time, earnest expressions of condolencewere offered their families in their sad bereavement. It was Novem-ber 18, 1842, that the Tombs caught fire, and the cupola and partof the roof were destroyed. John C. Colt, who had murdered SamuelAdams, was to be hanged on the day of the fire, and the generallyaccepted theory is that the fire was started in order to facilitateColts escape from the building. The job was evidently bungled insome manner, for after the fire was put out, Colts dead body wasfound in his cell. When he found he could not escape, the unfor-tunate prisoner committed suicide. The Tombs was constructed from a plan take
Size: 1326px × 1884px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidldpd63166850, bookyear1885
