Friday, June 25, 2010

Barn Destroyed By Fire

On June 25, 1901 between noon and 1 p.m. word reached Shippensburg that a large barn belonging to Mr. David Foglesonger, Secretary of the Centennial Fire Insurance Company located about ½ mile south of Newburg was on fire. The barn was filled with crops and everything was destroyed. The cause was listed as spontaneous combustion.

This is just one of many fires that appeared in the local papers back in the day that burnt without the response of fire apparatus. Before motor driven fire apparatus it was just not possible or firemen to respond. Even after motor driven apparatus was purchased if no water supply was present or permission was not given apparatus still did not respond. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that rural service began to come into play in the Cumberland and Franklin County areas. In the 1950’s the small villages in the two counties began to get their own fire protection.

3 comments:

Sparky said...

Questions. And I know we have talked about this several times, but I can't remember the answer. Did any dept. in Shippensburg ever have horses?

Brad Myers said...

None were ever mentioned in the papers. The companies each had one type of rig (hose (52) and combination (53) wagons) that were set up to be pulled by horses but to the best of my knowledge they were pulled by men. There was occasions when the apparatus was permitted to leave the borough for a fire. Each time it was a citizen with money and they supplied horses or oxes to pull the rigs. Horses were loaned to the companies to pull some of the rigs in parades in town and I have a few photos that show that. The only thing that makes me wonder is a fire at the domestic pump just after the turn of the century shows the Vigilant wagon parked with a horse nearby. Could the horse have pulled the rig or did it belong to someone else?

Sparky said...

Maybe that horse is the Chief's. Thanks for the information.