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CHAPTER XIII.

Fire Department.

Previous to the year 1858 this town was without any protection for fire at all, and on October 28 of that year a party of citizens and property holders of the place, seeing the urgent necessity for the establishment

of some sort of fire protection held a meeting at Mrs. Peibe's hotel, for the purpose of organizing a fire company. Among those present at this meeting were: Messrs. A. K. Nafey, J. Crawbuck, W. H. Laune, A. B. Ryerson, John Hague, W. H. Alcorn, W. E. Wells, W. H. Joceline, J. G. Syms and J. G. Gordon.

At this meeting Mr. John G. Syms was elected chairman and Mr. J. G. Gordon secretary, and various ways and means were discussed to procure the necessary apparatus with which to fight the fire demon. Nothing definite was done at this meeting beyond appointing a committee, consisting of Messrs. Nafey, Crawbuck and Laune, to draft a set of by-laws. The meeting then adjourned to meet at the call of the chair.

The next meeting the committee on by-laws reported on same, and after some discussion they were adopted, and the following citizens were added to the roll as members: Mr. Chas. Yates, Garret Van Vorst, A. Grandjean, Chas. Savoye, Henry Sinclair, John Sinclair, J. H. Spadone, John Baptist, John Van Skiver, John H. Myers and John Dawse.

Several names were now submitted for the new company, and after a vote on same it was decided to call it Neptune Fire Companv No. 1. The Company now being organized the next procedure was the election of permanent officer, which resulted