History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1T97.] MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS—CANALS—SCHOOLS. 573
Another Fire-Engine. The foUowiiig year ail effoi't was made to
obtain anotlier fire-engine, and the town
agreed to pay one half the cost, the other half to be raised
by subscription. An order for $150 was to be drawn by the
selectmen, when a like sum had been provided by the citizens.
That this sum was speedilj^ forthcoming is very
probable, though nothing positive appears on the records
for several years, indicating that two fire-engines were in
use here. The new one was of course of the same type as
the other, that being the approved standard of its day.
The brakes by which these machines were operated were
placed at each end at right angles with the apparatus, and
not parallel with it as in those that were built a few years
afterwards. The appropriate and suggestive names of
"Whale" and '' Damper" were attached to them and they
did excellent service till other and improved machines outranked
them. Though fire-wardens had been provided, no
organized fire-department was then in existence, no firecompanies
had been formed, and the " tubs " were managed
and operated by those who first gathered when an alarm
was given. Every person was a fireman, and two lines of
men were formed to the nearest and most convenient water
supply, at which buckets were filled, passed from hand to
hand and the water poured into the machines, the other
line passing back the empty buckets. Then the brakes
were manned, and the stream forced where it would do the
most good. When the "old church" was built, in 1813, it
was placed so high upon the under-pinning as to form a
large and commodious basement. This was used for
storage purposes, and the entire fire apparatus was kept
there for many years. These machines were both small,
and could be handled by a few men. No one received any
the abatement of poll-
pay for his labor on such occasions ;
taxes to such as served in the fire-department came in after
the formation of regular fire-companies. Though there
was nothing to influence people in favor of either of these
engines, they very naturally became interested in one or
the other of them, and a brisk competition sprang up. In
180-4, it became so pronounced that the town was asked to
offer a premium to the one that first reached the fire.