CHAPTER  II.

THE LARLV FIRE DEPARTMENT.

SiMH-AR Origin and Expekikxces ok .\ll Co.\[ML'xriii;s .\s,'in Provisions
AcAiNs'i Imri;—The " Hi'cket .vnd Chimney" Er.\—A Des'iructive
Fire thi; Starting Point—Every Citizen a Fh^e.m.w—Organizing
THE First Fire Comp.vny—Leading Citizens its Members—The Pri.mi-
TivE Fire Engines and Tfieir Successors—Early Fiki.s in New
Orleans—Governor AIiros Report ok the First RK<okDEi) Great
Fire—Ordinances of the New Municipal Government in 1S04—Com-
panie'-^ Organized and F^ore.men Aitointed--" Bucket Ordinance" of
1S07—Incendiarism .\nd Rewards kor its Detection—The Fire Com¬
panies Criticised—Atte.mpts at Reorganization—The First Volu.n-

TEER   Co>H'ANY.   KS29.

(HERE is a marked similarity between the early precautions
taken against fire in any gi\'en place, and the experience of all
other places. The same causes operate to emphasize the need
of organization, and the successive steps are almost invariably
taken in the same order. A curious feature of it is that it is not a devel¬
opment of the art of fire prevention and extinguishment, but rather a
growth of the town or city towards the successi\'e stages of an art alread)-
well developed and thoroughly understood. If a town introduces elec¬
tricity, or railroads, or any of the institutions of an advanced civilization,
it adopts at once the most improved forms and appliances. But in
equipping itself for taking care of conflagrations, every town begins at
the beginning, and starts out by attempting to control fire in the same
primitive way that was in vogue in the colonial days. Consequently,
while the large cities of to-day are fully provided with the latest improved