FIRE DEPARTMENT

A meeting was held at the office of Mayor W.H. Burford February 25th, 1871, for the purpose of organizing a fire company. Mayor Burford presided and S.P. Darling acted as secretary. Proper committees were appointed and the meeting adjourned to meet at the same place on the evening of March 2d, 1871. At the adjourned meeting Mayor Burford presided and Mr. S.P. Darling acted as secretary. This meeting and several adjourned meetings immediately following it, resulted in the organization of a fire company, known as "Hope Fire Company No. 1," with the following officers:

R.V. Shurley, foreman; P.H. Pierson, first assistant foreman; Sam'l W. Hemenway, second assistant foreman; W. H. Burford, secretary; Herman Schurholtz, treasurer; W.J. Bort, first pipman, and Phil. Degnan second pipeman. December 3d, 1873, the department was thoroughly reorganized, the name of the company changed to "Rescue Fire Company No. 1," and the following officers were elected: Capt. E.B. Bascom, foreman; Jacob Schaach first assistant foreman; John Correll, second assistant of Rescue No. 1, have always responded cheerfully when called upon to battle with the fire fiend; that they have often been called upon and have always conducted themselves in a mannar deserving of the gratitude and praise of the people. The force includes some of the most expert and daring firemen who ever belonged to any organizatian of the kind.

Fire Company

A meeting was held at the Mayor's office last evening for the purpose of perfecting the organization of a fire company. The first business in order was the election of officers, which resulted as follows:

Foreman - Capt. Bascom
First Assistant Foreman - J. Schach
Second Assistant Foreman - John Correl
First Pipeman - H.D. Spaulding
Second Pipeman - J. Fritz
Secretary - T.C. Medary
Treasurer - J.B. Thorp
Stewart - J.G. Orr

The Foreman, 1st Assistant Foreman and Secretary were constituted a committee to draft constitution and by-laws to govern the company, and report at the next meeting. As no further business could be done, adjournment was had until next Monday evening.

The following named gentlemen have "enlisted" and will be "sworn in" next Monday evening, after which practice and regular business will commence:

S.H. Hazleton - President
Julius Reith - Sec'y
E.A. Blum - Treas.
John Delacy - Foreman
Jerry Dunlevy - 1st Ass't
James Delacy - 2nd Ass't
F.F. Gaunitz - First Pipeman
H. Weber - 2d Pipeman
E. Boeckh - Steward

Finance committee: F.W. Wagner, H.W. Wiecking and F.W. Hancock

The foreman was instructed to give certificates to such members as have belonged to the company for more than ten years. The law provides that "any person who shall have been an active member of such company in any city or town, and shall have faithfully discharged his duties as such for the term of ten years, shall be forever thereafter exempted from the performance of military duty in time of peace, from serving as a juror, and from the performance of labor on the highways."

Messrs. C. Schach, A.A. Houghton, Julius Kehrberg and John Volkhart were made members of the company.

City Ordinance No. 10

Section 1. The fire department shall consist of a President, Secretary, Foreman, First Assist-Foreman, Second Assist-Foreman and a Steward, elected annually ....... members of Rescue Fire Co. No. 1, with its officers, not to exceed thirty (30) in number ..... this ordinance shall not require dismissal of any members .... no new members shall be taken in until membership is reduced to thirty

Section 2. After passage of this ordinance, section No. 1 of ordinance No. 5 of the revised ordinance of 1892 ..... shall be repealed.