"Back to BROOKE COUNTY WVGenWeb Home Page"
This is a copy of a letter sent to the Fire Chief of the Wellsburg Fire Department, Wellsburg,
(Brooke Co,) WV dated 20 Dec 1984. It seems that during the first half of the last century Wellsburg had acquired and used three used engines, one of which was built in England before 1800, the second called "Union" was built in Philadelphia in 1811 and the third was built in 1830. It was later noted that they "did good service in past years" in Wellsburg and no doubt were the pride and joys of your fire fighters. When their useful years were over and they were retired from service, they were not destroyed or junked. They ended up as part of the antique collections of the Hoboken, N.J. and New York City Veteran Fireman's Organizations and they had at least one more day of glory left in them. On the morning of October 21, 1866 the three Wellsburg Fire Engines showed up on display in front of the Fabric Hose Company on Barclay Street in New York City. They so captivated New Yorkers on their way to work that a large crowd grew and the incident was reported the next day in the pages of the New York Times. The Times noted that the Wellsburg Fire Engines were there as part of the Veteran Firemen's Association entries in the Statue of Liberty dedication parade on October 28. This parade was then known as the "Bartholdi Procession" in honor of the artist who designed and built the statue. The parade was the main on-shore ceremonies for the dedication of The Statue of Liberty and one of the largest ever held in the city. A later issue of The Times reported that the portion of the parade which commanded the greatest interest was that of "the fire laddies". As part of the ceremonial procession the Wellsburg Fire Engines were pulled down Fifth Avenue, and Broadway to the delight of the assembled millions and were reviewed by and received the salute of President Cleveland as they passed his reviewing stand in Madison Square. They ended up in lower Manhattan where the people viewed the ceremonies at the Statue. Many states and foreign countries were represented in the ceremonies educating the Statue of Liberty, but few local communities outside the New York City area were there. However, it is documented that when Miss. Liberty arrived in New York Harbor Wellsburg, West Virginia was there. It was represented by the three Wellsburg Fire Engines.
THIS IS FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES 22 October 1886, Page 8, Column 3
" A good deal of attention was bestowed yesterday upon three venerable looking boxes on wheels,
surmounted by singularly shaped iron attachments, which stood in front of the office of the
Fabric Hose Company in Barclay-street. They were antiquated specimens of fire engines, which
are to be dragged in the Bartholdi procession next Thursday by the veteran firemen's organization.
All three were picked up in Wellsburg, West Va. where they have done good service in the past years,
although to the modern city fireman they seem fit only to be broken up for kindling wood and junk.
The oldest of the three was built in England some time during the last century, nobody knows when,
and turned up in Wellsburg 75 years ago. It consists of a box 6 1/2 feet long by 2 feet wide and
about a foot deep, and the water, which was poured into the box from buckets, was thrown out through
the hose by means of a crank. The box is mounted on old rusty wheels, and as it stands on the
sidewalk reminds one of nothing so much as a dilapidated coal box.
I believe this to be a part of the heritage of Wellsburg and may be of great interest to the community
as interest in the Statue of Liberty grows during the next two years. For this reason, I am sending
copied of this letter to those noted below.
|