AN ANCIENT FIRE BRIGADE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1735, 9 January 1888, Page 3

AN ANCIENT FIRE BRIGADE

It is Interesting to read a fire brigade report 1800 yean old. Here is one by Pliny to the Emperor Trajan, made at the time when Pliny was Governor of a province m Asia Minor :— •' While I was making a progress ia a different part of the province, a most destructive fire broke out at Nico media, which not only consnmod several private houses, bat also two public buildings, the town honse and the temple of Esis, though they stood on contrary sides of the street. The occasion of Its spreading thus wide was partly owing to the violence of the wind, and partly to the indolence of the people, who, it appears, stood fixed <md idle spectators of this terrible calamity. The truth is, the city wan not furnished with either engines, buckets, or ary single instrument proper to extinguish fires, which I have now, however, given instructions to be provided. You will oonclder, sir, whether it m»y f not be advisable to form a company of fireman, consisting only of one hundrea and fifty members. I will take oare none bat those of that business shall bo admitted into it | and that the privileges granted them shall not be extended to any other purpose. As this corporate body will be restricted to bo email a number of mem bers, it will ba easy to keep them undei proper regulation." The formation oi the fire brigade was forbidden '• by the Emperor on the ground that firemen were bo often guilty of bmofce3 of th< mho.*- "Thtffcww, 11 j. ■ -i j