Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . s tea store, in South Street, near Dover, caught fire, andthirty buildings were destroyed. It was on that night, at the requestof Chief Anderson, that Mr. Sleight ran from the scene of the fire up toFifteenth Street, near Seventh Avenue, with an order to the foremanof engine 48 to bring the engine to the fire without delay. By the This he did through the winter and summer, and many was thetime that he carried to a fire large wooden blocks chained togetherfor the purpose of allowing the engine to cr
Reminiscences of the old fire laddies and volunteer fire departments of New York and Brooklyn. . s tea store, in South Street, near Dover, caught fire, andthirty buildings were destroyed. It was on that night, at the requestof Chief Anderson, that Mr. Sleight ran from the scene of the fire up toFifteenth Street, near Seventh Avenue, with an order to the foremanof engine 48 to bring the engine to the fire without delay. By the This he did through the winter and summer, and many was thetime that he carried to a fire large wooden blocks chained togetherfor the purpose of allowing the engine to cross gutters easily. In the fall of 1847 at the Sugar House fire in Duane Street,where George Kerr and Henry Fargis were killed, Mr. Sleight heldthe pipe of 48 engine. George Kerr had given orders to 48 to backdown, and just as they had succeeded in doing so the walls fell in,and buried up the hose of the engine. This was one of the narrowestescapes Mr. Sleight ever had. Mr. Sleight was elected assistant foreman of engine 48 in 1850,and foreman in 1851. He was elected a member of the Board of. time 48 arrived there wasquite a number of fire-en-gines from Brooklyn at workon the fire. John Sleight. Mr. Sleight, says afriend of his, was about theonly young man that theforeman would let assist himin taking old 48 engine apartto clean and oil up. Theoccasion neverhappened thatshe was ever unable to takeor give water to any otherengine. He would remainthree nights in the week inthe engine-house, with alarge hickory log of woodfor a pillow, in order to catchthe , alarm when sounded. Short Biographies. 419 Representatives in 1852, and served until 1856. He resigned in Mayof that year and joined 42 Hose, with which company he remainedfor several years. He was appointed bell-ringer on the WestThirty-third Street bell-tower in 1854, and held the position for nineyears. It was the custom of bell-ringers to inquire of firemen return-ing from fires where the fire was exactly located and what
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