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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1920)
i c '.I t -. i -J V VOL. XXXIX. PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 13, 1920 NO. 24 n pit es i if ltw: Trophies of Tire Jfxf- BT rE WITT HARRY. i VOID PRECEDENT" has al- most become an axiom in 1 these iuper-modern times when men pride themselves on orlg tnatlDg, but emulation Is an incal culable spar in the accomplishment of lasting deeds. Tn this respect "Portland Is extremely fortunate In having a fire department whose mem bers have a lasting1 history of f c who have failed in time of need. "Examples Innumerable exist in the annals of the city fire-fighters of comrades who have fought the last battle wholeheartedly and have given their all In the service which is so exacting. From the immortal Dave Campbell down the list of men whose nnsplotched escutcheons adorn the rolls of the "departed while on duty" ' list of the Portland department in spiration exists that cannot be ig nored. In addition to this there is the liberal leaven of,old members who preserve vividly for newcomers the legends and duties of the service as handed down from one generation of men to the other. Priceless Relic-. Preserved. Up on Portland -Heights in station 15 are preserved a great number of priceless relics of the brave old days of the Portland force, some of them dating way back to the first times of the organization. " The Villiam Jeffers hand pump that came through the Isthmus of Panama in 1860 and went into service with old Columbia Threes at 246 Washington street Is there. This engine, a masterpiece of the mechanical art of those days, is in a perfect state of preservation and is lovingly guarded by Captain W. R. Carrington, the oldest man in point of continuous service in the depart ment today and a member of old Pro tection Four. What an eye-opening revelation it would be if Bome of the old boys who tugged at the ropes in the old days and "manned the brakes and gave way with a will" on old Colum bia could return to earth once more and just take the old pump out to answer an alarm, instead of Cap. Carrington and his rose-festival prize winners. for the sedate residents of the heights could the old alarm bell that lies in the back of the engine house peal out the call and the red flannel shirted boys of old with their hip-boots and helmets scurry to answer, shouting echoing instructions through their Best and Bravest Men of Portland Were Mem bers of Old Volun teer Department J r: : snv i P fi- ir? . ri Group r&frm J72 Itzffzss JAawJ JPfJjT?? . sent two engines and hose carts and Hubbard and Gervais sent every able bodied man to aid their big sister city. The Oregon City Woolen mills shut down and W. H. Callicott, a fearless young, railroad engineer of those days, eat at the throttle of a pickup train that made the trip from the Willamette Falls metropolis here in 52V4 minutes, a record, and shame be it said for Portland, for, according to the records of that day he was not even rewarded with a vote of thanks. What a comeback for Ore- ter grade of equipment with the re sult that the most modern machinery was installed. The main reason for the installation of this grade of fire fighting tools on a full-paid basis was that the costly apparatus de teriorated rapidly when Dot getting the proper amount of care, and then it was necessary to have traiifed horses for the engines and they ne cessitated the attention of a full crew. The transition from then on has been gradual. With the great in crease in population and wealth of I gon City of today in the late discuB- the city it has been necessary to add sion that arose over the sending of to the department and Portland has Portland apparatus there to fight always been one city in the country their last big fire. When the 1873 that has kept pace with the improve- I fire here was finally stopped It was ments in th'is direction. The depart- found that it had completely de ment of today is far removed from I stroyed the district from Morrison to that of the olden days with a double I Jefferson streets along the river and platoon system and full motorized ap- I along Madison street as far west as paratus as well as the fast boats on Second street. It was a hard blow the river and the up-to-the-minute to the struggling little city of that alarm system. The old city alarm, or I day, but it marked the real inception town bell, was installed in a tower of of rigid fire-inspection laws and of the building. now abandoned at I better eauinned itpn.iptm,nt v nai a. sigm n. wouio. oe Fourth and Yamhill streets, and after Charles H. Dodd, who now Uvea on that came a siren placed at the Inman- I First street near Grant, is possibly Poulsen mill. The first town bell I the oldest living fireman in the city. came here fn 1858, and weighed 1040 I He was a member of the department pounds. It cost the city S18 and I in the old volunteer days and knows freight and came into use with the I what it means to bend his back over first start of the Portland depart-1 the brakes of the heavy pumps. Out ment in 1 X ."i S u-hon It was rallv first I at Tie-nrri llva, CC7 13 i brass and silver trumpets. Captain. recognized Tne big town Dell wlth one of the old Doy and thi, which so many of the Portlanders of are the realj old-timers of the city umaj At e iAiuuiar ttiiu Liidi us in I ue)dnmni. I or 1 1 a.11 d. in common the Fourth and Yamhill-street tower I with other cities in the old days of weighed 4067 pounds with the strik- I the volunteers, recognized the fact ing apparatus and cost the city $3000. I that some little reward out of the The Oreeonlan Leads Fljcht. ordinary was due these men who did i hu h.n ih hionrv r Pnrii,nd M much for the protection of Ufa acui I - - I , . . A, In the heights house none are alive since inception The Oregonian led "-"-'. "rapi. ure- .jo v. ..,. r,. m th. ramni t hti rnr th mea s list was early established here "-""" J"c" iuomaai Thlo v . j fi. Tounc. R F. rw,nHwin a u- city an efficient fire department in " 6""lu!a. ecusea nan, Adam Zorn, Levi Knott and Charles Logus have left their mark tn the city of today. first Engine Has History. Cap. Carrington's house seems to be the center of the city for the care of the significant mementoes that remain to recall the tale of the de vciupmeuu 01 uio city aepartment. tno niEeardlv nolipv nf th Htv w- urnslde, Asa Barker. F. All the souvenirs there have great dada nurt- I baugh, J. McLaughlin, E. J. Northrup, historical vaiue. x or instance, the xhe Btory o famed Hre of &nuDrlcK Norrls, S. it ("Pill") Smith lue engine wouia ls73 that Bwept most of th f Portland as it then stood, is a thrill ing one, much of the tale being gleaned from information on file in the archives of the Oregon Historical society. This fire resulted in the in stallation of heavy steamers in most of the engine companies of that day The fire started In the early morning and SOOn reached thA nrnnnrtlnna nf a holocaust as it was fanned by a "" u"5r company. a"u oriven soutn rrom its Ladle Honor Fighter, place of start near the St. Charles I hotel. Portland of that day was a! Up in engine 15-s house on Spring city with many flimsy structures, 1 Btreet today are to be found many of many of the stores being of highly ln sou"m " The oia department. inflammable construction with paper reucs inai win ne carea ror by the de or cloth lined' nartitfnnit Tn Tw.vlmi. 7, " nufcuQftcouio iul - y6ars there had been a number of mem. ii was an rignt ior men to I wi w... i . . serve as draught animals when the w mir,iv . Alex Dodge was the first skipper of the Columbia crew with W. B. Clark and Hamilton Boyd as assistants. They had 950 feet of hose and their Jeffers side stroke engine was the crack piece of machinery of its kind in the city. Of the old volunteers who first worked on the engine kept 1853. At this time Thomas J. Dryer lru -ury a7 "a ""om a was Aitor of tho nn rw , ,tt, lcrliul proportion or their personal out and emphasized th ned for or pou ina cn to be so ladeouate nrotectlon A- h.. honored In Portland were given usual th nan- bn. .h. MmAt vote ' thanks by the city In 164, of the city and the formation of the and thelr certificates. On this list are department was but a matter of a short time and it wa nisri William Beck, William McMillan firm basis. Tom Dryer showed how I HarrY Seymour, J. C Van Renselaer, the niggardly policy of the cltv I "" "rnsiae, Asa Harker, F. Har are there, a shield from the Brooklyn volunteers to tho Portland volunteers, belts worn by notables of the depart ment, the old tiger shield of No. 5 company, and the stuffed owl that belonged to No. 3, now, alas, with, a wicked and leering eye looming from a moth-eaten visage. The hall con tains many of the membership rolls of the old companies and presentation books and other souvenirs and is al most hallowed ground for the boys of today, as Dave Campbell's picture adorns the wall along with others of men who have lost their lives while at duty. Bot, Want to Be Firemen. Boys have always found a fascina tion about an engine-house and the lure of the uniform exists even today. though possibly not to such a great xtent as It did when each house was peopled by the well-trained horses. The splendid spectacle of the well- trained and faithful animals in action, galloping to a fire, now exists merely in the memories of the past, but each ngine-house in the city yet has its attendant crowd of hero worshipers who gaze longingly at the brass slid ing pole leading: down from the sleep ing quarters and long to be given a chance to make the slide, feet hooked about the slender surface in a pro fessional attitude. The story of the earliest days of the department, of some of the pioneers who had a great deal to do with the protection of tho little town of Port land over a century ago, is an inter esting one, and, fortunately, a fairly comprehensive record exists in the files of The Oregonian and, in the documents of th historical society. The first attempt to organize a fire company in Portland was made in the spring of 1851. On May 6 of that year tne oia Pioneer company was formed. Among tho 37 charter members were: A. B. Hallock. J. M. Breck, George H. Flanders, A. Robert Thompson and Dr. R. B. Wilson. This comnanv en- Joyed but a transitory existence, for In the annals of this city no record of Its existene after 1852 has ever been not be complete were it not stated that it went to Pendleton for duty in 1S83 after serving its period of usefulness here and after being forced to give way to one of the steamers that came at that time, and that its history was finally completed when it was repurchased by the city of Portland a few years ago to be kept as a part -of the civic souvenir col lection. Also in this house is the first steamer to come to the city, a Silsby rotary engine of the third class that arrived in 1868, which was immediate ly put into service and which pre saged the passing out of the volun teer departments, as the new ap- S. D. Smith. S. S. Slater, C. M. Wiberg and J. O. Waterman of Willamette No. 1, and A. Davis, Joseph Tucker, L. M. Starr, T. B. Trevett, L C. Mil lard, S. G. Skidmore and J. Seller of Multnomah No. 2. William Baker i. j. tioimes, Frank Dekum, C. A. Haas, C. L. Kuhn, M. M. Lucas. A. D, Fitch, S. J. McCormlck, Peter Taylor and Leopold Meyer of "Vigilant hook partment for the ages to come. In the stand of trophies are fully a dozen trumpets presented to members of th department for their meritorious services in times of danger or in rec ognitlon of their bravery. One of th into several tons it was impossible roundins clUes and towns. Vancouver most chasto shewy of these is an machines only ' weighed some 1400 spread and the magnificent spirit of pounds, but when they began to get help that was Bbovrn by tn8 to move them, and the next step was the partial volunteer system when a scattering of full-time paid men were stationed in each engine house, the engineer and drivers of each steamer company, and the rest of the crew composed of residents of the neighborhood who were on a partial pay plan, answering alarms and get was almost the first to respond and the little steamer Oneatta brought an engine company and 60 men from there in 72 minutes, some time and seldom duplicated by the same route even today. Call Is Made for Hels. eiaDoraieiy engraved silver mega phone inscribed "To Couch Engine Number 6 by Their Friends at th Catholic .uadies' Fair, Dec 5. 1887.' What a proud bunch of boys they must have been when they received this boon from the fair hands of the girla of the city, and what rivalry must have existed to be the fellow to By noon of the day of the fire the ting paid for that In addition to the men of Portland were exhausted and handle the trumpet when the company sum allowed for their being ready at I the call went out to the surrounding I was in action, or perhaps the foreman all times. Some of the hand engines I cities for help. "Send fresh men, I insisted that he be given the use of ours are exhausted," was the appeal I It as one of the prerogatives of his that met with such ready answer. A I office. train went out ' on ' the Oregon' and! 'Old helmets, including Jack " W. California to galea "and - that city. I Lyon's, first .wtita. cMeTa headjlece, were yet in service, but it was soon found that as Portland began to get more than 30,000 population it was much,-better fop them to bare a bet- found. First Klre Occurs. In 1853 there occurred a small fire during midsummer which awoke the people to the necessity of making arrangements which would insure adequate protection. At that time the mayor of Portland was Josiah Failing. Immediately after the fire referred to, Mr. Failing took prompt steps to obtain, the protection which to him seemed necessary, and with the view of effecting a fire organiza tion from which satisfactory results could be expected. he annnlntod Stephen Coffin. Thomas J. Dryer and I. B. Smith, to act as fire wardens. Nearly two years after the Pioneer company was organized, a call was made to organize a hook-and-ladder company and to perfect a system which would provide for efficient work by the fire department. This meeting took place on July 28, 1853, A resolution was passed which de clared the whole city a district for the organization of the proposed hook-and-ladder company, and it was the sense of the meeting that Port land should be divided into two sub districts, in each of which should be formed an efficient engine company. The dividing line between ' the two sub-districts was Washington street. The result of the meeting was the organization of Vigilance hook-and- ladder company No. 1. The first of fleers of this company were: L B, Smith, foreman; H. W. Davis, assls tant; C A. Poor, secretary, and S. J. McCormlck, treasurer. The company adopted "Us constitution and bylaws August J. 1853. and the list pj charter members included 36 names. The company was admitted for duty by the city council one day after its organization. Hook-and-X.adder Formed. The first headquarters of this company were on Yamhill street be tween First and Second, where they remained until the memorable fire of 1873 destroyed their home. The com pany's first truck consisted of a com mon wagon, with the original reach removed, and the ladder was formed of long poles made from a tall sapling split in two parts. With its primitive apparatus this company did most effective work, however, and for many years it was one of the great companies of the volunteer fire department. At the meeting referred to above, two committees were appointed for the purpose of completing arrange ments for the organization of two engine companies, one for the northern and one for the southern district of the city. The organization of the company for the northern dis trict was effected on August 1 fol lowing, with an enrollment of 62 names. The first officers were: C. S. Silver, foreman; B. Stark, first assis tant foreman; D. C. Coleman, second assistant; Charles Hutchins, secretary and Justus Stelnberger, treasurer. The first name proposed for the com pany was Protectibn. At the meet ing held on August 8, there was some little discussion over the final selec tion of a permanent name. Mr. Fail- ng suggested. Cascade; Mri- Barnhart thought Pike would be suggestive; and Northerner was offered by Mr. Stark. This latter designation was finally adopted. At this meeting 24 men signed their names to the roll, which made them members of the company. The company, like its predecessors, had none of the elements of perm anency in its make-up, and in less than two months after its formation it was disorganized, not in a formal way, but as an implied agreement on the part of its apathetic members. Prominent Names Found. In the southern district, Willamette engine company No. 1 was organized on August 6 of the same year, with the following officers: Neeson Ham, foreman; David Monastes, first assls tant; Asa Strong, second assistant; A. M. Berry, secretary,- and C E. Williams, treasurer. This company contained among its active members manv men who have since become prominent in Portland's affairs. Among these may be mentioned C. H, Lewis, William S. Ladd, Henry Fail ing, George H. WlllimaSj R. B. K.napp and M. S. Burrell. These gentlemen served in the department for many years, and the aid and support they rendered the old fire department was of incalculable benefit to the city. The same interest these gentlemen always took in their private affairs was devoted- unselfishly to the affairs of the fire department. Willamette engine company was admitted by an act of the city council passed July t, 1854. On June 30, 1855. the council au thorlzed the purchase of one of Smith's New York machines for the use of the loonl denartment. The boys then dubbed the primitive fire pumps pia no boxes." On August 2, 1856, th council passed a resolution which awarded this engine to Willamette company. It had been shipped to Port land via Cape Horn, and it was un loaded at the town -wharf eight days after it had been awarded to the Wil Iamettes by the council. This was Portland's first fire engine owned by the city. Two engines had been brought here before this time, how ever, by W. B.- Otway, on the bark Mary Melville, which sailed into Port land's harbor - July 28, 1852. -For time after, their arrival the machine It? fJz&Cj'fzy. were in charge of P. A. Marquam. One of the engines was subsequently loaned to the Northern fire company on its organization. The other was purchased by G. W. Vaughn and was loaned to the Willamette fire com pany. The vicissitudes of the Vaughn nglne carried it to the temporary se of Multnomah engine company. afterward organized in Portland, and finally to the fire department of Eu gene, where It did most ef flcient eerv- ce for many years. Hiltaomah Company Formed. The next fire company organized in Portland was the Multnomah engine company No. 2. The first enrollment list of 56 names was closed August 26, 1856. Four days later the com pany's first meeting was held. B. F. Goodwin was made chairman of the meeting and T. B. Trevett was ap pointed secretary. Twenty-nine men enrolled their names as members of the company, and the following offi cers were elected: B. F. Goodwin, foreman; L. M. Starr, first assistant; David Monnastes, second assistant; A. M. Starr, president; A. C. Ripley, secretary, and Thomas A. Davis, treas urer. The city council passed an ordi nance admitting this company on No vember 25 of the year of its organ- zation. Multnomah No. 2 was an in dependent company, its equipment having been purchased with money obtained by popular subscription. The engine for this company ar rived from New York in November, 1857. This company afterward owned the first steam fire engine placed in service on the coast. It was a Silsby rotary and was purchased at Seneca Falls, N. Y., and shipped to Portland by way of the Horn. It reached Port land in 1868, just In time to be made available for the big Stitzel mill fire. It was In constant service for an en tire week at that time in the endea vor made by the fire department to extinguish the smoldering fire in the sawdust, which had started from the fire in the mill. This is the engine now at No. 15's house. One of the early presidents of Mult nomah engine company No. Z was Josiah Falling. Among the other prominent members were A. B. Hal lock, Thomas A. Davis, Archie Will- lams and T. B. Trevett. Mr. Trevett was the last of the charter members of this company on the company's rolls when the paid department was organized. He saw 26 years and three months' continuous service with the company. On May 22, 1854, the council passed an ordinance organizing the Portland fire department. The first chief engi neer of the department was H. W, Davis, who drew 1300 a year salary. Shubrick Norrla was assistant. In 1855, at an election held for the chief and assistant of the Portland fire department, the first officers were re-elected. In September, 1856, Davis was again the successful candidate for the position of chief, and Orin Joyne was made assistant. At the election in the following year the successful contestants for the respect ive offices of chief engineer and as sistant were 8. J. McCormlck and Charles Hutchins. During Mr. McCor mick's incumbency he was absent In the east for several monthes and dur ing his absence the council declared his office vacant and A. M. Starr was appointed to fill the vacancy. Mr, Starr,-however, had been elected may or of tho city, aod he failed to qualify as chief engineer of the local depart ment. On April 13. 1S5S, the assist ant. Charles Hutchins, was elected chief. When Mr. McCormick again re turned to Portland he was elected to the office of assistant of the fire de partment. For many years this gen tleman was a bookseller and publish er here, but he afterward removed to San Francisco, where he was editor of the Catholic Monitor. In 1S57 the local fire department was reorganized as the result of a special ordinance passed by the city council on September 24 of that year. Under the terms of this ordinance Willamette engine company No. 1, Multnomah engine company No. 2 and Vigilance hook-and-ladder company No. 1 were included in the depart ment. ' The total number of men en rolled in the department at that time was 157. In June, 1859, the department was strengthened by the organization of Columbia engine company No. S. This company elected the following offi cers: F. Carter, foreman; C. Devlne, first assistant; William Cook, second assistant; George Porter, president; Thos. Neally, secretary, and E. E. Kelly, treasurer. The engine used by this company was what was known as a Jeffer's side-stroke. This is the pump now at Spring street. In addl-. tlon, the company owned a hose car riage, which carried nearly 1000 feet of an excellent quality of hose. The engine house and the headquarters of the company were on ' Washington street, between Second and Third. Columbia engine company No. 3 was the first of the Portland fire com panies to use horses. These horses were purchased by the company, who also stood the entire expense of their care. When the old department was disbanded, Columbia had a consider able sum of money in the treasury. With this money the company voted the endowment of a bed in each of Portland's large hospitals. Good Samaritan and St. Vincents, and the remainder of the funds on hand were contributed to the Exempt Firemen's association, to provide for the care of the Volunteer Firemen's burial plot at Lone Fir cemetery. The rapid growth of Portland soon demanded the formation of another fire company, and on November 1S62. Protection engine company No. 4 was organized and promptly ad mitted to the department by the city council. The following were the first officers of this company: R. Hendry, foreman; H. Bullough, first assistant: J. Byrnes, second assistant; A. Rosen heim, president; W. T. Patterson, secretary and John B. Miller, treasurer. This was the last fire company organized in Portland until February 13, 1873, when Tiger company No. 6 wan formed. The great lire or .De cember 22, 1873, has awakened the people of Portland to the necessity f affording additional protection to the city and it was this which led to the organization of the above com pany. The first enrollment of Tiger company included 52 names. The last fire company organized under tne oia volunteer fire department was Couch ine company No. 6, wnlctt was formed in 1880, with a total member- ship of 35. Today the Portland fire depart- ment is on a iirm iuuuuuUu the nick of the city's manhood. Dou ble platoons, comfortable houses, mod ern equipment, all go to make tne lot of the firefighter of today a much different one from that of the boys who volunteered in the long ago. Es pecially is thi3 so in the matter of training, though none of the old timers will admit that they were In any way Inferior to the men who wear the city blue now. The fully-trained man who takes up fire-fighting as a profession In these days has a hard row to hoe. He has to pass the most rigid of physical and mental examinations, and there is al ways the keenest of competition at the trials when the new members o the department are chosen. Though the men of olden days were skilled enough and just as daring as are the members of the department at this time, they did not have to cope with the difficulties that beset their successors. The huge buildings, the traffic-crowded streets, the heavy ap paratus, all call for a reat degree of training and professional skill. The 1920 department is the outgrowth of the volunteer department of 1851 and resulted from, natural progression, as the buildings multiplied. dJmu v. . rv i- . .. r-' - r,. -.-T--,r-.-:--'r T-vr-