THE AMERICUS ENGINE COMPANY NO. 8
INCIDENT

During the years that the Newark Volunteer Fire Department operated, there existed such rivalry among the various fire companies that it often resulted in violence. Hose lines would be cut with axes, fights would ensue over fire plugs, accidents occurred when two companies would meet while racing to an alarm, and riots would occur at fire scenes, several of which resulted in shootings.

On April 8, 1854, as a result of the insubordination shown by a large portion of the city’s volunteer firefighters, which resulted in several violent exchanges and riots, the Common Council ordered that all the city’s firehouses be padlocked. They also requested that until such time further arrangements can be made by city authorities that the citizens, especially the firefighters who are willing to conform to the law in good order, cooperate in manning the engines and rendering assistance if a fire should occur.

On May 23, 1854, Mayor Horace J. Poinier signed the new ordinance establishing a paid Fire Department for the City of Newark. The law would go into effect in 20 days, on June 12, 1854.

On June 12, 1854, as per the new Fire Ordinance the Newark Volunteer Fire Department was officially disbanded and reorganized as a part-paid department with callmen. The "new" department was comprised of eight engines, a hook and ladder, and a hose company. The companies were as follows:

Liberty Engine Company No. 1 - 8 William Street near Broad Street
Relief Engine Company No. 2 - 95 Washington Street near Bleecker Street
Washington Engine Company No. 3 - 27 Court Street at Nevada Street
Lafayette Engine Company No. 4 - 19-21 Academy Street near Halsey Street
Protection Engine Company No. 5 - 106 Market Street near Halsey Street
Columbia Engine Company No. 6 - 68 Mulberry Street opposite Clinton Street
Northern Liberty Engine Company No. 7 - 75 Orange Street opposite Essex Street
Americus Engine Company No. 8 - 39 Ferry Street at McWhorter Street
Union Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 - 320 Broad Street opposite Mechanic Street (now Edison Place)
Neptune Hose Company No. 1 - 108 Market Street near Halsey Street

Even though this measure curtailed a lot of the problems, there still existed rivalries between companies that ended in violence. Newark Fire Historian Ted Vrana uncovered one such incident while perusing a journal of Americus Engine Co. No. 8, dated 1864.

I relate the tale to you here as it was written by Ted in his “Out Of The Past” column in the October, 1966 issue of the NFD Reporter.

I picked this entry because my newspaper file merely quoted the incident as follows: “On April 23, 1864 while running to an alarm at Broad Street near South Park (now Lincoln Park) for a hay wagon fire, a fireman, Frank Adamy of Engine 8, was thrown down and run over by Engine 7 breaking his thigh bone.”

Before going into the entry, we should know that the engine of Americus Engine No. 8 was then housed at 39 Ferry Street, the southeast corner of Ferry and McWhorter Streets.

The journal entry is captioned as follows:

April 23, 1864, 2nd District Run. “At about 7:30 this morning the bell struck for a smoke in Broad Street, near the South Park which proceeded from a load of hay that had been set afire, as some say, by order of the Officers of the Newark and Irvington Horse Rail Road Co., because the wagon had broken down on the tracks. Be this as it may, the Tower struck and old Eight rolled. Skillman and Adamy having the trumpets, Vanderhoef and Leffingwell the pole. We went up Market Street and turned down Broad just ahead of No. 7 and gained on her rapidly when a hackman named Kelly came up with a two-horse coach and gave them a hitch. They did not catch us till we reached Marshall Street when Adamy gave the order “Vast” three times, the third time being struck by No. 7’s front wheel and knocked down. Some say their hind wheel ran over him but others assert that this could not be or it would have left a mark on his flesh, no one seemed to know certainly. In falling he grasped at our box but only had succeeded in catching hold of a couple of coats which lay on the deck. Our boys stopped at once and picked the poor fellow up, when his left thigh was found to be broken, his right leg skinned and badly bruised from the knee down. His right hand was bruised, skinned and numb. A piece of his scalp about an inch long and the same distance broad completely scraped off. Meantime No. 7 kept right on, not one man even having the manliness enough about him to come back and see what harm if any they had done. Frank was picked up and carried into Dr. Ward’s office and from there taken home in Mike Wackermann’s wagon. Drs. Southard, Corwin, and Dodd were called in but they decided to delay the setting of his leg for a day or two. His boot was torn in such a manner as to justify the supposition that his boot was caught in the car-track and his leg twisted, by this means breaking the bone. When No. 7’s company returned all of our boys began upbraiding them in no gentle tones. A fight almost started when one of No. 7’s boys shouted “We’ll do it again!” Excitement ran high and but for the fact that “Seven’s” fellows wisely held their peace, a fight surely would surely have ensued.” The entry was signed by Fred H. Pilch, Clerk.

Entries that follow show that it was not until the later part of August 1864 that Mr. Adamy’s name again appears in the journal.

As a side note to Ted’s story, you can see that Northern Liberty Engine Co. No. 7 was housed on Orange Street, opposite Essex Street. Being only a short way from Broad Street, it’s easy to see how the two companies could’ve met up. Apparently Engine 8 just beat them out onto Broad Street from Market Street, and kept up a faster pace pulling away from Engine 7. I’m sure this infuriated the lads of Engine 7, who resorted to hitching to a cab in order to catch up to Engine 8, at which time they struck Frank Adamy.

So, we can see that while a lot of the rowdiness of the volunteer department had subsided, the rivalry never did. Rivalry between the city’s fire companies still exists today, but in a much milder form.