City, State, and Nation; A Text-Book on Constructive Citizenship for Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 Excerpt: ...of New Amsterdam.--Among the first fire officers in America were the fire wardens in New York, or New Amsterdam, in 1656. Leather buckets were soon ordered, and after a time every family was required to have a leather bucket hung up ready for use. Bakers had to have three buckets, and brewers six. Every householder found without this bucket was fined six shillings. Not long after this the first fire engines, which were merely hand pumps, were brought over from London. For a long time these hand engines had to be placed very near the fires because they had no flexible hose, and many of them were burned. A leather hose was later invented at Amsterdam, Holland, by two Dutchmen, both named Jan Van der Heide. These hose could be joined to form long pipes. One section could be let down into a well or cistern to suck up the water while another section carried the water to the fire. The Steam Engine.--A steam fire engine soon followed the discovery of steam power. Though the fire officers refused at first to buy one, they changed their minds when they saw one actually at work, for they were much more powerful than the old hand engines and carried water long distances. Modern Fire Departments.--To-day every city and every village of any size has its fire department. The modern departments have huge fire engines that belch forth great quantities of water--some as much as nine hundred gallons a minute. Motor fire engines and motor trucks are rapidly displacing fire horses in the best fire departments. The hook and ladder wagons carry scaling ladders to reach to upper story windows, but they are not often used, because in most large cities there are strict laws requiring fire escapes and fireproof stairs on all high buildings. The greater cities have water towers that ...