A
LIFE 0F SERVICE I
CHIEF
CARHART
1957
1945
The Pr.lee Of F.Ire Protect.lorn The tiragic death of 12 firemen in New
York City last week chould serve as a grim reminder to alil Mid~Hndson Via'l'lcy residents
th'at the men who` 6afngua`rd their I:ives and Draper,ty risk thei.r lives €very` rime a fire Siren €ound3.
Man must wage a never ending bat.tle against fire rand t.he threat of fire `for it is
one of the few enemies wlhich mankind
never has conquered. Most H.udson V.alley c.ommunities are
extiendly fortunate in the fire prctecttion they have whether iit be by paid firemen or the hundreds of vulunteen who edam,d ready to risk thdr liives in bth.'alf of their neighbo,rs out of a .ense of community responsibility.
evidenced by the action of the Fairview Fire 'Co`mpany in dra,ping 1!he district bui.lding in
Both volunteer an.d paid firemen give freely of th,eir time to learn the newest techniques
in
fire
fi.ghting -land
life
Saving.
Both `have dem.onstrated their community-
mindedn€;s through `palrticipation in civic events such as Halloween parades, muscular dy§trophy drives. In the rur,al areas firemen often raise the money for their builldings or
equipment and their firchouses become socia'l
centers for the communities they !crve. The`y aiccept the ris`ks they nin as ,a .haz'a,rd of their calling or avocation. wliile they s'h.ou'1'd have the finest `equipment avail-
able , ianld ~the best training their respective
class towns. VThether paid er vo'lunteer. the Hudson Vdlley firemen run the same risks !and' it i3 a tribute to their courage and trairiing that fire deaths in the areas they guard have been few iahd far between.
municipailities can provilde.` As f.ai€hful de'fenidiers of our lives ,and prtoperty they de-
is
A
kinship iamong firemen a3
50-yearBadge*
b,uil,di`ng.
limi`ted` to cities land come of the hanger first
There
`!j#
b'la.ck in memory of the Newi Yorkers who
perished in the collapse of a 23rd Street
they iask `little they deserve much. Certain'1y
Generally apeaking, paiid departments are
FiremenGive
serve every possible €upptor,t 'f.ron the resi- J
dents _of the communi,tics which they help
to make better ,and safer places in which to live,
TORhinebeck`Man RHINEBECK-Louis R. Asher, captain of the Rhinebeck Fire _department, presented to Osc,ar E. Carha.rt, former chief of the I ire department, a gold badge in honor of his 50 years of membership in the Henry S. Kip Hose Co. Since
Mr. Carhart is unable to attend meetings at present} the badge was presented to him at his home.
Chief \,JLJ,++,I George ,-,- _ _ I.JJ _ Crowley, __ _ . , Gustave 1 _1_ Ebers and William 11. Pottenburgh attended the
OSCAR
Henry s.
E.
CARHART,
Kip Hose cFmpany hio.
SR.
1,1905
CHIEF
Rhinebeck
Fir?
1957
Department
-1945
E=
Born`January Died
September
6,1882, 1.1965
-1965
The
Early
Years
The big fair of IIenry S.- Kip Hos Company No. 1 which has been talk ®d of since last spi`ing opened Wed nesday evening.
ffH+v ¢uzt.*p€tH}+ 11@§ inn
air:g
_ff-i--:__--::_-*_:__:::_i_:_ife_-==ife_:::fa_-= ei` I,h
8:rdveftrg.°WE[ir£Sffafr9Bubt¥e]+leg.sc¥i[rgx Carhart, the, popular foreman, has
ng`
gr%m#:S. °c{.rat.£eerFern.erfa.I a:%g:+:I:Tt.t:j:
*
been a firema`n nine years and served as trustee for three years. Other
Williama, Jacob Sleight. J. W. Quick, Win. Moeslein and H`. Kolbenski.
The local Fife` Drum and Bugle Corps gave a sliort concert the featureof which was the drumming of Herbert. Decker, "the shortest Drum
9.aL°erc±:r.thfrestpa]tae;:'ds°:]d::E°::]r:
accompanied by his ±`ather witlh the
fife.
The performance brought down
the house.
It ibTas_ _`a , i®pp€J,titioi`L a-f~~-a
his. hit he made in Red Hook last week at the fair of the Modern Woodmen of Amerit3a.
OSCAR E.CARHART
.
Foreman ol the Colnpany The raging ot` one of i,`tiie most severe rain st{irms o£' the year did not prevent the assemb}£nrf M6.fM= i%rwg£ crowd in the Hall.
who was tb have opened the fair was unable to be present and a.t selection
gg+et,Fae£[PruAm]ag3:p3e]feogamtftLyofopmeg£€ +8te%St:£tt§hbeurDgfn"?3°prfes¥£8:ancd°maE3%#
to the gaiety of the evenin
Thursday evening the Staatsburg Band attended the f'air, gave a concert in front of the hall and paraded unp EJast Market street with the Drum Corps. Their presence was a benefit and fully appreciated. Matthew Busch won a ton of coal, W. H. Rows of Staatsburg a pair of t slippers and George Greens Jr., a vase. Large delegations of Potighkeepsie `firemen are expected to be present Friday and Saturday evenings. Holders of season tickets should not forget to bririg their stubs on Saturday evening.
t
The
New
Chief
-' 1937,
`Oscar E. Carhart Named New Chief
Of Local Firemen
Fire Chief
Succeeds James Whittaker At Head of Rhinebeck Fire .Department Oscar E. Carhart was appointed i chief of the Rhinebeck Hre De-
partment at the annual organiza+ tion meeting of the village board of trustees Monday evening. He will isucceed James K. W.hittaker as the firemen's leader May lst. Moses Y. Tremper was appointed first assistant ch.ief and Thurman Lutz second assistant. The board acted : on recommendation of the nominating committee of the department in making the appointments. Chief -elect Carhart has been long in`the service of the villa,ge as a volunteer fireman. He became a member of the Henry S. Kip Hose company in 1903. He has served as I oreman of his company for at least two te`rms and possibly three. - He has been a trustee of thie j 'company several times and Oso,ar E. Carhart he is a former member of the vilveteran fireman, who was appoint- lage board of trustees. He has been ed C'hief Engineer of the Rhine- extremely a,ctive in fire-fighting in beck Fire Department at the Vil- Rriiniebeek, as well as active in the lage Board's meeting Monday. leadership of his tcompany. He is one of the oldest activei firemei`, in this village, in po'int of service. As the new thief engineer's residence i,s located on upper Mont.gomery street, out of iearshot of the local alarm system, which utilizes the Methodist ichurch bell as
a waning, arrangements are expected to be made soon for hooik-
ing up a house alarm which will operate the same as the villa{ge
bell.
Chief Whittaker, who will retire from office to make room for the new leader, is a member of the Relief Hook and Ladder company. He has served four terms at+the head of the department.
Fire Apparatus Being,C.'heckedUp
-I,--
Chief Oscar E. Carhart ls Conducting Inventory of Village Equipment _--_
Oscar E. Carhart, new chief engineer ,of the Rhinebeck Fire Deparinent, is engaged- in checkjng up all equipment and apparatug in the fire station and, on the trucks. The hose carried on the Kip Hose company pumper was tested at ,the creek Monday eveni.rig. Only one length of the' 950
feet-was found to be not up to stand`ard. The village board has ordeie`d 200 feert of new hose for rieplacemen.ts.
The chief has been checking, wiith the help o-f assistants, all gas masks and the inhalator equip-
ment caried on the trucks. Replacement canisters have been oirdered for the masks. The checking of equipment will be continued until -the village may be sure that ail fire-fighting apparatus is in first class condition and ready for instant, efficient use.
Recogn i t i on
arewell Supper For Fire Chief NextWednesday x-Chief James K. Whittaker To Be Honored At ~ Fire House May 26th
Retire,d Chief MAT li . Iq37
'Iqne IIeury S. Kip Hose Co. ami the Relief Hook and L~ad.der Co.,
volunteer firemen of the `Rhinebeok Fire Depar'tmeut will unite, to do' honor to the recently retired chief engineer, James K. Whittaker, Wednesday evening, May 26, at Firemen's, Hall on West Market street. Supper will be served at eight-thirty o'clock. Chief Oscar E. Carhait and his committees are making arrangem ments for an old-fashioned firemanic get-together party. May6r Ralph 8. Wheeler has been secured as one of the speakers and it is expected that Benson R. Frost, village attorney, will make a.n address. Supervi,sor Harry Pottenburgh will be unable to attend because of a previous engagement in Poughkeepisie. C'hi`ef George Sturmer of the Hillside Volunteer Fire Depart,-
Jamies K. Whittaker recently retired chief engineer of
the Rhinebeck Fire Department, who will be guest of honor at a supper next Wednesday evening.
ment and Chief Charles Flynn of the Rhinecliff Fire Department are expected to be present, Included on the icommittes arranging for the supper are: Chief Carhart, H,arold Spoor, Thurman Lutz, Morri,s Coltcm, David Lattin, Charles MacDonald, Clarence Al-
len and Alan Rikert. Other memof the depiartment will assist. i
Whittaker Hono= At Firemen's Newly Retired Chief Guest At Firemen's Hall--Frost
and Wheeler Speak \About 50 Men Attend James K, Wliittaker, junior past Chief engineer, who recently sur-
rendered the reins of the Rhinebeck Fire Department into the •mffi§ `'bf Chief Oscar E, Carhart, was the guest of honor at a HdEL`!
England supper given in Firemen's
#L;ffisda±:E±vees¥:n:.er£¥r:: jdsent fol*jFe _get`-together,
was 7rfe of the finest firemanic events in years, according .t.o. re-
ports from many who attended. Benson R. Frost, village attorney, was the speaker of the evening. He regaled his a.udience with a.musing stories and, on the serious side, emphasized obedience to the chief engineer's orders as an essential quality among volunteer firemen. He was introduced by Mayor Ralph 8. Wheeler, who Beus,on R: Frost acted as toastmaster. One of the highlights of the ev`ening was the principal spea,ker at the R presentation, by Mayor Wheelier Fi.re Department supp.er for for on behalf of the department, of a mer Chief James K. Whittaker. past chief 's badge to Mr. Whittalzer, who spoke briefly in acknowledgment. The toastmaster callied on sev\eral former chief engineers, the oldest of which was John W. Quick. Others were Hanford Marquet,, John L. Williams and Thurman Lutz. Two visitirig chiefs, Charles Flynn of the Rhinecliff Fire department and George Sturmer of ithei Hillside
`Fire department,, were called and responded with words of praise for the newly retireid chief and the Rhinebeek firemen. Mr. Whittaker received a handsomei bouquet .of
Harry Pottenburgh, supervisol. of the .toiam of Rhinebeck, invited but unabi`e to be- present because of a previous eingagement, sent an inspiring letter which was read. The villagie boiard of trustees attended. A moment of silence was observed in memory a,nd honor of
Thomas Geraghty, fireman who died of burns received in the line of duty at a, fire in this village, and of other deceased members of the department. Deccurations of the hall were executed by ^committees from the two co-op,erating companies, the Henry S. Kip -Hose` and the Relief
Hook and Ladder. Included, in th,e membership of the commitee in c-narge were : Chief Carhart, H,arold W. Spoor, Thurman Lutz, Morris Colton, David Lattin, Harry Murch, Cha,rles MacDonald, Clarence Allen and Alan Rikert. Lewis F. Winnei, `piroprietoI. of the Beekman Arms hotel, loianed
chairs and, ta,bels and assisted in other ways, for which he received the thanks of the firemen.
The Kip Hose Parade 'Carria\ge
40RhimebeckMeEL
Firermen Take Part In RIg Parade Saturday-Priz€3 ~
prizeBwimmiIAgAppL#*FAvaft¥g_ff?.-g?
Won By Carriage
Fort,y members of the Fire De.partment, mo,stly members of the Henry S. Kip Hose company attended the big parade of the Huds'on Valley Volunteer Firemen's convention in Schenectady last Saturday. The outfit was awarded first prize for having the finest appearing hand-dra,wn api-
paratus in the line of march, the old, but shining Kip Hose parade ca,rriage. The villa,ge pumper was tak.en
I-I. S. Kip IEoise` C®mH`amy's Parade `C'arriage
which continued its\ winning way,s at Sch.enectady Saturdtay, capturing a silver cup as the finest appea+ring hand-drawn apparatus in the parade of the Hudson Valley Volur+teer Firemen's` ~Association.
on the trip and the delegation was headed by the drum corps of Lafayette Pest, American Ijegion, of ,JPoughk.eepsie. The men left this village about 9.30 Saturday morning and returned la,te tl}e same night. They reported hgivi`ng +a fine time. Firemen who made the trip were: Chief Engineer Oscar E. Cdrhart, Meses, Y. Tremper, 1st a,ssistant chief ; Thurman Lutz, End assistant chief ; Gusta,ve Ebers foreman of H. S. Kip Hose Co.; Lewis Williams, 1st assistant foreman; Ford Lutz, second ,assistarit: foreman; Eugene Trombini, Kip Hose convention deliega,te; J. Paul Corcoran, Morris Colton, ' Lindsley Mattison, David Lattin, Edward Pottenburgh, Lewis Scism, William Asher, Earl Decker, Frank Roome, Harold W. Spoor, Fred Nconey, Kenneth Shaffier, Benson Post, William Lown, W`illiam Milroy, Paul Milroy, Arthur Denegar, Richard Simmons, Emmit "Buck'-' Simmons, Joseph White, Clifford E]lsworth, Jack King, W'illiarn Lane, William Duffy, Daniel W. Wilbur, 3rd, Alan Rikert, M'orris J.}now, John W. Quick,, Joh Rifenburgh, Ha,rry Murch, M
Trombini, Ferdinand and Percy Green.
Trombini
estroyed By Fire F.arly Wednesday I
i Eichler Building Complete
Loss-Firemen Save Adjoining Structures ____-_.___--___
.
-ae -.-. =
An alarm of fire rung in from box 28 at 2.45 a. in. Wednesday
brought the entire icomplement of apparatus of the village department to a roaring blaze in a threecar garage in the rear of the old Ferris property on Mcmtgomery` street, now owned by Christian RIchler and occupied by the Eggleston family.` The building and all its tcontents, tconsisting of two practically. new automoibiles and a quantity of personal polssessions, are a total loss. The damage is estimated at nearly $3,000, mostly covered by insurance. Speedy work by the local fire fighters confined the flames to one building, narrowly preventing spread to the Staley buildings not\ over five feet from the blazing gal-age. A small shed on the Eichlen property suff ered some damage to, the outside and trees up to fir ty feet away had their leaves burned brown with the terrific heat.
Herbert Eggleston had a new Oldsmobile sedan which had only been driven ab_out seven miles and his son, Erwin, owned a new Ford coach which wa,s only about two months in service, both of which were destrcryed in the flames. Perisonal possessions of the family, lost in the. fire, were estimated to be worth about $200.
The gasoline ta,nks of the auto'mobiles exploded and added their contents to the roar of the flames, which removed paint, tires and all fittings but the metal from the cars. The heat w'as unbearable close to the building. Although the cause is uncertain, it is thought a short circuit in the wiring of one of the ca,rs was responsible. One of the horns was blowing when the fire
1957
discovered.
The fire fighters were able to subdue the flames, leaving the frame and part of the roof of the building standing. 'IThey remained until about 5.30 o'clock to see that no new outbreak occurred. Chief Carhart was in icharge, his private alarm having aroused him among the first.
KipHoseFiremen GOToschenectady Local Men To Be In Line of
B'ig Parade-Take The Pumper ~and Carriage
ELp Hose Co. Plans S chenectady Visi.b Henry S. RIp Hose Company of thi,s villa,ge will attend the Hudson Valley Volunteer Firemen's convention in Schenectad`y Saturday, June 19. The village pumper and the company parade
cariage will be used in the big parade, when the loical men will be led by the drum corps of Lafayette Post, American Legion of Poughkeepsie, taking fifth place in the first parade divi,sion. Firemen will meet Wednesday night Jto prepare 'for the
A northea.st breeze carried the smoke to the nostr'ils of several residents before the source was discovered. The flames had a good
trip. The annual election of officers was held Thursday evening, when the following
start before anyone reached the building, ` although the firemen responded to the alarm within a few minutes. Erwin Eggleston opened the garage door first and w;a,s greeted by a sheet of flame. He plied a garden hose on the adjoining shed and prevented spread in that direction. The firemen used th6 town ichemical at first and then stretehed` i,2On feet of hose to direct `two streams of water on the fire.
took office: Gustave Ebers, foreman; Lewis Williams, 1st assistant foreman; Foi.d Lutz, 2nd assitstant forema,n; Harold W. Spoor, secretary; John W. Quick, treasurer; Joihn L. Williams, trustee, 3 years; Morris Colton, stewtJ*QNE
11
Henry S. Kip, Hose Company, volunteer firemen of this village, is bent on making ,al good showing in the big ` pa,rade Sa,turda,y in Schenect#-dy, held as the closing feature of the annual Hudson Valley Volunteer Firemen's convention. Gustave Ebelis, foreman, has issued orders that all firemen Of the
company who are to make the trip meet at Firemen's Hall at 8.30 a. in. 'There will be an inspection at 8.45 and the cavalca,de will leave for Schenectady at nine o'clock. Permission has been secured to
take the village pumper apparabus. The icompany',s venerable cid parade caITiage, polished to within an inch of its life, is to take its
place in the parade an,d in the contest for a prize to be awarded foir the best appearing hand drawn appiaratus. The drum icorps of 25 pieces
from Lafayette Past, American Legion, oif Poughkeepsie will head
the Rhinebeck representatives in the parade. About 45 firemen from this village are expected` to take
part.titlNE
|8
i93?
K, JULY 16, 1937
MAIL If writerf) Of communlcation. to Th. Gazette win f]ign their let,term with the desired pgudonym following lt with the real name and the Statement, "PleaBe do not publieh my name," they will be able to preserve their anonymity in our columns and yet prove their good faith. The Ga-
Lightning Troubles Fire Alarm System
zette aB.ume3 no re®pon8ibility for
•tatemente made o- for opinion. elpreB.ed in letter. it pu"i.hcl.
Intermittent ringing of thei fire alarm bell in this village Saturda,y and Sunday was due to damage to the system caused by the el ec tri c storlns whi,ch bese I Rhinebeck the previous fe.w days. Box 55 was "tied out" for several hours after it twas discovered that
Rhinebeck, N. Y. July 16, 1937
0 the citizens of cj> Rhiriebeck Village :
Are the village officials authorized to permit the. use of the pumper fire apparatus outs`ide this village for three days, used by a private business? I don't see why th,ey are allowed lo compete with private business by renting or giving the use of village fire equipment. John W. Schwartz.
it was tcausin9t most of the trouble. Ample proteetion in case of al-
arm was provided through the effcuts of Chief Engineer Oscar E. Carhart, who labored with an electrician into the late hours in am endeavor to complete repiairs. Ftinal-checks were finishe,d Mom-
day and the system is back in ccmpliete working order.
The next meeting of the MidHudson-Harlem Valley Fire Chiefs Association will be held at the
Fishkill
fire
house
August 7, at 7.30 p. in. :
Saturday,
Called To Pine Plains The Rhinebeck fire department received ah call for the use of the
hock and ladder truck at The'i -I_±__~ -.=11^n^ C±`A+llt._ ) Pines in Pine Plains village Sa;turday as` the. Pine` Plains fire' de-
partment had no ladders long enough to reach the high sloping cot of the building. Fire Chief Oscar C'arhart, Augustus Ebers, James Whittaker and John Rifenburgh responded and were ablei to render some assistance, although the fire was pretty well under control when they arived. *_
I®__
Beginning
the
Battle
Modern Fire Alarm Sought - Now ln EREH
5f,7. £#` I----_
++++
Fir`e Chief Oscar E. carhart Obtaining Signers of Plea To Village Boaml For Siren Fire Signal A petition is being circulated anmong residents of this' vihage, ask•ing that the village board take ac-
tion to repla,ce the bell fire alarm system with a suitable' fire siren, whistle or ho.in to be operated from the existing system of fire alarm boxes. Chief Engineer Oscar E. of the local department has 'the document a't the present time. Hei says that he is obtaining signa•:tures without encountering any objection to thle proposition and. meeting with iconsiderable enthusiasm for the ichange. He plans to present 'the petition to the village
trustees before their next regular
I meeting Monday, October 4.
The request reads as follows:
To The Bo,ard of Trustee,s Villa,ge of Rhinebeck Rhinebeck, New York. We, the undersigned, citizens of -the Village of Rhinebeck, New `York, hereby respectfully petition ^your hen,orable board that action Jtoe taken .to purchase and install ,a
suitablei fire siren or whistle or horn to replace the now inade'#gnat:ra£#±s±ti:ffio:£einotrnbet]:;bs6a±odpesi= abed by the existing system of alarm boxes: The Gazette hopes to publish the list of signers in next week's ~issue.
Persons wishing to affix
SEPT a:#
£Sifrfe#Ififa
Petition For Siren
Evidence of public desire for a modem fire siren or whistle to replace the present church bell system comes this week with the news that a petition is being circulated amor}g the~citizens. It will be presented to the village board of trustees before its
next regular meeting. Now first in line among the "Rhinebeck Needs_" on this page, a modern fire siren bids fair to be heard ±n this villa,ge before many I
moons. It is believed\ that the village ,trustees lock favorably on the idea of` installation of a more efficient and modem fire warming. 'me first cost would not
be excessive and the item of rental Of the churoh ben would be eliminated. The new warning, whether siren or ,air whist.le, would be operated by the existing system o.I alarm boxes in operation here. Residents of this village know that, although the church bell now used is probably the largest and loudest ben here, it still is nat heard~throughout the village when an ,alarm is rung in. This situation exists in a place protected by a wholly volunteer fire department. 'Iqne bell has served its purpose, but even the wind has much to say which part of the villrige shall hear the warming strokes. • Rhinebeck's fire department is 'one of the best equipped to be fcNInd in a village Of the popula,tion of this one. Its most active men have been trained in a volunteer firemen's schcol. We enjoy reduced fire insurance rates because of an up-to-date, finely equipped fire department. The greatest hole in our armor then is an inadequate alarm. Let us replace this weak link in our chain of protection.
their names may see C'hief Car-hart. It is estimated that the purchase and installation of the new warnjrig device will not exceed $2,000
and may well be much less, depending upo-n the type of device f elected by the village board.
For
a REew
Alarm
K, }ul,¥ 16, 1,937
MAIL If writere of communlcation. to Th.
Gazette win I)ign their let,ter. with the desired pBudonym following lt
with the real name and the etate+ ment, "P)eaBe do not publi8h my name," they will be able to preserve their anonymity in our columns and yet prove their good faith. The Gazette aB.ume. no reBpon8ibility for
Lightning Troubles Fire Alarm System
•tatemente made a- tor opinion. eIpreEi.ed in letter. it pu"i.hc..
Intermittent ringing of thei fire alarm bell in this village Saturda,y and Sunday was due to damage to the system icaused by the el ec tri a storm.s whieh bese t
Rhinebeck, RT. Y. July 16, 1937 o the` C'itizens of
==-
Rhinebeck the previous few da;y`s. Box 55 was "tied o.ut" for several hours after it wiras discoivered that it was icausing. most of the troublei. Ample protection in case of ah-
R'hinebeck Village :
Are the village officials authorized to permit the use of the pumper fire apparatus outside this village for three days, used by a private business? I don't see why they are allowed, 1o compete with plrivate business by renting or giving the use of village fire equipment,. John W. Schwartz.
a,rm was provided through the ef forts of CThief Engineer Oscar E.
Carhaut, who labored with am ele.ctrician into the late hours in an endeavor to Complete rep.airs. Final `ichecks were finishe,d Momday and the sy`stem is back in compltete` working order.
The next meeting of the MidHudson-Harlem Valley Fire Chiefs Associa,tion will be held at tl].e
Fishkill
fire
house
August 7, at 7.30 p. in.
Saturday,
Called To Pilie Plains The Rhinebeck fire department received a, call for the us,e of the hock a,nd ladder truck at 'me Pines in Pine Plains village Saturday as` the Pine Pla,ins fire department had no ladders long enough to reach the high sloping oof of the building. Fire Chief Oscar Ca,rhart, Augustus Ebers, James Whittaker and John Rifenburgh responded and were ablei to render some assistancei, although the fire was pretty well under control when they arrived. TJ
C_
Beginning
the
Battle
Modern Fire Alar etitiom Sought -- Now ln 5€PT fy# Fire Chief Oscar E. Carhart Obtaining Signers of Plea To Village Boarcl For Siren Fire Signal A petition its being circulated a•mong residents of this` vihage, a,sk•ing that the village board take ac-
tion to replace the bell fire alarm system with a suitable. fire siren, whistle or horn to be operated from the existing system of fire alarm boxes. Chief Engineer Oscar E. Carhart of the local department has the document at the present time. He' says that he is obtaining signa:tures without encountering any objection to thie proposition and meeting with iconsidera,ble enthusiasm fo'r the ichange. He plans to present 'the petition to the village trustees before their next regular meeting Monday, October 4. The request reads, as follows: TO `The Bo,ard of Trustees
Village of Rhinebeck Rhinebeck, New York. We, the undersigned, citizens of The Village of Rhinebeck, New `York, hereby respectfully petition
your hon,ora+ble board that action foe taken -to purchase and install a suitable fire siren or whistle or
horn to replace the now inade:gnat:ra##±sLt::ffio:£einotrnbetL:;bsga±odpes:I ated by the existing system of alarm boxes: The Gazette hopes to publish the list of signers in next week's issue. Persons wishing to affix their names may see Chief Carryhart,.
SE:pr a/# Petition For Siren Fividence of public desire for a modem fire siren
or whistle to replace the present church bell system comes this week with the news that a petition is being circu]at¢d among the citizens. It will be presented to thei vinage board of trustees before its next regular meeting. Now first in line ,among the "Rhinebeck Nbeds" on this page, a modem fire siren bids fair to be heard in this villa,ge before many \
moorrs+
It is believed that the village trustees lock fa,vora,bly on the idea of' installation of a more efficient and modem fire warning. 'The first cost would not be excessiva and the item Of rental of the churoh ben would be eliminated. The now warning, whether siren or air whistle, would be operated ~by the existing systein o.I alarm boxes in operation here. Residents df this village know that, although the church bell now used is probably the largest and loudest bell here, it still is not heard-throughcut the village when an ,alarm is rung in. This situation
:Test:e;nargmpiatc.epri°:e:::]dhbays:e£::L¥tsv:]j¥¥oesee: but even the wind has much to say which part of the villinge shall hear the warning strokes. RhinebecH's fire department is one of the best equipped to be found in a village of the population of this one. Its most active men have been trained in a volunteeir firemen's school. We enjoy reduced fire insurance rates because of an up-to-date, finely equipped fire 'department. The greatest hole in our armor `then is an inadequate alarm. Let us replace this weak link in our chain of protec,tion.
It is estima,ted that the purchase and insJrallation of the new warnjng device will not exceed $2,000
and rna,y well be much less, depending upo-n th-e~ type of device Selected by the village board.
For a New Alarm
FireDestroysBarm
The
Firemen
AtwirehouseFarm; EjosslsAbout$590®® I Lightning Strikes Tues`day
i
Alrd Barn And conte"s In flames
Lightning set fire to a large barn on the' property of John, Wirehouse on the new Rhinebeck-Barrytown road, just, over the Red Hook to+*„vh line Tuesday afternoon about 3.45
At Fair Thursday Night The merry-go-round caught, firJe' during the night T.hursdagiv but the night force, with the a,id of the workmen on the ride, extinguished the flames without the necessity L`f turning in an alarm. It is believed that a cigarette, smoked by one of thel sleepting att.endants, wa,s the caiuse of the fire.
At Work
o'clo,ck and the structure, with all its-c,ontents, burned to the ground._ The barn con,sisted of two a,djoin•i`ng struictures and arm attached silo
which was new las,t year. Mrs. Wirehouse was the Drily p,erson at the farm when the lightning struck. She said the barns burst into flames instantly. She succeeded in getting an a,utomobile, a calf , some harness and other ,small articles out of the buildings.
Ralph Pitcher, .who,se farm ad.ioins the Wirehouse pla,ce, telephoned for the Rhineheck fire tiepartment and Charles Nolam drove his car to the Sylvester Phillips farm to notify Mr. Wirehouse, who was icutting hay there. When Mr. Wirehouse and Mr. Nolan reached
the burning barn the roof had coil lapsed. Mr. Wirehouse tore some boards off the side of one of the building,s and released some chick€ns' that had been trapped inside. A few of the chickens were burned. A .icollie dog that had been shut upi inside the main barn, was burned.
The Rhinebeck fire department, With Chief Oscar C'arhart, responded with the pumper and €hemioal engine. They could do nothing exi cept, 'sa.ve a lcalfiage house which
stqod to the west of the bans and a small barn to th,e east. Water from the booster ta,nk was pumped over these buildings. The booster tank was kept filled with pails of wa,ter carried from a well. There was no nearby water supiply sufficient for the use of the large hose. The Red Hook firemen also responded and offered assistance. The two bar.ns contained nearly toans ed n€JerkyELst®red hagre.aEr#c!¥¥
some farm machinery and small tools. The loss has been estimated at about $5,000, which w.as covered
by a small ,amount of insurance. Th`e piles of ha;y c,ontinued to burn
I or many ho.urs in spite of the drenching rain which poured/ down upon it driring the night. It was watched by Mr. Wirehouse and assisting neighbors to prevent its getting out of icontrol and reaching the nearby buildings.
Fire Threatens ColbormeManoF
=|Epf-,----£±ny------iq3?
Blaze Under Fireplace Is ExtinguishedByFireme Last Saturday Evening Colborne Manor,
the
former
Wager residence on West Mandg§! street, now occupied by Mr. and-
Mrs. Harold Cole, was threatened by fire which started in the floor timbers underneath the hearth of a fireplace ,Saturday evening. `'Ithe fire department was called out. Considerable blaze was found between the basement ceiling and the floor and one of the floor timbers was badly burned. Part of the basement ,ceiling hed to ire torn away to get at the blaze. Fortunately the fire was discovered early in, the evening before it had ga,ined a, great amount of headway and it was quickly extinguised with a small amount of _damage. With more of a start it could -easily have spread through the walls of the building where it would have been hard to check.
E@t@h#.;.# To Leake.Watts Blaze 'The Rhinebe¢k Pile Department was called to 'Itvjli about 7.15
Sunda,y morning when a blade destroyed part of one of the buildings on the school estate. Chief Oscar E. Carhart, James Whittaker, John L. Williarus, 'Lewis Willia,ms and Gustave Ebers. made the trip and stood by in case of need. They returned about ten o'clock. Companies from Red Hook, Mada]in and Germantown were on the scena'. Damage was considerable, but was covered by insurance.
54SignPetition
For Modern Fire Alarmlnvillage Document To Be Presented To` ,Village` Trustees At Meeiilig Monday Night A petition asking action from the village board Of trustees to-
Alarm
Set
Aside
Alarm Petition TabledByBoard;
ward the purchase and installation for a modern fire siren, whis-jle or horn to replace the church bell system now in use, has been signed by 54 residents to date. Chief Engineer Oscar E. Carhart, who has been circulating the petition, has had little difficulty in the 1,ime at his disposal in getting signers, practically all of wholm, h.e says, have shown enthusiasm for the proposed change. He will present the petition at the regular meeting Qf the village board Monday evening. In all probability there will be several more signers bt3fore priesenta,tion. It is exp`ected that, the trustees will loiok I avorahly on the project. The petition is as follows: TO:
The Board of Trustees Village \of Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, New York. We, the undersigned, citizens of the village of Rhinebeck, N. Y., h{ereby respectfully petition your
honorable board that ,action be taken to purchase and install a suitable fire siren or whistle or horn to repilace the now inadequate and inefficient bell, said siren or whistle or horn to be operated by the existing system of alarm boxes: Oscar E. Carhart, Sr., Chief ; Tracy Hester, Jacob H. S,trong, Jr., Jacob H. Strong, William Heisner, Morris Colton, Harold W. Spoor, T. V. D. Budd, Donald W. Haskins, Vincent Schaad, Kenneth Martin, IIenry 8. Cornielius, J. Russell Applegate, Harry H. Hill, William Tieder, L. M. Armstrong, W. G. Applegate, Win. H.. Judson, P. E. Cookingham, Harry Poittenburgh, D. W. Sch.ermerhorn, Joseph Ruge, Max Mielich, W. H. Pottenburgh, Alva Loo,p, Frank Casey, Joseph C. Lawrence. ` -H€rfeert, Dedker,`--jdrlfoertffl7.-G&`yi
LTohn W. Schwartz, Louis E. tKime, Thurman Lutz, A'. Le`e Stickle,
Gustave Ebers, John Lattin, Jr., John Rifenburgh, John Lattin, Lindsley Mattison, F. J. Fraleigh, Frank L. Asher, Hervey E. Kilmer, Boyce Pink, Henry C. Grube, Joseph M. Bruyette, N. M. Nordaby, R. a. Bowman, M. Y. Tremper, Ethan A. Coon., J. W'al'ter Snyder, Louis R. Asher, James- K. Whittaker, Raymond Briggs, Augustus Briggs, -Ezra Terwilliger.
No Imme=eT¥ction om New Fire WarningDump Given Attention A petition signed by about sixt,y residents of this village, asking aiction of the village board of trustees toward purchase an.d installa.-
-thion Of a, suitable fire siren, whistle
ior horn to replace the churoh bell :now in use', was tabled by the lroard at its regular meeting Mom•day evening. It is not expected i drthat any action will be taken be.`fore the first of the year, art,hough
jt is thought that the trust,ees favor eventual purchase of a modern fire alarm. The petition was presented by Chief Engineer Oscar E. ¢arhart, who circulated the docu-
ment. This is the second petition to be presented to the board in recent weeks, one (concerning extension
of P|att avenue to and beyond Parsohage street having been tabled previously. Both propositions are well thought of , but financial considerations prompt postponement of definite action. Attention was icaned at the meeting to continued dumping on the ,site of the closed dump in Park Plaza. The board decided to issue a notice to the effect that this site :is definitely closed for dumping- of anything. Any persons violating this rule will be prosecuted if Caught, sa+ys Mayor Wheelei.. Chief C'arhart reported five fires
.in his regular statement. Reports were rece`ived from the street, and fire committees, from the ti.easur£r and poli'ce justice.
Mayor Ralph a. Wheeler presided at the meeting, all trustees ex4oept Milton H. Moul being pr,esent.
V i I I age
D i gn i tar i es
FTamk 11. .Ccoiking'ham
rmton H. Moul
J. Walter Snyder who was appointed by the Town Board Tuesday to fill the unexpired term of the late Johii. J. reed on the Board of Assessors.
DAVID S. B\EACH Joseph Griffing
Ethan A. Coon
Carlton G. Sippelfley
pproximately 100 Dollars
Committee Heads Preparations Begun for Amnual Washington's Birthday Ball At Local School At a joint meieting of Rhinebeck's two volrinteer fire compa,nies held Wednesday evening committee chairmen for the lan-
nual Washington's Birthday Ball of- the local department were named. Chief Engineer Oscar E. Carhart is general chairman. James K. WThittaker is chairman of the floor committee. ,Gustave Ebers heads the printing apd advertising committee. Paul Milroy was put in charge of music. 'IThurman Lutz will preside over the refreshment ;preparations. John L. Williams headts the hall committee. Harold W. Spoor is chairman of the ticket Committee. Checking is in charge of a group under Eugene 'ITombini. The annual firiemen's ball will be held Februa,ry 22 in the `auditorium of the Rhinebeck High School. It is eixpected `that arrangements for an orchlestra will be completed soon.
The six-day carnival held last we.ek by the Rhinebeck Fire De-
will reach aborit $100 when all reckoning is complete,d by the tcommitteem*en. The fremen
worked hard to make their first carnival a suctessfu.I one, furnish-
:£:hi:oTns:dsfg#:sr¥£e%ne:n[tueEa:I:=
ment on the` grounds. The crowd which patronized the event on clear nights were recruited from Rhin.ebeck and from several neighboring towns. ,
11
For Firemen's Ball For 9th Annual Washington's Birthday Ball Here ---,,-i!r -I--i --,--
Rothman Residence Friday 1!
The fire department was called to the residence Of A. D. Rcthman, near Ackeit H'ook, to extinguisn a blaze in -i:back of a fireplace' lafstt
Frid,ay a`frout 5.30 p. in. An alarm was telephoned to Fire Chief Osicar CarHsrt+ who with James
Whittaker, James Whittaker, Jr., nd Diouglas Cookingnam respond-
Ent¥fa#¥nfierigSF For Firemen's C/arnival val pla`nned by the Rhinebeck Fire Delpartment. The event will be staged on ,the C'ookingham lot at Springbrook, usually occupied by the flower and auto tents at the annual Dutchess County Fair, the week of June 27. Monday, Tuesday and Wedn.esday nights will be given over to presenta,tions by the Na,tional Bro,adcasting Company, a represen,tative of which was here Tuesday evening to discuss plans with the firemen. Thursday evening the Pine Plains High School band will be featured, followed on Friday by the new Rhinebeck High School ba,nd. The final night of the carnival, Saturday, will be given over again to the NBC artists.
!
10-Piece Group':ire Engaged
uickly extinguisheq with the use I the bcos`ter tank. A large beam chind the fireplace wall had biurned nearly through and the mantle was burned.
EnJtertainment fe'atures are be-
Larmy's Or€hestr €nrqu +a--= ..---- t±_3±
d with the pumpeFt:,.*i The fire` was
ing lined_ P_P ,I_erL!Pensi¥:€:¥^:,aE:?,I:l i
1958-1939
Partment at Springbrook Park on the Cookingham lot triumphed over a bad break in weather to the extent that the net receipts
Gai!;%8 And Car At "Le'acote" An alarm of fir.e about 12:45 a.
in. Saturday took Chief Carha,rt and his Rhinebeck fire'-figh.'ters to "Leacote", home of Miss Ethel Merritt north of this village. The firemen, followed by many icars from this villag'e and Rhinecliff ,
found a garage between the coach house and the Hawkins cottage in
flamies. It was quickly subdued af+
ter a length of full size hose ha,d been laid from the pumpier to a nearby cistern. Thei building was, destroyed,butas was a Ford sedan 'within,` closely adjoining strinctures we're saIved intact. The Rhinecliff fire compiany, called
later, aITived, but just stood by to render ass\istance if needled. The firemen were invited in by M'iss M[erritt after their work w'as complet,ed. They were served refreshments by thie grateful owner of the estate.
Jack Lanny and his orehestra of Troy have been engaged-to furnish music and entertainment I or the ninth annual Washington's Birthday Ball of the Rhinebeck Fire Department, to be staged in the Rhinebeck High School auditorium Wednesday night, February 22. The orchestra consists of ten musicians and features five voc,alists, g|eeclub,ho`cumandtcomedynun:`! hers, using a special sound set. Lanny and his men travel in their own bus.
The orchestra has rilayed. among cthgrs*fa# thd H€ptji-ngrfe¥fa* at C`olgate, Hamilton, William.s, tunion and Or}eonta ~State Normal Colleges, at Comell University and
R. P. I., for the Oneonta, and Hmira Polite departments, the Lee, Mass. and Corinth fire departments, at Platts.burgh, Pine Plains and Hudson. There have been eight appearances at Union College.
Attendance has been large
in all easels.
The ball will start at, nine o'clock and icontinue until one a. in. Chief Ehgineer Oscar E. C'arhart is general chairman of committees. Thei two volunteer companies, Henry S. Kip Hose and the Relief Hook and Ladder, combine` forces
for this annual event.
The Department Fights Fires .
.
.
VioletAssn.Bldg.
Damaged By Fire
House Burns At
Saves Cinre H®Hse
Heermanceville
•q€#Ji'#&h,,|E`I-i3q
Vacant House Owned By Christian Eichler Burns Early Saturday Morlling
lnE±!F,T`d*afa?
Icupy .thei next house to the east were a,larme\dl and Mr. Cols called
Rhinecliff fire department.
The
firemen responded qii.i.ck±y, when they arrived trmse wac+
il:Elf-:tui:::-i¥:p;I:sfa##¥# (
led from the heat of the flames. The Rhinebeck fire department was called about 5.45 and responded with a pumper. All that is left of Mr. Eichler's house` is a portion of the front wall alnd the poroh. So intense was the fire that pieces Of charred wood and shingles were found a quarter Of a mile away. The house had recently been newly painted and Mr. Eichler had installed a new mechani.cal stoker
in the furnace about, two months ago. He had been keeping a little
fire in the furnace as he had rented the house to new tenants who h'ad expce'ted to move in 'scon. The ,catase Of the fire is unknown.
Abijah I]eut, dairyman ab the Ryan estdre,. went past, the ho,use shortly 'ifefore five o'clock on his wa,y to work ,and saw no signs of a fire at that time. The las;s was partly covered by insurance.
Brings Out Firemen Few Heard Alarm
Neighbors of Hiram Cure On Wurtemburg Road Put Out Fire With Pails ir=rE
A two-story frame house at Heermanceville, owned by Ch.ristian Eichler, was destroyed b,y fir'e early Saturday moming. 'I'he house was unoccupied a,t the time, the last `tenants, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin, having moved out the first of January. The fire was discovered about 5.30 in the morning by members of the Cannon family, who live in the adjoining house' to the west. It was then completely in flames. Roswell Cole and family who oc-
Early Friday Morning Blaze
• Cheating the Rhinebeck Fire Department out of a_ job and, what is more, saving the house of Hiram Cure from what might have been total demoliton, about eight neighbors of Mr. Cure on the Wurteinburg road hustled pails of water int,o the burning building about seven o'€1ock Sunday _night and effectively extinguished ,a blaze which was nearly in command of the situation. The men, among whom were Harry Marquet, Ralph Marquet, Augustus Tremper, Keith Tremper, Hayden H. Tozier, John Von der Leith, John Wager and Alfred Butler, who works for nIr. Cure, did nat pass the buckets art brigades were wont to do in olden days.
grhoepysc£:rn:edprt;hc:oTu's.jufag::¥t# was so effective that it remai+ne.d only for the loca,I department to check the results of their efforts
and see that no fire remairied. Water for the emergency brigade was handy in a creek which flows through the yard, close to the house.
The fire was discovered by Mrs. Edward S. 'navers of this village, who was driving her car past the site soon after the blaze had gained headway. She aroused the neighbors, starting with Alfred Butler. The voluliteers, finding the house locked and Mr. Cure absent, took axes to the windows to gain entrance and began their pail work. Damage, which was -consider-
able, included the floor of the living room, rugs, furniture and extensive smoke ,-damage qu the upper floor. The. Rhinebeckr firemer:``, answering a call for ;help, arrii-ed after the\ blaze was extinguished.
With the temperature at zero, Rhinebeck firemen fought, a. blaze that threatened to wipe out the Rhinebeck Violet Association plant on South street early this Friday morning. Only ten firemen h.eard t,he alarm and responded. They did good work with the pumper booster line. George Wy•ant, night fir_emen at the greenhouses, who discovered the fire in the upstairs storeroom of the violet packing house, and his son did effective work with ,a garden hose before the firemen arrived. An overheated chimney appeared to be the cause of the fire. When Mr. Wyant discovered the, blaze he called Fire Chief Oscar Carhart on the telephone and then went to work with his hose. 'Mr. Carhart had the telephohe` operator vring in an alarm from box 55. The call came in 55 at Mr. Car'hat's house but the fire bell in the Methodist church steeple rang 64 and the indicator at the fire house shoived 64. Only a few people in the village heard tne alarm. Mr. Carhart received the call at 4.15 a. in. The fire was out and the firemen were back at the fire house at 5.30. A quantity of violet packing boxes and `wrapping paper in the store room btirned. The siding and the floor and the ceilL ing undernieath were burned through. The telephone was bumed out shortly after Mr. Wyant got the call throu_gh for the alarm and the electric light wiring was damaged. Fire chief Carhart be1ieves that if there had been any wind it virould have been impossible t,o save the building.
The need of an
alarm
that
could be more clearly bea.rd throughout the village was once more demonstrated.