USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > History of Providence County, Rhode Island, Volume I > Part 44
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
steps in 1822 to gain the advantage of more recent improvements and better protect themselves against the danger of fire, which with the increase of business and compact buildings was becoming more imminent. The town then appointed two of its prominent citizens, Elisha Dyer and Zachariah Allen, to obtain more efficient fire appar- atus. They contracted with a Philadelphia firm for an engine and 1,000 feet of copper riveted hose. The engine required 36 men to work it, and was a self-supplying machine, capable of drawing water from the river and discharging it on a building 1,000 feet distant, and was a great improvement over the old apparatus. This was named Hydraulion No. 1. Its efficiency was soon tested, for shortly after its arrival a fire broke out in a large stable on Westminster street, near the present location of Butler Exchange. Water was taken from the Cove, and the fire soon extinguished, greatly to the delight of the citizens and the popularity of the Hydraulion. A house for its accom- modation was erected on the north end of Exchange street, and nearly one hundred of the most respectable citizens of Providence volunteered for service in connection with it.
In 1835 the department consisted of 546 men, eight hand engines, two hydraulions, eight hose carriages, fifteen stationary force pumps, two hook-and-ladder trucks, some five thousand feet of hose, and various other smaller apparatus and implements. There were then 25 firewards and six presidents of firewards. The force and equip- ment of the department was capable of delivering upon a fire in the compact part of the city 800 gallons of water per minute, in more re- mote sections 500 gallons per minute, and in the suburbs 300 gallons per minute. There was then a reservoir at Stowe's pond and another at the ravine on Federal street. To assist in conveying water and delivering it upon fires in their vicinity, force pumps were stationed ready for action at different points. These were located: one at Tur- pin's brook, at the North End; one at Jenckes street; one in Congdon street; one in Magee street; one in John street; one at the corner of John and Brook streets; one at Bowen's bleaching and calendering works; one, a rotary pump, at the grist mill on Mill bridge; one on Great bridge; one in Broad street; one at Eben Siscoe's pond; one at Providence Dyeing, Bleaching and Calendering Company's works; one at the junction of Broad and Westminster streets; one at the junction of lligh and Cranston streets; one in Bassett street; and one at Angell's pond.
The manual force of the department was embraced in 14 compa- nies, as follows: Engine Co. No. 1, had 27 men, with John Branch as captain, and its headquarters were at the foot of Bennett's hill, Olney- ville. Engine Co. No. 2, had 26 men, with Luther Angell as captain, and was located at the junction of North Main and Stampers streets, Constitution hill. Union Engine Co. No. 3, had 41 men, Henry L. Kendall being captain, and its headquarters at the corner of Weybos-
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
set and Dorrance streets. Gazelle Engine Co. No. 4, was composed of 22 men, with Henry D. Beckford captain. It was located on Tran- sit street, between South Main and Benefit. Phoenix Engine Co. No. 5. William L. Thornton, captain, had 34 men, its headquarters being on Summer street. Water Witch Engine Co. No. 6, of which Joseph W. Taylor was captain, had 46 men, and was located on the corner of College and Benefit streets. Engine Co. No. 7, had 24 men, with Par- don S. Pierce as captain, and was located on Fields street at Eddy's point. Hydraulion Co. No. 1, Amos D. Smith, captain, had 103 men, and was located on Hydraulion street, now Exchange street. Hy- draulion Co. No. 2, Allen Baker, captain, had 50 men, and was located by the first canal lock, where the armory of the United Train of Artil- lery now stands. The Old Engine Co. had 54 men, the captain being Philip W. Manchester. Its headquarters were at Stevens' bridge, on the present site of the American Screw Company's factory. Forcing Pump Co. No. 1, whose duty it was to manage a certain number of the forcing pumps, had 80 men, with Albert H. Angell as captain; and they occupied a very nice house, which had a tower 27 feet high, 9x9 feet square, for drying hose, located on Middle street, near the Broad street pump. Forcing Pump Co. No. 2 had Roger W. Potter for its captain, and was composed of 54 men. Its headquarters were on the town house lot, on the corner of College and Benefit streets. Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, had 88 men, Stanton Thurber, captain, and was also located on the corner of College and Benefit streets. Hook and Ladder Co. No. 2, Sheldon Young, captain, had 21 men, and was located on Union street.
Two new companies were added to the department in 1837. These were What Cheer Engine Co. No. S, with William Aplin, captain; and Providence Engine Co. No. 9, of which Sylvester Harris was captain.
The fire department in 1842 consisted of 3 presidents of firewards, 18 firewards, 600 firemen, 3 hydraulions, 9 suction engines, 2 hook and ladder carriages, 8 hose carriages, 17 forcing stationary engines, 8,000 feet of hose, and 18 reservoirs, including large and small. In that year the city council were authorized to elect and appoint as many men to any of the different companies as they saw fit, so long as the aggregate number of 1,200 in the department was not exceeded.
At the beginning of the municipal year, June 1st, 1852, the board of firewards were Joseph W. Taylor, chief, and Charles F. Robbins, William H. Sweet, Abner H. Angell, E. J. Nightingale, Bradford C. Shaw, Samuel C. Blodgett, assistants. The department then had 12 engines, with hose carts or tenders attached to each, two hook and ladder trucks, and two stationary rotary engines. The names and location of headquarters of the companies were as follows: Eagle, No. 1, Olneyville; Niagara, No. 2, North Main street; Union, No. 3,
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
Page street; Gazelle, No. 4, Benefit street; Fire King, No. 5, Summer street; Water Witch, No. 6, College and Benefit streets; Ocean, No. 7, Richmond street; What Cheer, No. 8, Benefit, near Transit street; Gaspee, No. 9, Carpenter street; Atlantic, No. 10, Codding street; Pioneer, No. 11, South Main street; Hydraulion, No. 1, Exchange street; Hydraulion, No. 2, old jail lot; Hook and Ladder, No. 1, Col- lege and Benefit streets; Hook and Ladder, No. 2, Richmond street; Rotary Engine Co., No. 1, steam mill, Eddy street; Rotary Engine Co., No. 2, Fletcher's mill.
At this period the firewards were invested with power to suspend or disband companies, and on January 3d, 1853, they exercised that power in disbanding Hand Engine Co., No. 5, on account of a refusal of that company to do duty. The office of chief engineer was cre- ated July 11th, 1853, and Joseph W. Taylor was at that time elected to fill the new position. October 18th, 1853, Hand Engine Co., No. 6, resigned from the department, and soon afterward Niagara En- gine Co. No. 2, was disbanded for riotous conduct. That company had engaged in a fight with Gaspee Engine Co., No. 9, at a fire on Octo- ber 11th, and to such violent action had they resorted that one Dougherty, a member of No. 9, had died from injuries received. After this a new company was formed which assumed the title Moshassuck, No. 2. Then, to avoid a duplicate of number, the de- partment changed the title of Hydraulion, No. 2, to Columbus En- gine Co., No. 12.
Contentions and quarrels so frequently arose among the different companies that the city council early in 1854. in response to the earnest petitions of the department officials, authorized the organi- zation of a paid department. February 28th, 1854, the first paid company was organized. This was Hand Engine Co. No. 10, of which Abner H. Angell was foreman, and it contained 41 men. Next came Engine Co. No. 6, with 21 members and John O. Potter as foreman, organized March 1st. A nucleus of Hand Engine Co. No. 4 was formed on the same day. Also at the same time most of the old companies surrendered their keys and refused to do further vol- unteer duty. Engine Co. No. 5 was organized at once, with 31 men, and Nathaniel I. Cheney as foreman. March 2d, Engine Co. No. 12 was admitted into the service, under command of Cornelius S. Cun- liff. On the 4th Engine Co. No. 4 was organized, with 17 men and William H. Sweet as foreman. On the same day was organized Hook and Ladder Co. No. 2, with William A. Handy, foreman, and 13 men. March 6th, the department received Engine Co. No. 3, with 43 men, James C. Bradford being foreman; on the 7th Engine Co. No. 9, George F. Lawton, foreman; on the 10th Engine Co. No. 7, Bradford C. Shaw, foreman; and on the 13th Engine Co. No. 11, Thomas Philips, Jr., foreman, with 36 men. April 25th, Engine Co. No. 1, and Engine Co. No. 2, were organized, the first having 28 men,
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
with Thomas F. Vaughn, foreman, and the second having 38 men men with George F. Cady foreman.
In 1854 a new ordinance was passed by the city council, going into effect on the first day of September. This provided that there should be a chief engineer and five assistants, and that they should constitute the Board of Engineers. The maximum number of fire- men was now reduced from 1,200 to 450. In 1856 the number actually employed was 436, and the annual expense of the department reached $44,550. A new engine for the use of Company No. 1 was purchased at a cost of $1,075. A competition trial of the different engines was held October 27th, 1856, which resulted in showing for each engine the height to which it could throw a stream, and the number of seconds in which it could play the contents of a tank holding 229 gallons of water. The records of each was as follows: No. 1, 130 feet, 70 seconds; No. 2, 129 feet, 66 seconds; No. 3, 155 feet, 51 sec- onds; No. 4, 108 feet, 75 seconds; No. 5, 120 feet, 82 seconds, No. 6, 100 feet, 97 seconds; No. 7, 138 feet, but did not take the other test; No. 9, 155 feet, 44 seconds; No. 10, 160 feet, 48 seconds; No. 11, 121 feet, 52 seconds; No. 12, 135 feet, 51 seconds.
In 1857 a new engine was purchased for No. 4. This was named the " John B. Chace," and it had a reputation for good service for many years. The old engine of No. 4, which had been built in 1845, was placed in reserve. A new engine was also purchased in 1857 for No. 3. In 1859 two steam fire engines were ordered, and it was decided that a permanent engineer and assistant should be employed for each of them. Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 1 was organized Sep- tember 16th, 1859, Joseph Salisbury, foreman, with Perry L. Hopkins, first engineer, and Nathaniel G. Totten, second engineer. Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 2, was organized October 1st, 1859, Henry W. Rodman, foreman, Martin V. B. Darling, first engineer, and Nathan- iel W. Kelly, second engineer. October 31st, Hand Engine Compa- nies No. 1 and No. 3 were disbanded, the engine of No. 1 being turned over to No. 6, and a new company organized for engine No. 3. November 30th, Companies 6 and 11 were disbanded and a new company was formed for Engine No. 6. March 31st, 1860, Compa- nies No. 5 and No. 12 were disbanded and their engines turned over to Companies 7 and 10. Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 3 was organized April 1st, 1860, with Oliver E. Greene, foreman. The department had thus been so much reduced in numbers that it now had employed only 278 men. The expense of maintaining it for the year was about $51,000. The apparatus consisted of three steam fire engines, seven hand engines and one hook and ladder truck.
In 1860 the number of men in the force was reduced to 26S. A system of fire alarm telegraph was introduced in 1862, and in Decem- ber of that year it was extended into Olneyville. In that year the steamer No. 1 was exchanged for a new Silsby engine, at an expense
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
of $1,250. In July, 1863, the city council appropriated $7,000 for the purchase of a new steam fire engine, of Silsby, Wynderse & Co., of Seneca Falls, N. Y. It was placed in charge of Fire Engine Co. No. 4. Its house was on Haymarket street. A new hook and ladder truck, built by Moulton & Remington, of this city, was placed in service in the same building December 1st, 1863, in charge of Hook and Ladder Co. No. 3, of which James M. Baker was foreman. The old Hand Engine Companies No. 3 and No. 6 were disbanded Novem- ber 30th, 1863. The number in the department was now reduced to 220.
In June, 1864, the old hand engine No. 9 was sold to the Wans- kuck Company, and old hand engine No. 10 to the Lonsdale Com- pany. At the beginning of 1865 Mr. Charles E. Carpenter, having obtained the right of the patentee to use the fire alarm telegraph, presented the same as a free gift to the city. In March, 1866, the city council appropriated $34,000 for new fire apparatus. Four new steam fire engines were purchased and four hose carts and two ladder trucks. May 28th of that year old hand engines No. 5 and 6 were sold to A. & W. Sprague. During 1866 and 1867 engine houses No. 5, 6, 7 and S were built. Old Hand Engine Co. No. 7 was disbanded November 30th, 1866, and Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 7 was organ- ized, with Hazen B. Freeman as foreman. March 30th, 1867, Steam Fire Engine Companies No. 5, 6 and 8 were organized; Charles H. Allen, George H. Jenckes and Everett P. Osgood being appointed foremen respectively. At the same time Hook and Ladder Co. No. 2 was organized, with Obadiah Slade as foreman, and a new truck was placed in their hands. Thus a complete steam fire engine de- partment was organized, going into effect April 1st, 1867. The department now consisted of eight steam fire engines, with tenders attached, and three hook and ladder trucks, all manned by a force of 117 men and officers. Old hand engine No. 2 was sold soon after for $1,000. The yearly expense of maintaining the department was for several years between forty and forty-five thousand dollars.
Horses at first were hired for use by the department, but about 1867 this custom was abandoned and the city purchased horses for that purpose. An incident of fatal consequences occurred Septem- ber 20th, 1870, in connection with steamer No. 6. While in service at a fire on East street, while the engine was at the corner of Benevo- lent and Cooke streets, her boiler exploded, by which the assistant engineer, John H. McLean, and a citizen named George T. Benson, received fatal injuries, and others were seriously injured. In Novem- ber, 1870, badges were adopted for members of the department, and in December of the same year the Gamewell system of fire alarm tele- graph was adopted.
Two new engines were accepted March 28th. 1872, and placed in charge of Companies No. 3 and 8, on Summer and Harrison streets,
361
HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
old engines No. 3 and 4 having been exchanged. Pawtuxet water was also introduced that year, a public test being made on Novem- ber 30th, 1871. Ninety-one hydrants were set, and two cisterns were built, having a capacity of about 40,000 gallons each. By the intro- duction of water with a gravity pressure less need remained for the work of the engines and fewer men were required. The force was reduced to 27 permanent and 90 call members. December 1st, 1872, Hose Co. No. 4 was organized and established on Haymarket street, George H. Bates being appointed foreman. January 1st, 1873, Hose Co. No. 9 was organized and located on Pallas street, George A. Steere being appointed foreman. Hose carts for the use of these companies were obtained from Seneca Falls, by exchange of steamer No. S. In May, 1873, Engine Companies No. 1, 2 and 7 were dis- banded, they having been changed into hose companies. Four alarm bells and four strikers were placed in service, and the number of fire alarm boxes was increased to 65. Hose Co. No. 11, on Oakland street, was organized in 1873. The number of hydrants set had by 1874 reached 745, the number of fire alarm boxes 70, and the expense of maintaining the department a round hundred thousand dollars.
Three companies were organized in 1875-Steamer Co. No. 12, on Smith and Orms streets; Hose Co. No. 13, on Central street, and Steamer Co. No. 14 on Putnam street. The Protective Company was also placed in service February 3d, 1875. The Skinner truck was tried and accepted in the fall of 1874, and placed in charge of Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1. The number of hydrants and of fire alarm boxes, as well as the manual force of the department, was now annu- ally increasing.
Hose Co. No. 15 and Hook and Ladder Co. No. 4 were organized July 1st, 1876, and located on Wickenden street. In 1880 the several engine houses were connected by telephone, and the office of fire marshal was created May 27th. The first steps were taken during this year for the formation of the Providence Veteran Firemen's As- sociation, and 75 signatures were obtained. The organization was effected January 11th, 1881, and the following officers were elected: Zachariah Allen, president; George W. Cady, George H. Jencks, Martin S. Budlong and Edward Cory, vice-presidents; Charles E. Carpenter, secretary; John P. Walker, treasurer. The association had no permanent home, but met in various places until January, 1886, when commodious quarters were fitted up at 98 Weybosset street, and dedicated on the 25th of that month. The association meets regularly on the last Tuesday evening of each month. Its presidents have been: Charles E. Carpenter, 1883, 1884; George W. Cady, 1885; George H. Jencks, 1886; Martin S. Budlong, 1887: James M. Baker, 1888; Edward W. Hall, 1889.
Two chemical engines were purchased in 1882 and placed in the service of the department; No. 1 in the house of No. 7, in Richmond
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
street, and No. 2 in the house of No. 6, in Benevolent street. New trucks were also purchased for Hook and Ladder Companies No. 3 and + and a new hose cart for Hose Co. No. 1 during the same year. The offices of deputy chief engineer and superintendent of fire alarms were created March 10th, 1883. The men first elected to fill these offices were George A. Steere for the former, and Charles G. Cloudman for the latter. A casualty resulting in the loss of life oc- curred October 4th, 1883, in connection with Hook and Ladder No. 1. While the members of that company were on drill service with an apparatus known as the Skinner truck, one of the men, Alexander J. McDonald, was at the top of the ladder, a distance of $5 feet from the ground, when the apparatus broke, and he was precipitated to the ground, killing him instantly. The ill-fated truck had before capsized, and was now discarded and another purchased for the use of the company.
On the 12th of March, 1885, an ordinance was approved abolishing the board of engineers and vesting the control and management of the department with the chief engineer and the joint standing com- mittee of the city government on fire department. The William H. Luther Hook and Ladder Co. No. 5 was organized April 1st, 1585, being supplied with a truck built for them by Messrs. Moulton & Son. of this city. The location of the new company was in the new station at the corner of Burnside and Public streets. The Hayes Hook and Ladder Co. No. 6 was organized August 1st, 1885, receiv- ing a Hayes truck from a manufactory in Elmira, N. Y. They were assigned to quarters in the then new building at the corner of At- well's avenue and America street. On the same date Hose Co. No. 9 removed from their quarters on Pallas street to the station on At- well's avenue. This company, and Hose Companies 4 and 2, were soon after supplied with the new style hose wagons built by Moulton & Son, of this city.
Since 1852 the fire department has responded to more than 4,500 alarms, and has saved an incalculable amount of property from de- struction. During the year 1888 the number of fire alarms to which it responded was 385. The total loss on buildings and contents by fire during the year was $749,649.37. of which insurance reimbursed to the total amount of $398,942.01, leaving an unmitigated loss by fires amounting to $350,707.36. The losses by fires, not covered by insurance, during the seven years preceding 1888 have been as fol- lows: 1881, $72,525; 1882, $154,911; 1883, $115.253; 1884, $161,400; 1885, $56,161; 1886, $53,611; 1887, $61,567.
The present composition of the fire department (1889) is as fol- lows: George A. Steere, chief engineer: Holden O. Hill, deputy chief engineer; James M. Baker, first assistant; Leander M. Walling. second assistant; John W. Morrow, clerk. Hose Co. No. 1, James M. Curtis, Jr., foreman, has apparatus valued at $1,900. It occupies part of the
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
engine house fronting on Exchange place. This building, composed of iron, was built in 1875 for the use of the fire department. The first story is occupied by Hose Co. No. 1, Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 and Protective Co. No. 1. The second floor is occupied by the chief engineer for his headquarters and by the fire department for sleep- ing rooms and storage purposes. The cost of the building, with its furniture, was $25,000. Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, Elwyn A. Wood, foreman, has apparatus valued at $4,000. Protective Co. No. 1, C. H. Swan, foreman, was organized February 1st, 1875, and has horses and apparatus, including extinguishers, valued at $763. Hose Co. No. 2, Lewis A. Cutler, foreman, occupies a part of the Pioneer building on South Main street. It has a steam fire engine and apparatus valued at $4,812. The Pioneer Building is built of brick, two stories high, and stands on land leased by the city of the heirs of Harriot Brown. The building was purchased of the trustees of the Pioneer Fire Com- pany in 1854. The assessors' valuation on it is $4,000. Hose Co. No. 3, Oscar F. Millet, foreman, is located on Pond street, and has appar- atus valued at $2,000. The fire station which it occupies was built in 1874-5, at a cost of $6,500, and has an alarm bell upon it which cost $360. It is on a lot measuring 80 feet front and having an average depth of 80 feet, which was purchased of Edward S. Williams and Gardner T. Swarts in 1846, and is valued by the assessors at $8,553. Hose Co. No. 4, Henry R. Beehler, foreman, occupies a part of the fire station and ward room building on Mill and North Main streets. It has apparatus, etc., to the value of $1,787. This building was erected in 1883, and is of brick, three stories on Mill street and two stories on North Main. The cost of the building, furnished, was $15, 00, and that of the land $5,500. The lot was purchased of Melissa A. Lewis in 1882, and contains 3,550 square feet. This company formerly occu- pied a building at the junction of Bark and Mill streets. This build- ing is in the lower story still used by the fire department for storage purposes. The building is owned by the city, and was built upon a lot which was purchased of James Thurber and others in July, 1852. Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 5 has an engine valued at $3,000, and other apparatus, making an aggregate in value of $5,580. Its foreman is Isaac L. Blackmar, and its location is at the corner of North Main street and Doyle avenue. This building isof brick, and was built for a fire station in 1866. The lot upon which it stands was purchased in 1866, and enlarged by the changing of lines in 1883. The house has a bell upon it. Hose Co. No. 6, Thomas W. D. Reynolds, foreman, occupies a house on Benevolent street, near Brook street. It is a brick building, erected in 1866, and stands upon land bought of Amos D. Smith the same year. It is surmounted by an alarm bell costing $450. The building is also occupied by Chemical Engine No. 2, the value of which is placed at $2,000. The total apparatus is valued at $4,705, and the assessed value of the building and lot is $3,827. Hose
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HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY.
Co. No. 7, Horace P. Griswold, foreman, with Chemical Engine No. 1, apparatus valued at $4,705, is located on Richmond street, in a fire station built of brick, two stories high. The building, which is also occupied in part by the police department, was erected in 1866 on the Mumford lot, containing 5,808 square feet, which was purchased of Adnah Sackett in 1851. The assessors' valuation on this lot and building is $20,808. It has an alarm bell. Steamer Co. No. 8, Joseph H. Penno, foreman, is located on Harrison street in a two-story brick building erected in 1866, on land leased of the commissioners of the Dexter Donation. The assessors' valuation on the building is $20,000. On the lot is also a wooden building formerly occupied as a chapel by the Pilgrim Congregational Society, and purchased of them in May, 1882, and now used for school purposes. A bell tower, formerly located on Beacon street, was removed to this lot in 1884. It contains a bell valued at $350. Hook and Ladder Co. No 2 are also located in the building. Stephen S. Shepard is foreman of this com- pany. The apparatus of the steamer company is valued at $5,555, and that of the Hook and Ladder company at $2,786. Hose Co. No. 9, Philip W. Kelly, foreman; occupies a part of the building at the corner of Atwell's avenue and America street. The building is used in part as an evening school. It is of brick, two stories high, and was built in 1884 5, on a lot bought of John McCusker in 1884. The quarters of the fire department are on the avenue. The cost of the building was $23,000, and of the lot $5,500. It has a handsome alarm bell, which cost $650. The building is also occupied by Hook and Ladder Co. No. 6, of which C. J. Conner is foreman. The apparatus of this company is valued at $3,730, and that of the hose company at $1,812. Steamer Co. No. 10, Francis D. Chester, foreman, occupies the fire station on Burnside street, which was erected on land bought of Gilbert F. Robbins in 1872. The assessors' valuation on the building is about $5,000. The house has an alarm bell valued at $200. The value of steamer and apparatus is $5,449. Hose Co. No. 11. Frederick H. Field, foreman, occupies a house formerly on Public street, but which has been removed to a lot hired of Walter S. Burges on Oakland street. This does not appear to be a permanent arrangement. The apparatus of this company is valued at $1,900. The house has an alarm bell. Steamer Co. No. 12, George F. Battey, foreman, is located at the junction of Smith and Orms streets. Its apparatus, including engine, is valued at $5,555. In the same build- ing is also quartered Hook and Ladder Co. No. 3, of which James C. Hubbard is foreman. The truck and ladders are valued at $2,000. This building is a fire station and ward room, and was built of brick . in 1875 at a cost of $12,000. Its site was land received from North Providence in 1874. It has an alarm bell costing $600. Hose Co. No. 13, Hiram I). Butts, foreman, occupies a fire station on Central street, built in 1874-5, at a cost of $7,500. The lot was purchased of Calvin
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