150 Years 1872-1886 The Dalles THE DECADES OF HISTORY PART TWO OF THE DALLES CHRONICLE'S TEN-PART SERIES. March 30, 2007 page 3 THE DALLES FIRE FIGHTERS ILL-EQUIPPED FOR DISASTER OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT - The fact is beyond contradiction, The Dalles has as good a Fire Department and as good firemen as can be found in any town on the Coast. Of course when we say this we include Mr. Emile Schutz, if he does reside at Camp Watson, in Grant county, for we DO think, without prejudice to the merits of any other individual, he is the very best fireman this city has ever had, and is a jolly, good, clever gentleman too, to boot. But what we were going to say is this: Our Fire Department is composed of good and experienced firemen - with the poorest apparatus, the poorest hose and the poorest materials to work with we have ever seen. Now then - we, the people of The Dalles, are all interested in having an effective Fire Department, so let us put our heads to work and see if we can't find some way by which money can be raised for this purpose. The Department should have a new hand engine, one four-wheel hose carriage, one hook and ladder truck, about two thousand feet of new hose and a new two story house to meet in. Next we want more fire-hydrants and cisterns. With these improvements it would be a great satisfaction to be a member of the Fire Department; but to be compelled to work with old worn-out hose that bursts on every occasion when it is used, it is anything but a pleasure. Since writing the above we learn it is the intention of the City Council as soon as it can be accomplished, that the tract of land known as the "Government Garden" will be laid out in town lots and sold, and the money will be taken to place our Fire Department in a good working condition. It is well known that the City Council have no authority to levy a tax for that purpose, but so anxious are the members of the Council to do something for the "fire laddies" that they have resolved upon the method above referred to raise the money. We hope that the last project may work and that before another New Year comes around the Fire Department of this city may be able to compete with any Department of the small towns on this Coast with its apparatus as it now does with its experienced firemen. December 30, 1876 Incoming and Outgoing messages protected by Trend Micro PC-cillin program