alarm of fire by lightning set the fire companies by the eyes and ears. Wire from poles along the streets, with signal-boxes and a system of signals to indicate the locality of the fire, was introduced. Then began the new check. Electricity to give the alarm required steam to extinguish the fire. This was a consequence, if not a corollary. Experience of fifty years demonstrated the inefficiency of the old hand-engines; they were too heavy, too slow, and too exhaustive of energy at a large fire. A prejudice fifty years old is a strong, well-built prejudice, and stands any quantity of hard knocks. Just such a prejudice was built up to guard the fire department from the assaults of novelties or new ideas. That prejudice had to be broken down by stubborn facts and decided advantages gained."

The Philadelphia fire department was placed under charge of a chief engineer by ordinance of January 30th, 1855. The first engineer was Benjamin A. Shoemaker, who was succeeded by Samuel Patrick Fearon, and subsequently by David M. Lyle, Terrence McCusker, and George W. Downey.

Cincinnati was the first city to use steam fire-engines, but Philadelphia was the first to produce a machine that proved a model for other cities. In February, 1855, Mr. E. Latta of Cincinnati arrived with a steam fire-engine, the "Miles Greenwood," and proposed to Councils and the fire department to exhibit it in action. The Philadelphia Hose Company lent Mr. Latta sufficient hose and the services of some of its members to make the trial satisfactory. The trial was made at Dock street wharf in presence of many persons. Though the engine performed satisfactorily, its action was received with groans by many firemen present, and the Philadelphia Hose was hooted at as they left the ground. By sensible people and the benevolent members of the fire department the exhibition was well received and favorably thought of, but the firemen mainly continued opposed to it. It could not throw the water as far as some of the hand-engines in use.

Thus matters remained until the 24th of May of the same year, when Mr. Shawk of Cincinnati brought on the "Young America," By order of Councils a private trial was had in the yard of the County Prison, where it worked well. A public trial was held in Arch street above Tenth on the 1st of June, and another at the foot of Dock street on June 4th, both with much success. The report said: "The engine has the capacity of discharging the full amount of 500 gallons of water per minute, or 30,000 per hour, through a 14-inch nozzle, to a distance of 175 feet, and maintaining a constant stream of that capacity; which is equal to at least seven of our first-class engines when operated by hand." The Committee on Trusts and Fire recommended its adoption, but the finances were embarrassed and Councils declined to purchase it. It was therefore bought for $9500 by some merchants, underwriters, etc., and presented to the city. It was a cumbrous

affair, weighing 20,000 pounds, and required three or four horses to pull it to fires. As no company could afford to keep it and use it, Councils placed it in the hands of the chief engineer of the fire department, and appropriated $5000 for the maintenance of the machine, though not without great opposition. A house was erected at Front and Noble streets, an engineer and assistant were chosen to direct her, and everything purchased necessary except horses. The Young America remained in the hands of the city for three years at a cost of $20,000, but was of little service, having really attended only three fires in that time. Notwithstanding many large fires occurred, it remained in "masterly inactivity," as the machinery was seldom in order, and it had to be dragged to the scene of action by firemen, which was such an arduous task it was rarely performed. At the burning of Megargee's board-yard at Poplar street wharf, October 7th, 1856, it did good service under the care of the Philadelphia Hose Company and United States Engine Company.

On the 30th of January, 1857, a special meeting of the Philadelphia Hose Company was called to receive or refuse a steam fire-engine, the "Fire-Fly," a New York machine, belonging to Arthur, Burnham & Gilroy, a manufacturing establishment of this city, who had offered it to the company for use free of expense. The company accepted it, and asked Councils that they might be allowed to run the Fire-Fly to fires without regard to the district system. On the 2d of February, 1857, the Fire-Fly was tried at the tobacco warehouse, Dock street. It was afterward returned to the firm its owners, who finally abandoned it or returned it to New York, as the Philadelphia "boys" were disgusted with it.

Ön February 9th, at a meeting of the hose company, a committee of five were appointed to solicit funds from the insurance companies for the maintenance of the machine. Messrs. Myers, Allen, Grice, Phillips, and A. J. Miller were appointed, but they did not act.

But Mr. C. Tiers Myers was satisfied that Philadelphia mechanics could build an improved machine that would be lighter and more efficient than any yet constructed. He thereforethough his proposition was at first received with jeers-persuaded the company at a stated meeting April 13th, 1857, to pass the following resolution: "Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to invite the mechanics of Philadelphia to submit plans and estimates of a steam fire-engine." Messrs. C. Tiers Myers, John E. Neall, and Thomas S. Crombarger were chosen as the committee, to whom were added Hon. John K. Kane, judge of U. S. District Court, Samuel V. Merrick, Richard Vaux, and William D. Sherrerd. Messrs. Myers, Neall, and Crombarger then advertised in the public papers, inviting plans and proposals for building a steam fire-engine, and received

in reply an offer from Joseph L. Parry, their fellow-townsman and fireman, to build an engine for $3500 of best materials and workmanship, with twenty feet of suction and fifty feet of forcing hose, two hose-pipes and five nozzles, and two tongues-to throw water through a nozzle 1 inch in beam 194 feet horizontally, two streams through 3-inch nozzle 175 feet; and the engine to weigh 5500 pounds without water, 800 pounds more with it.

The company adopted Mr. Parry's design, and the engine was built by Reaney, Neafie & Co. of Kensington, and proved a complete triumph of the world-renowned skill of Philadelphia mechanics, and a monument of the public spirit and enterprise of the old Philadelphia Hose, No. 1, the pioneer fire organization in steam apparatus, as it had fifty-four years before been the pioneer hose company, and which manfully bore the brunt of opposition to its introduction into the fire department of the city.

Mr. Myers, as chairman of the committee, diligently set to work to raise $5000, the sum needed-$3500 for the engine, and $1500 to enlarge the house for its accommodation. He succeeded, most of the insurance companies subscribing liberally, besides many merchants. The late Joseph Harrison, Jr., was the first who subscribed, putting his name down for $100.

A few days after the Philadelphia Hose Company adopted measures to secure the Fire-Fly, the Diligent Engine Company, in a spirit of laudable rivalry, about February 1st, 1857, applied to the City Councils for the use of the steamer Young America, and to apply a certain amount to put her in service and keep her in running order. Nothing was done, and in January, 1858, Councils were again applied to to restore the engine to the trustees for the original owners; which, after persistent and contin-uous efforts of V. Harold Myers, was done, and the trustees handed it over to the Diligent. She continually wanted repairs, and was tinkered at by Shawk & McCausland. Finally, she was cut down and rebuilt by McCausland, and made much lighter, and was kept in service.

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The Philadelphia, after a successful trial at Reaney, Neafie & Co.'s, Jan. 20, 1858, received their engine, housed it, and stabled their horses, ready for the first alarm. It was christened the Philadelphia." Their first public trial, Jan. 21, 1858, was in Arch above Tenth street, when they threw an inch-and-a-quarter stream over the steeple of Wadsworth's church, 160 feet high. They then marched down Chestnut to Seventh with the engine, which attracted much attention, people lining the sidewalks to view the pioneer Philadelphia engine. At a fire back of Filbert above Eighth, February 28th, she proved her value, for they forced through over 300 feet of hose and put upon the fire a powerful and well-managed stream, which did more good than the puny efforts of all the ordinary hand-engines on the ground.

A public competition was had at Noble street wharf with Young America in June. The Young America threw a distance of 130 feet, and the Philadelphia 231 feet. Another trial against three Boston steamers was held in that city in September, the Philadelphia bringing home $500 as the highest prize. On returning home through New York they served at a fire, but the old hostility against steam-engines was rampant, and they were insulted, but the New York fire companies amply atoned for it.

In 1859 the Philadelphia introduced the new "Bliss" couplings for uniting sections of hose and attachments. In Dec., 1859, they played three streams on a fire at one time.

In 1860, several members improved the pump, so that it worked much more efficiently. Their names are Kershaw, Neal, Parry, Wallace, Grice, Kurtz the engineer, and others. With this improvement, in March, 1861, the Philadelphia beat the Cohocksink, built in New York. The Philadelphia threw a stream through a 14-inch nozzle 275 feet horizontal, with 90 pounds of steam, though they could have raised 180 pounds. The Cohocksink made 240 feet as the highest. At another trial near Fairmount Waterworks the Philadelphia threw streams through 14, 14, and 13 nozzles 286, 288, and 285 feet; two streams at once, 225 feet 6 inches; four streams at once, 167 feet 6 inches; six streams at once, 165 feet each. She also threw a 1ğ-inch stream 295 feet 6 inches. This exploded the theory that atmospheric pressure would prevent water from being thrown more than 250 feet.

So early as 1860, only three years after the Philadelphia was ordered, there were in the city 21 steam fire-engines, at an average cost of $3250, which with the hose, the hose-carriages, the houses, the horses, harness, and other equipments, involved an interest amounting to $210,550.

The next to adopt steam was the Hope Hose, which was early in the field, in June, 1858, with an engine built by Reaney & Co. At the contest between the Philadelphia and Young America the Hope, though the smallest of the three, threw a stream 212 feet.

The Hibernia, the Weccacoe, and the Delaware Engine companies soon also had ordered steam-engines. In that same year (1859) twenty steam fire-engines were built for companies in the city, and it so continued, until at the present time the old handengine is rapidly passing from the memory of the inhabitants.

Captain Ericsson designed the first steam-engine in London in 1828. It had a working cylinder of 12 inches, two double-acting force-pumps, and threw water over the tops of chimneys of the breweries. A second one did good service February 13, 1830. He came to America in 1839, and shortly after received the gold medal of the Mechanics' Institute of New York for an improved design.

THE FRIENDS.

The desire of making proselytes and spreading the word of God induced the followers of George Fox to come to America. They settled in New England and New York, where they still met with persecution. Some landed on the Delaware in 1665, where the town of Salem sprang up, and in 1677 others followed and settled Gloucester and Beverly (afterward named Burlington). George Fox came over in 1672, from England via Jamaica, thence to Maryland, and to Middletown, New Jersey, where there was already a meeting. He returned through New Castle to Maryland, and sailed for England.

The Quakers prospered, and regular meetings were held weekly, monthly, and quarterly at Burlington and Rancocas. At Shackamaxon the first was held in 1681, and in 1682 in the city, as being more convenient. In 1685 the meeting-house at Centre Square was built, and at the same time the meeting-house on the river-bank, in Front above Sassafras street-of frame and for evening meetings, Centre Square being too far out for evening meetings was going on. This was replaced by another in 1703. The Haverford Monthly Meeting was formed in 1684, composed of the Schuylkill, the Merion, and the Haverford. The buryingground of the Schuylkill Meeting, and perhaps of Centre Meeting also, lay on the west side of the Schuylkill, north of High street. In after years this ground, with other belonging to the estates of Willing and Powell, finally came into the possession of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.

The first schism in their meetings arose from the defection of George Keith, who set up new interpretations of doctrine, and with his adherents established a meeting under the title of "Christian Quakers," and built a log house on Second street below Mulberry. Pamphlets were published by both parties, for one of which Keith and Thomas Budd were indicted, tried, and fined £5 each. At the Yearly Meeting of the Friends one of Keith's adherents read a challenge from him to hear his appeal, climbing up into the window of the meeting-house and reading it while Thomas Janney was at prayer. Keith himself used such violent language as "hypocrites, snakes, vipers, bloodthirsty hounds, impudent rascals, and such like, bidding them cut him in collops, fry him, and eat him, and saying that his back had long itched to be whipped." Keith carried his intemperate zeal so far as to erect a gallery in the Friends' meeting, intending to be present on First Day, but which was torn down by Robert Turner, one of his own trustees.

He finally went to London with Budd, and was there disowned by the Friends, and afterward became an Episcopal clergyman. His followers changed into Quaker Baptists, and finally into