U - Newton Free Library

54 ORGANIZATION.
hres it attended until the arrival of the new
hook-and-ladder truck No. 1, purchased by the
town.
In September, 187, the town referred an article
in the town meeting warrant for a hookand-ladder
truck for Newtonville to the selectmen
and engineers, to consider and report at the
next annual town meeting.
April 3, 1871, they
reported inexpedient to purchase a truck, but
recommended that ladders be purchased and located
in that village, which was done.
At the
same meeting a proposition to purchase a ladder
truck for West Newton was defeated.
November
13th the ladder-truck question again came
before a town meeting, and the engineers were
authorized to purchase a truck and equipments,
to be located at Newtonville, and a sum not to
exceed one thousand dollars was appropriated
therefor.
A contract was at once made with Chapman
and Strangman, carriage builders of Milton, for
a one-horse modern truck, which was delivered
about the first of March, 1872, and located in
the new house built for the Claflin chemical, on
Austin Street, where it remained until the present
ladder-house was built in 1875. It was later
changed to a tAvo-horse truck, and in 187i> the
city had outgrown it, and it was sold in part payment
for the present No. 2 truck, which was built
for No. 1 by Messrs. Buckley and Merritt of New