When Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of New Amsterdam, appointed four
fire wardens in 1648, the history of organized firefighting in America
began. In a stroke of political savvy, Stuyvesant named two Dutchmen and
two Englishmen to the posts. These original fire wardens - Martin
Krieger, Adrian Geyser, Thomas Hall and George Woolsey - were able and
honest citizens, and politically correct public servants of their time.
Krieger owned and operated a tavern across from Bowling Green. Later,
when the city was incorporated, Krieger became a member of the
governor's Executive Council and held other important posts until the
British took control. Geyser worked for the Dutch West India Company,
founder of New Amsterdam. He later served as a member of the Executive
Council. Hall was an Englishman who had been taken prisoner by the Dutch
and released on parole. He developed strong ties to Dutch power brokers
and his popularity grew. Hall owned a large farm near what is now the
corner of Beekman and Spruce streets, and held a number of civic
offices. Woolsey, the second English fire warden, was the agent of a
leading Dutch trader.
The wardens were empowered to visit every house between the Fort (the
Battery) and the Fresh Water (Manhattan's largest natural spring-fed
freshwater pond, also called the Collect). The fire wardens were to
inspect all chimneys and see that they were swept clean. They were also
to insure that no wooden chimneys were built between the Fort and the
Fresh Water. If they found a chimney dirty or clogged, they could levy a
fine
of three gilders. The fines were to be used to purchase and maintain
fire ladders, hooks and buckets. The wardens could also fine up to 25
gilders if a house caught fire due to negligence or from the homeowner's
own fire in the fireplace.
In 1657, New Amsterdam incorporated, streets were given names, the 1648
rules were again ordered to be followed and four new wardens were
appointed. They had the same mission as the first group, fire
prevention.
The Dutch Burghers (the colony's governing body) did not stop there.
After a fire burned down a small log house, they designated a group of
eight men to walk the newly paved streets after dark. These men watched
for fires and stopped anyone who looked suspicious. They carried large
wooden rattles to sound
an alarm if a fire was seen. Officially they were known as the "Rattle
Watch." The citizens, however, had a less-flattering nickname for the
men. They called them "The Prowlers."
Later in 1657, the Burghers realized the city needed leather fire
buckets (there were none up to this point), so a tax was collected to
procure them. But true to the speed of government, the buckets were not
received until January 1659.
A short time later, "The Prowlers" were increased in number to 50, with
two men being appointed in each ward. The city fathers provided 250
buckets, hooks and small ladders to this "fire company." The rattles
gave way to bells and by 1697 four men known as the "Night Watch" were
walking the streets with their bells at the ready. They rang their bells
and announced the time and weather every hour. The addition of
City Hall at the head of Broad Street in 1700 gave the city a new focal
point.
In 1731, the ship Beaver arrived from England carrying two Newsham hand
fire engines. This foundation led to the formation of what would become
the New York Fire Department. For generations America's firefighters -
first volunteer, then paid - would risk their lives to protect the city
and its citizens from the danger they knew all too well....FIRE!
