USA > New York > New York City > Old New York : a journal relating to the history and antiquities of New York City, Vol. II > Part 19
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Lastly my will is, my two Servants, Japhet and Boose, my Sonn David shall have the one * * Daughter Mary the other, my Sonn David * * oosing which of them he will have, also, and this be understood that there * * * * is a Bill of Twenty-five Pounds left in my hands by my husband, Lyon Gardiner, this Bill shall be discharged to my Sonn in Law, Arthur Howell, or his heires if my Grand-Childe should dye before She's come to the Age aforesaid. This Bill I will, to bee discharged by my Sonns David & Jeremiah, and they both to part the Goods betweene them, for which that Bill was made : ffor confurmation of this my will and Testament, I set to my hand and Seale.
MARY X GARDINER. (Seal.)
Her mark.
Witness :
THOMAS JAMES, JOHN MULFORD, ROBERT BOND. April 19th, 1664.
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Memorandum: I, Mary Gardiner, upon good consideration since this my will and Testmt. was made, do in all respects con- firm the same, saving or excepting the Horse Kinde upon the Island, my last will being to give to the Children of my Sonne David and Daughter Mary Conckling, my Grand Children all the Horse Kinde betweene theme to be equally divided and improved for their best advantage when they come of Age. Witness my hand.
MARY X GARDINER. Her mark.
Witness :
JOHN MULFORD, ROBERT BOND, THOMAS JAMES.
Jan. 15th, 1664.
The probation of this will the 6th of June before ye Court of Sessions, held in Southold, was attested upon oath by two of the witnesses, namely, By ine,
THOMAS JAMES, JOHN MULFORD.
RICHARD TERRY, Clerk of Sessions.
Administration granted unto David Gardiner, of the Estate of Mary Gardiner, his mother, as her Executor.
Whereas, David Gardiner, of the Isle of Wight, Alias Moncho- nock, neare unto East Hampton in the East Riding of Yorkshire upon Long Island, did at the Court of Sessions held at Southold in the Riding aforesaid, in the month of June last, make proofs of ye last will and Testament of Mary Gardiner, his Mother, de- ceased, and gave Security for the performance of the particulars therein exprest, according to the Law in that behalfe Provided. And the original will so proved as aforesaid, being in the office of records at New Yorke. These are to Certify that the said David Gardiner is admitted, to all Intents and purposes, as Exec- utor of the last will and Testament of his said mother. And hath full Lawful Power to do and Execute whatsoever is in the Will required.
Sealed with the Seals of this Office, and Dated the 5th day of October, 1665.
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COMMISSIONS GRANTED BY LEISLER .- By the Lieut. Governor and Com- mander in Chief, &c., and Councill. By virtue of Authority derived into mee I doe hereby constitute, authorize and appoint you Peter DeLanoy, Esqr., to be Commissioner and Receiver of his majtie King William's Revenue in this Province of New York, giving you full Power and authority to act as Receiver and Collector of the same and all persons whome it may concerne are strictly charged and required to give you due respect and obedience accordingly and this Commission to continue untill I Receive further orders from his majtie.
Given under my hand and Sealed with ye Seale of this Province at Fort William the 11th day of december 1689.
Past the office :
JACOB MILBORNE, Secry.
JACOB LEISLER.
By the Lieut. Governr and Comand in Chiefe, etc .- Whereas I am fully assured of ye prudence, faithfulness and ability of Peter DeLanoy, Esqr., of the Citty of N. Yorke I Do hereby, By virtue of ye authority Derived into mee, nominate and constitute him, the said Peter DeLanoy, to Be Mayor of ye City of New York, and its dependences hereby authorizing and requiring him to doe and performe all act and acts, thing and things as a mayr may and ought to doe according to law and this Commission to continue till I receive further order from his Majtie King William.
Given under my hand and sealed with the seal of this province at fort William In New York this 12 day of Decembr 1689.
JACOB LEISLER.
New York Colonial Manuscripts, communicated by Edward H. Leggett, Phelps, New York.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT .- The first use of fire engines is an important event in any country, and may be considered as constituting an epoch in the history of its useful mechanism : moreover, wherever they are made, they indicate a certain degree of refinement in civilization, and an advanced state of the mechanic arts. To their introduction into this continent future historians may, and probably will, have recourse for data respecting the early days of the republic, and the still earlier times during which the country was subject to Europe ; for the circumstances which precede, and eventually lead to the adoption of fire engines, invariably reflect light on the manners and customs, the police and other municipal regulations of the times, as well as on many of the arts, particularly on those connected with building. The following extracts from official records in the Clerk's office respecting their introduction in the city of New York will be found to illustrate some of the above remarks :
It does not appear that either squirts or engines were used during the time the city remained in possession of its founders, viz., from A. D. 1614 to 1664. The volume of Dutch records preserved in the Clerk's Office to which we re- ferred, page 299, contains several enactments relating to fires and fire wardens,
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but no mention is made of instruments for extinguishing fires until 1648, when ladders, hooks and buckets were ordered from Holland. As these records have never been printed, a few extracts from the "Ordinances of the Director General and the Council of the New-Netherlands." will be acceptable to most readers. The first one is dated May 29, 1647; it cannot, perhaps, be strictly considered as related to our subject, although it was designed to remove a fruit- ful source of fires, viz., inebriety. On the above date the Director General Petrus Stuyvesant issued a proclamation, addressed to certain of the inhabit- ants " who are in the habit of getting drunk, of quarreling, fighting and of smiting each other on the Lord's day of rest, of which on the last Sunday we ourselves witnessed the painful scenes." It appears from this and other edicts to the same effect that the Governor had considerable difficulty in keeping a portion of his people sober, and from following a practice which he denounces as the "dangerous, injurious and damnable selling, giving out and dealing out, wines, beers and ardent spirits to the Indians or natives of this land." Another proclamation is more to our purpose : " Whereas it has come to the knowledge of his Excellency, the Director-General of New Netherlands, Curacoa, etc., and of the islands of the same, and their Excellencies the Councilors, that certain careless persons are in the habit of neglecting to clean their chimneys by sweep- ing, and paying no attention to their fires ; whereby lately fires have occurred in two houses, and whereas the danger of fire is greater as the number of houses increases here in New Amsterdam ; and whereas the greater number of them are built of wood and are covered with reeds, together with the fact that some of the houses have wooden chimneys which are very dangerous : There- fore, by the prompt and excellent Director General and their Honors the Councilors, it has been deemed advisable and highly necessary to look into this matter, and they do hereby ordain, enact and interdict that, from this time forth, no wooden or platted chimneys shall be permitted. . . . Those already standing shall be permitted to remain during the good pleasure of the Fire Warden. . . . As often as any chimneys shall be discovered to be foul, the Fire Wardens aforesaid shall condemn them as foul, and the owner shall im- mediately and without any gainsaying pay the fine of three guilders for each chimney thus condemned as foul ; to be appropriated to the maintenance of fire ladders, hooks and buckets, which shall be provided and procured (from Holland) the first opportunity. And in case the house of any person shall be burned, or be on fire, either through his own negligence, or his own fire, he shall be mulcted in the penalty of twenty-five guilders, to be appropriated as aforesaid. Thus done, passed and published at Fort Amsterdam, this 23d day of January, 1648."
This ordinance does not appear to have produced the desired effect, since a similar one was published in September of the same year. In February, 1656, another was issued, by which the Fire Wardens were directed to establish such penalties for chimneys or houses taken fire " as shall be found among the cus- toms of our Fatherland." At the close of the following year the use of squirts or engines does not appear to have occurred to the inhabitants, a circumstance from which it may be inferred that such machines were at that time little used in Holland, and this also appears from an allusion to the practice of quenching
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fires there, in a proclamation prohibiting wooden chimneys, flag roofs, etc. "In all well regulated cities and corporations it is customary that fire buckets, ladders and hooks, are in readiness at the corners of the streets, and in public houses, for the time of need. [Here is no mention of engines, although the in- struments used in Holland are obviously alluded to.] The Director-General and the Councilors do ordain and authorize in these premises the Burgomasters of this city, either personally or by their treasurer, promptly to demand for every house, whether small or large, one beaver, or eight guilders in seawant, according to the established price, for the purpose of ordering from the revenue of the same, by the first opportunity, from Fatherland, two hundred and fifty leather fire buckets ; and out of the surplus, to have made some fire ladders and fire hooks ; and in addition to this, once a year, to demand for every chimney, one guilder for the support and maintenance of the same. Thus done in the session of the Director-General and Councilors, held in the Fort of Amsterdam, in New Netherlands, this 15th day of December, A. D. 1657."
After New Netherlands became a British province, similar ordinances con- tinued to be enacted till the year 1731, when two of Newsham's engines were ordered from London. These were probably the first fire engines used on this continent. The following extracts are from the minutes of the Common Council :
" At a Common Council held the 16th day of February, 1676-7, in the 28th year of Charles II., Ordered that all and every person and persons that have any of the city's ladders, buckets or hooks in their hands or custody, forthwith bring the same unto the Mayor, as they will answer the contrary at their peril.". The same date some wells were ordered to be made " for the public good of the city," among which was " one over against Youleff Johnson's, the butcher ; and another in Broadway against Mr. Vandike's." "At a Common Council held the 15th day of March, 1683, in the 36th of the reign of Charles II., Ordered that provision be made for hooks, ladders and buckets, to be kept in convenient places within this city for avoiding the peril of fire."' No mention is here made of engines, nor in the next extract, wherein the want of instruments to quench fire is especially referred to. "Feb. 28, 1686 : Whereas great damages have been done by fire in this city, by reason there were not instruments to quench the same, it is ordered that every inhabitant within the city whose dwelling- house has two chimneys shall provide one bucket for its use ; and every house having more than two hearths shall have two buckets." Every brewer was to provide six, and every baker three buckets, under a penalty of six shillings for every bucket ordered. "January, 1689 : Ordered that there be appointed five Brent masters for the City of New York, as follows : Peter Adolf, Dirck Van- derbrink, Dirck Ten Eyck, Jacob Borlen, Tobias Stoutenburgh ; and that five ladders be made to serve upon occasion of fire, with sufficient hooks thereto."
November 16, 1695, every dwelling in the city was to be provided with one or more buckets by New Year's day. The tenants were to provide them for the houses they occupied, and the cost to be deducted from the rent. Every brewer was again ordered to procure for his premises six, and every baker three. Several buckets were lost, and the public crier was directed to give no- tice. These "orders " do not appear to have been implicitly obeyed, for they
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were frequently repeated, and in November, 1703, a penalty was attached for non-compliance. "October 1, 1706 : Ordered that Alderman Vanderburgh do provide, for the public use of this city, eight ladders and two fire-hooks, and poles of such length and dimensions as he shall judge to be convenient, to be used in case of fire." November 20, 1716, a committee was appointed " to pro- vide a sufficient number of ladders and hooks for the public use of this city in case of fire." In November, 1730, fire engines are first mentioned. On the 18th of that month, among other provisions enacted for the prevention and ex- tinguishment of fire, one is in the following words : " And be it ordained by the authority aforesaid that forthwith provision be made for hooks, ladders and buckets, and fire engines, to be kept in convenient places within the city for avoiding the peril of fire." At the same time the inhabitants were again directed to provide and keep buckets in their houses. It does not appear that any active measures to procure the engines were taken till the next year, for under the date of May 6, 1731, the Common Council "Resolved that this cor- poration do, with all convenient speed, procure two complete fire engines, with suction and all materials thereunto belonging, for the public service ; that the sizes thereof be the fourth and sixth sizes of Mr. Newsham's fire engines; and that Mr. Mayor, Alderman Cruger, Alderman Rutgers and Alderman Roosevelt, or any three of them, be a committee to agree with some proper merchant or merchants to send to London for the same by the first conveyance, and report upon what terms the said fire engines, etc., will be delivered to this corporation."
On the 12th of June the committee reported that the engines could be im- ported at an advance of 120 per cent. on the invoice ; and they were ordered accordingly. They seem to have arrived about the 1st of December, for on that day a room in the City Hall was ordered to be fitted up "for securing the fire-engines." On the 14th of December a committee of two was appointed to have the fire-engines cleaned and the leathers oiled and put into boxes, that the same may be fit for immediate use. January 2, 1732 .- The Mayor and four members of the court were authorized to employ persons to put the fire-engines in good order, and also to agree with proper persons to look after and take care of the same. It appears that Anthony Lamb was the first superintendent of fire- engines, for on the 24th of January, 1735, the Mayor was ordered " to issue his warrant to the Treasurer to pay Mr. Anthony Lamb, Overseer of the Fire- Engines, or order, the sum of three pounds, current money of this colony, in full of one quarter of a year's salary due and ending the first instant." On the same date a committee was appointed to employ workmen "to put them in good repair, and that they have full power to agree with any person or persons by the year to keep the same in such good plight, repair and condition, and to play the same as often as there shall be occasion upon any emergency."
.April 15, 1736 .- " A convenient house [was ordered] to be made contiguous to the watch house in Broad street for securing and well keeping the fire-en- gines of the city." This seems to have been the first engine-house. May 1, 1736 .- Jacobus Turk, a gunsmith, was appointed to take charge of the fire-en- gines and to keep them in repair at his own cost for a salary of ten pounds cur- rent money. Mr. Turk undertook during the next year to make an engine ; for
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May 15, 1737, the Common Council ordered the sum of ten pounds to be ad- vanced "to the said Jacobus Turk, to enable him to go on with finishing a small fire-engine he is making foran experiment ;" probably the first made in America.
November 4, 1737 .- The Common Council drew up a petition to the Legisla- ture to enable the Corporation "to appoint four-and-twenty able-bodied men, inhabitants within this city, who shall be called the firemen of this city, to work and play the fire-engines within the same, upon all occasions and emer- gencies, when they shall be thereunto required by the overseer of the said en- gines, or the magistrates of the said city ; and that the said firemen, as a rec- ompense and reward for that service, may, by the same law, be excused and exempted from being elected and serving in the office of a constable, or being enlisted, or doing any duty in the militia regiment, troop or compa- nies, in the said city, or doing any duty in the said offices, during their continu- ance as firemen aforesaid." This law was passed by the Assembly in Septem- ber following, and the duty of firemen defined. The next notice of engines occurs ten years afterward, in March, 1748, when the Corporation "ordered that one of the fire-engines of this city, of the second size, be removed to Mont- gomery's ward, of this city, near Mr. Hardenbrook's ; and that a shed be built thereabouts at the charge of this Corporation for the securing and keeping of the same." By this it appears that several engines besides the two original ones were then in use. The one just named was a different size (much smaller) than those first ordered. It is uncertain whether the additional ones were made by Mr. Turk, but probably not, since both large and small ones were or- dered from London for several years after this date. From the following ex- tract we find that several of the large fire-engines (the sixth size of Newsham) belonged to the city. February 28, 1749 .- " Ordered that Major Vanhousand and Mr. Provost do take care to get a sufficient house built for one of the large fire-engines, to be kept in some part of Hanover square at the expense of this Corporation and that there be a convenience made therein for hanging fifty buckets; and also ordered that there be one hundred new fire buckets made for the use of this Corporation with all convenient speed."
May 3, 1752 .- "Ordered that Jacobus Turk have liberty to purchase six small speaking trumpets for the use of this Corporation," i. e., for the purpose of giv- ing directions to firemen during conflagrations. June 20, 1758 .- " One large fire-engine, one small do. and two hand do." were ordered to be procured from London. July 24, 1761 .- Mr. Turk, after superintending the engines for twenty- five years, was superseded by Jacobus Stoutenburgh, who was directed to take charge of them at a salary of thirty pounds ; and "the late overseer, Mr. Jacobus Turk, [was ordered to] deliver up to the said Jacobus Stoutenburgh the said several fire-engines." November 19, 1762 .- The firemen were directed to wear leather caps when on duty. May 7, 1772 .- An engine was ordered to be provided for the Out Ward. July 10, 1772 .- " Alderman Gautier laid before this Board an account of the cost of two fire engines belonging to Thomas Til- lier ; and Alderman Gautier is requested to purchase the same." September 9, 1772 .-- A committee was authorized "to purchase one other fire-engine of David Hunt." The three engines last named were probably from England, for at the time these machines were in the list of ordinary imported manufactures.
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It was not till several years after the close of the struggle for Independence that fire-engines were made in this and some other cities. They have, however, long been made here and in Philadelphia, Boston, etc. Small engines were formerly used, but they have gradually disappeared, the manufacturers confin- ing themselves principally to the largest. The use of buckets has also been dis- continued on account of the extensive application of hose. Village engines are sometimes constructed with single cylinders and double acting, but, being more liable to derangement, they are not extensively used. Rotary engines are also made in some parts of New England, on the principle of Bramah and Dicken- son's pumps. As ordinary fire-engines are merely forcing pumps, arranged in carriages and furnished with flexible pipes, it is not to be supposed that any radical improvement upon them can be effected. The pump itself is, perhaps, not capable of any material change for the better ; and it is at present essen- tially the same as when used by Ctesibius and Heron in Egypt, twenty centuries ago ; hence fire-engines, since hose pipes and air chambers were intro- duced, have differed from cach other chiefly in the carriages and in the arrange- ment and dimensions of the pumps-as the position of the cylinders, modes of working the pistons, bore and direction of the passages for the water, etc. In these respects there is not much difference between European and American engines ; nor in the varieties of the latter. Those made in Philadelphia rather resemble French and German engines, in working the pumps at the ends of the carriages, and without the sectors and chains ; while New York engines are precisely the same as Newsham's, both in the arrangement of the pumps and mode of working them, with the exception of treadles, which are not used .-- Tribune, 1847.
THE BANKRUPTCY OF THE MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE .- An adjourned meet- ing of the stockholders of the Merchants' Exchange was held yesterday in the room of the Board of Brokers at the Exchange. The object of the meet- ing was to receive the report of a committee appointed at a former meeting, to devise such measures as might be best calculated to advance the interests and rights of the stockholders and prevent the impending annihilation of their prop- erty by a forced sale of the Exchange, on a judgment by default, obtained by certain creditors to whom the directors or trustees had mortgaged the whole concern. It appears, according to the history which transpired, and which we ascertained from reliable information, that that beautiful and spacious building, the Merchants' Exchange of New York, was built by funds derived from the several stockholders who were incorporated into a company by an act of the General Assembly of the State of New York, passed January 27, 1823. This act empowered Stephen Whitney, Elisha Tibbetts and Wm. B. Astor, with all others who should become stockholders, to be a body corporate, by the name of " the Merchants' Exchange Company." The power granted were: 1st. To pur- chase so much real estate as was necessary to erect on it such edifice as was necessary, to receive the rents of such edifice, and divide them among the stockholders.
2d. The capital stock was limited to one million of dollars, to be divided into shares of one hundred dollars each.
3d. Eighteen trustees were appointed by the act, to be renewed by election,
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who were to direct and manage the affairs of the company. Beyond the above, the act gives no power whatever, of any kind, to the trustees. Yet it appears they have so managed the building and the affairs of the company, by borrow- ing money and mortgaging the Exchange, as to render the shares of the stock- holders absolutely worthless. Having been sued at law on the bonds they have issued, they have, it appears, in collusion with the bondholders, suffered judgment to go against the company by default; and now, on these judgments or decrees, the Merchants' Exchange of New York City is about to be sold at a sheriff's sale, for .the benefit of the bondholders, thus totally annihilating and swamping all the rights, property, and interests of the stockholders, by whose money, invested on the faith of such great names as W. B. Astor, Geo. Gris- wold, G. Hoyt, Philip Hone, Charles King, N. Prime and others, the building was erected. The history of this corporation is only an additional leaf added to the black book of corporation mismanagement-one or the other, but we say not which. The chair was taken on the present occasion by Thos. Tileston, Esq., and J. D. Robinson, Esq., was appointed secretary. The minutes of the former meeting having been read by the secretary, and unanimously approved, the report of the committee was then called for, whereupon it was read by the secretary, and is as follows :
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