. Life and reminiscences from birth to manhood of Wm. G. Johnston . e who would put fires out with water buckets whenan apparatus so superior to that mentioned was withinhailing distance. Had not I already helped pull enginesto fires, being past my sixteenth year; and did not boyseven younger than myself do this ? This of course waslong before the days of steam fire-engines and a paid firedepartment. Men at that time by means of long, heavyropes dragged the cumbrous engines through the streets,and when men were scarce boys were allowed to help,though they knew they would be cuffed, kicked, and
. Life and reminiscences from birth to manhood of Wm. G. Johnston . e who would put fires out with water buckets whenan apparatus so superior to that mentioned was withinhailing distance. Had not I already helped pull enginesto fires, being past my sixteenth year; and did not boyseven younger than myself do this ? This of course waslong before the days of steam fire-engines and a paid firedepartment. Men at that time by means of long, heavyropes dragged the cumbrous engines through the streets,and when men were scarce boys were allowed to help,though they knew they would be cuffed, kicked, andpushed aside when their elders made their appearance. Accordingly, on this day, so soon as I had located thefire, I ran as did many others in the direction of the Eagleengine, domiciled on Fourth Street, near Ferry. I hadnot gone far before I met the engine coming toward me^.and dragged in the manner above described; a very fewmen at the ropes, and these assisted by a motley lot ofdirty boys. The hose-reel, similarly propelled, followed Short Supply of Water. 181. THE EAQLE FIRE ENGINE. close after. Connection was made with the fire plugwithin a few feet of the burning shanty; but unfortu-nately the supply of water, for some reason, was short, butlittle comingwhen the valvewas opened, andon this account,mainly, a verylarge part of thecity was doomedto engine withscarce any delaywas in readiness for duty ; the pumps were manned, and the levers workedup and down, while the engineers standing on the gallerywere almost able to touch the burning roof with the nozzleof the long pipe, from which came a weak, sickly stream ofmuddy water, powerless against the mad flames, whichsoon found fresh fuel in adjoining buildings. Meanwhile the conflagration made rapid headway. Itstongues of flames licked the sides of the large two-storyframe building adjoining, the residence of Bill Diehl — Colonel Diehl as he was often called, for he went withthe Blues to the war of 1812, and
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