On November 21, 1857 an alarm of fire was sounded at 9:30 p.m. for the Rev. James Mackey residence on King Street. When firemen from the Vigilant Fire Company and Alert Fire Company arrived they found a stack of straw to be ablaze. Quick application of water kept the fire from spreading past the stack and doing further destruction.
It was reported a party of lawless characters, whose names were yet unknown almost totally destroyed the “Alert” engine. The engine was not worth much in case of emergency and was said to be one of the oldest around, dating back to the 1700’s.
This would be the last response for the Alert Fire Company.
Showing posts with label Alert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alert. Show all posts
Friday, November 21, 2008
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Lumber Yard Building Burns
On November 10, 1995 at 7:14 p.m., the Lumber Yard 42 West Orange Street, Shippensburg. A fire of undetermined origin destroyed a 1-1/2-story frame building used to store insulation. Two firefighters were treated and released from Chambersburg Hospital for minor injuries. Damages were estimated at $30,000. The Vigilant Hose, Cumberland Valley Hose and West End Fire and Rescue companies battled the blaze.
Part 3 conclusion Alert Fire Company
Most of the information I have on the Alert Fire Company is in this two part article. When did the Alert form? Are they older than the Vigilant's? Those are both good questions, as one old member of the CV's stated the Alert was formed 1830, but from the accounts of the Viggies getting the Hibernia engine it states that a new company was formed and given the old "Rocket" hand engine. I personally believe they were formed in the 1840's after the Vigilant's.
The Alert was disbanded after the incident with there hand engine, but they are not really gone. The Cumberland Valley Hose Company was formed as just that but with many members and great influence from the Alert. Retaining their motto and christening their hose reel in the name of the Alert, to me the Alert is still alive and approaching their 150 anniversary.
The photograph below is obviously not the Alert's hand engine but one very much similar to the one they would have used. Generally two to four men would turn the cranks while other men would pour water from buckets in to tub. The engine was very primitive and not as effective as other hand engine, but it still served it's purpose. Where did this engine come from and when did council purchase it our other questions that could be answered. I believe it was purchased on or around 1817 through contributions from the towns people. If that did occur it could have been used by two other Shippensburg Fire Company's before being placed in the hands of the Alert lads.
While not Shippensburg but related to the subject of long gone fire companies, the Alert in Shippensburg was not the only Alert in Cumberland County. In the 1800's there was an Alert Fire Company in Carlisle also.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Knouse Foods Damaged By Fire
On November 9, 1966 at 3:00 p.m., Scotland, Knouse Foods Plant. A dust explosion started a fire that destroyed the third floor of an 80 by 200 foot three story frame building. The first and second floors of the business sustained smoke and water damage. It took firemen from nine companies over three hours to control the blaze. Damages were estimated at $100,000. The Vigilant Hose and West End Fire and Rescue companies assisted at the scene.
Part 2 Alert Fire Company
On June 26, 1858, Council ordered a fire engine from Mr. Agnew of Philadelphia. Council informed Mr. Agnew that the size of the engine should be what he felt suitable for a town the size of Shippensburg. He was also to paint and decorate the engine as he saw fit. Council’s only request was that the engine be named the “Cumberland Valley.”
In January 1859, a new fire company was formed and took the name of Cumberland Valley Fire Company. Most of the C.V. members came from the Alert. When the C.V.’s formed they retained the motto of the Alert Company, “Ever Ready.”
On Monday, April 11, 1887, the Cumberland Valley Hose Company christened their new hose reel. William Fenstermacher built the hose reel. It was a two- wheel design, made to carry two lengths of hose. The framework was painted cream yellow with crimson striping. It was furnished with two bells, racks for spanner, nozzles and lanterns.
While members surrounded the apparatus, veteran fireman S. G. Breckenridge stepped forward and placed his hand on the wheel and announced that by the authority delegated to him by the members of the Cumberland Valley Fire Company “the hose reel or spider shall hereafter be known as the “Alert.” This concluded the ceremonies. The fire bell tolled, the doors of the house swung open and away sped the “Alert” to receive her baptism of water. The objective point was the plug at the corner of Main and Railroad Streets and in just 80 seconds the men had arrived at the plug, attached their hose and had water flowing from the nozzle.
An old member of the Alert Fire Company, submitted the following poem on that day in 1887,
But, hark; the tramp of many feet,
As like a host advancing,
Came clattering down along the street,
With the “Alert” they came a prancing.
Their painted capes flap in the breeze,
As they march to fame and glory;
Youthful members were in the ranks,
And some were gray and hoary.
“Attention! Boys,” the leader cried;
“Fight now for fame and honor,
The Alert must do her duty well
For the country’s eyes are upon her.”
And with a mighty shout they cheered,
They fondly gathered round her;
With all their force they pumped her dry,
And with a wreath they bound her.
The stream she sent up in the air
Went higher than a steeple.
Oh! Alert she was, the test she stood,
Proud of her were the people.
But old age came upon her fast,
Her crank refused its motion;
The Council met, deliberated,
And took a foolish notion.
The day was named to sell it off,
For money was getting tight;
Three dollars was the price she brought,
Knocked down to Joshua Wright.
But a new company appeared upon the scene,
The boys around a new machine would rally,
She was the pride, the pet of town
And christened “Cumberland Valley.”
“Ever Ready” her motto stands
With not a stain upon it;
As proud of her they are today
In January 1859, a new fire company was formed and took the name of Cumberland Valley Fire Company. Most of the C.V. members came from the Alert. When the C.V.’s formed they retained the motto of the Alert Company, “Ever Ready.”
On Monday, April 11, 1887, the Cumberland Valley Hose Company christened their new hose reel. William Fenstermacher built the hose reel. It was a two- wheel design, made to carry two lengths of hose. The framework was painted cream yellow with crimson striping. It was furnished with two bells, racks for spanner, nozzles and lanterns.
While members surrounded the apparatus, veteran fireman S. G. Breckenridge stepped forward and placed his hand on the wheel and announced that by the authority delegated to him by the members of the Cumberland Valley Fire Company “the hose reel or spider shall hereafter be known as the “Alert.” This concluded the ceremonies. The fire bell tolled, the doors of the house swung open and away sped the “Alert” to receive her baptism of water. The objective point was the plug at the corner of Main and Railroad Streets and in just 80 seconds the men had arrived at the plug, attached their hose and had water flowing from the nozzle.
An old member of the Alert Fire Company, submitted the following poem on that day in 1887,
But, hark; the tramp of many feet,
As like a host advancing,
Came clattering down along the street,
With the “Alert” they came a prancing.
Their painted capes flap in the breeze,
As they march to fame and glory;
Youthful members were in the ranks,
And some were gray and hoary.
“Attention! Boys,” the leader cried;
“Fight now for fame and honor,
The Alert must do her duty well
For the country’s eyes are upon her.”
And with a mighty shout they cheered,
They fondly gathered round her;
With all their force they pumped her dry,
And with a wreath they bound her.
The stream she sent up in the air
Went higher than a steeple.
Oh! Alert she was, the test she stood,
Proud of her were the people.
But old age came upon her fast,
Her crank refused its motion;
The Council met, deliberated,
And took a foolish notion.
The day was named to sell it off,
For money was getting tight;
Three dollars was the price she brought,
Knocked down to Joshua Wright.
But a new company appeared upon the scene,
The boys around a new machine would rally,
She was the pride, the pet of town
And christened “Cumberland Valley.”
“Ever Ready” her motto stands
With not a stain upon it;
As proud of her they are today
As a girl in her Springtime bonnet.
Tomorrow, I will part a brief conclusion of the Alert along with a photograph of a coffee grinder style hand engine much like what the Alert would have used.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Alert Fire Company
On November 8, 1866, time unknown and exact location unknown. A fire of undetermined origin destroyed a shed containing hay. The Vigilant and Cumberland Valley Fire companies answered the alarm. At this time both companies were operating two-wheel hose reels and the Vigilants had their Button hand engine (purchased new in 1860) and the CV's were still using their first engine the "Cumberland Valley" a smaller Philadelphia style engine.
For a three to four year time period during the Civil War Shippensburg Newspapers are scarce so little information can be found. The minutes for the Vigilant's are gone from this time and the CV's have none from this era either because they had become inactive and almost faded away.
Beginning with today's entry I will do a two part installment on the history of the Alert Fire Company in Shippensburg, Pa. For those that read the Shippensburg Sentinel, I ran this in the FD edition a few years ago.
Part 1
After the engine was destroyed, the Alert Fire Company disbanded. It is unknown where the Alert housed their engine when in service.
For a three to four year time period during the Civil War Shippensburg Newspapers are scarce so little information can be found. The minutes for the Vigilant's are gone from this time and the CV's have none from this era either because they had become inactive and almost faded away.
Beginning with today's entry I will do a two part installment on the history of the Alert Fire Company in Shippensburg, Pa. For those that read the Shippensburg Sentinel, I ran this in the FD edition a few years ago.
Part 1
Alert Fire Company
The Alert was one of four early fire companies in the Borough of Shippensburg, which no longer exists. Information varies as to when the Alert Fire Company formed. The first recorded news article found on the Alert was on February 15, 1849 when the company held a meeting in the Council House to elect officers for the year.
It was noted in the Cumberland Valley Fire Company’s minutes from their first organizational meeting in January 1859 that the men who had been members of the Alert, mentioned that the Alert Fire Company was formed in 1843. On April 11, 1887, C. V. Hose Co. President, D. K. Wagner, delivered a speech to the company, giving a brief history of the Alert Fire Company, which he stated organized in 1830.
On January 22, 1878, an old “Shippensburger” wrote that in the 1840’s, the Vigilant Fire Company hoped of getting a new fire engine and began to lay plans. They succeeded in electing a town council, which was pledged to the purchase of a new fire engine. Council made good on their pledge and purchased a used engine from the Hibernia Fire Company in Philadelphia.
As soon as the procuring of a new engine was found to be a foregone conclusion, some of those pledged to it became suddenly impressed with the importance of a thoroughly organized fire department and proceeded to raise a second company of about 120 members.
The new company asked council to ignore the existence of the Vigilant Fire Company and give them the new engine. However, the conspiracy did not succeed and the Vigilant Fire Company was given the new engine.
After the Vigilant’s took possession of the Hibernia engine, the minors of the borough requested that Council give them the Vigilant’s old engine. The primitive fire engine was named the “Rocket.” When the minors were organized into a company, they took the name of “Alert” and the title of the engine was changed to that of the company.
The “Alert” was a small wooden engine designed like a coffee grinder. The borough may have purchased the engine in 1817. To make the engine work, a line of people with buckets would be formed to keep the box filled with water. One or two men would be on each side of the engine turning a crank that would operate a rotary pump affixed to the top of the wooden box. This caused water to be forced out of a hose, which was mounted on the top of the engine.
In the February 1851 edition of The Shippensburg News, it was reported that the Alert was comprised mostly of young men under the age of twenty.
By March 1851, the Alert was attempting to raise funds to purchase a new engine. A number of citizens had subscribed liberally and council intended to make an appropriation for that purpose.
In April 1854, the company was still trying to get a new engine and laid before Town Council a petition for new fire apparatus. The report from Council was they would grant their petition provided; a majority of the voters of the Borough can be obtained. Once again, an engine was not obtained.
Little is mentioned of the Company over the next three years until the night of Saturday, December 21, 1857. About 9:30 pm, an alarm of fire was sounded in Shippensburg. Firemen pulling the “Hibernia” and “Alert” arrived at the Rev. James Mackley lot on East King Street to find a stack of straw ablaze. Firemen were able to confine the fire to the straw limiting damage.
The Shippensburg News reported that after the fire, a party of lawless characters, whose names were yet unknown, almost totally destroyed the Alert engine. The newspaper went on to state that the engine was not worth much. However, in the event of fire, some good might be accomplished by it. They ventured to say that few engines had attained greater age than it; it’s origins being traced to the seventeenth century.
On December 31, 1857, Council met in special session at the Geeseman & Company shop. The purpose of the meeting was to settle a suit with the members of the Alert Fire Company for damages they did to their engine. The following persons appeared before Council; David Shugers, John Snow, John Boltz, John Middleton, Theodore Smith, George Forney, Wilson Boher and Jacob Gable. It was agreed that the men were to pay the borough 86 and one-half cents each.
In January 1858, Council paid Joshua Wright $5.00 for work done on the Alert engine. It was agreed in council session that the engine was useless and no more repairs should be made. On April 26, 1859, Council sold the Alert engine to Joshua Wright for $3.00.
It was noted in the Cumberland Valley Fire Company’s minutes from their first organizational meeting in January 1859 that the men who had been members of the Alert, mentioned that the Alert Fire Company was formed in 1843. On April 11, 1887, C. V. Hose Co. President, D. K. Wagner, delivered a speech to the company, giving a brief history of the Alert Fire Company, which he stated organized in 1830.
On January 22, 1878, an old “Shippensburger” wrote that in the 1840’s, the Vigilant Fire Company hoped of getting a new fire engine and began to lay plans. They succeeded in electing a town council, which was pledged to the purchase of a new fire engine. Council made good on their pledge and purchased a used engine from the Hibernia Fire Company in Philadelphia.
As soon as the procuring of a new engine was found to be a foregone conclusion, some of those pledged to it became suddenly impressed with the importance of a thoroughly organized fire department and proceeded to raise a second company of about 120 members.
The new company asked council to ignore the existence of the Vigilant Fire Company and give them the new engine. However, the conspiracy did not succeed and the Vigilant Fire Company was given the new engine.
After the Vigilant’s took possession of the Hibernia engine, the minors of the borough requested that Council give them the Vigilant’s old engine. The primitive fire engine was named the “Rocket.” When the minors were organized into a company, they took the name of “Alert” and the title of the engine was changed to that of the company.
The “Alert” was a small wooden engine designed like a coffee grinder. The borough may have purchased the engine in 1817. To make the engine work, a line of people with buckets would be formed to keep the box filled with water. One or two men would be on each side of the engine turning a crank that would operate a rotary pump affixed to the top of the wooden box. This caused water to be forced out of a hose, which was mounted on the top of the engine.
In the February 1851 edition of The Shippensburg News, it was reported that the Alert was comprised mostly of young men under the age of twenty.
By March 1851, the Alert was attempting to raise funds to purchase a new engine. A number of citizens had subscribed liberally and council intended to make an appropriation for that purpose.
In April 1854, the company was still trying to get a new engine and laid before Town Council a petition for new fire apparatus. The report from Council was they would grant their petition provided; a majority of the voters of the Borough can be obtained. Once again, an engine was not obtained.
Little is mentioned of the Company over the next three years until the night of Saturday, December 21, 1857. About 9:30 pm, an alarm of fire was sounded in Shippensburg. Firemen pulling the “Hibernia” and “Alert” arrived at the Rev. James Mackley lot on East King Street to find a stack of straw ablaze. Firemen were able to confine the fire to the straw limiting damage.
The Shippensburg News reported that after the fire, a party of lawless characters, whose names were yet unknown, almost totally destroyed the Alert engine. The newspaper went on to state that the engine was not worth much. However, in the event of fire, some good might be accomplished by it. They ventured to say that few engines had attained greater age than it; it’s origins being traced to the seventeenth century.
On December 31, 1857, Council met in special session at the Geeseman & Company shop. The purpose of the meeting was to settle a suit with the members of the Alert Fire Company for damages they did to their engine. The following persons appeared before Council; David Shugers, John Snow, John Boltz, John Middleton, Theodore Smith, George Forney, Wilson Boher and Jacob Gable. It was agreed that the men were to pay the borough 86 and one-half cents each.
In January 1858, Council paid Joshua Wright $5.00 for work done on the Alert engine. It was agreed in council session that the engine was useless and no more repairs should be made. On April 26, 1859, Council sold the Alert engine to Joshua Wright for $3.00.
After the engine was destroyed, the Alert Fire Company disbanded. It is unknown where the Alert housed their engine when in service.
Part 2 on Friday November 9
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