Tiger Engine Company No. 2
(Salem Fire Department)
Salem’s second engine company was originally called Eureka Engine Company No. 2. Four months later, the membership changed the name to Tiger Engine Company No. 2. The name Tiger would remain until Salem’s 220 man volunteer force was replaced by 14 paid firefighters and a few volunteer “call men.”
Tiger Engine Company No. 1 officers elected during the charter meeting were recorded in the station log book on April 29, 1869:
Foreman…………………………….A. J. Brown
First Assistant Foreman…………Jno. F. Hamilton
Second Assistant Foreman…….J. L. Holbert
President…………………………….J. N. Matheny
Recording Secretary……………..Leo E. Strong
Financial Secretary……………….Vacant
Treasurer……………………………W. F. Ryan
Tiger Engine Company No. 2’s station log indicates that they requested a Hunneman fire engine. Mr. Hunneman, the maker of the human powered fire engine used by Capital Engine Company No. 1, is noted for having apprenticed under Paul Revere before becoming the maker of fire engines.
With the addition of Tiger Engine Company No. 2, Salem now had one ladder company and two engine companies. Tiger Company, in a bid to make a name for themselves, challenged Capital Engine Company No. 1. to a water duel. At stake was $50 hard cash and the chance for Tigers to earn their stripes!
The exact nature of the water dual was not specified, but it appears that each company would race to establish a water source and the first fire engine to produce a stream and “wash” their opponent would claim the prize. The September 23, 1870 Tiger station log entry reads “On motion it was resolved to stake a wager of fifty dollars ($50) against a like amount from Capitol E. Co. No 1 upon the proposition that they cannot wash us.” There is no subsequent log entry to tell if the dual ever occurred or, if so, who won the contest.
Salem’s volunteer firefighters were a close-knit brotherhood. When a fellow firefighter was seriously injured at a fire, his comrades would pool their money to ease the burden of the family. When a fellow firefighter died, even due to illness, the fire hall would be draped in mourning, and firefighters would wear the badge of mourning for 30 days. In October 1875 Tiger Engine Company No. 1 lost two firefighters in a single week, and a third the following January.
Tiger Engine Company No. 2 was the first of the Salem engine companies to switch to a steam powered fire engine in 1883. There is no record of how the Silsby steam engine was moved from Tiger’s fire station to the scene of the fire, but on June 13, 1888 the following log entry was the beginning of the end for men pulling fire equipment to fires in Salem: “On motion the Foreman was authorized to pay for hauling the Engine to fires at the time and the Company reimburses him at it’s next meeting.”
The first mention of a fire hydrant in Salem is contained in the Tiger Engine Company No. 1 station log on November 12, 1888 “Moved and carried that the Secretary be instructed to put a petition in the Council to have a Hydrant placed in front of the Engine House.”
Salem Fire Department officially entered the horse drawn era in 1899 when Tiger Engine Company acquired the department’s first team of horses. Soon Salem Fire Department’s standing force of 220 firefighters would find themselves with little to do. With horses pulling apparatus to the fire and steam engines driving the fire pumps, the grand days of 4th of July parades with hundreds of firefighters proudly marching through down town with their apparatus would disappear before the end of the 19th century.
Listed below are names of firefighters that appear in the Tiger Engine Company No. 2 log between 1869 and 1971. As time permits this list will be expanded to incorporated additional years.
- Adams
Member……………………………..8/12/1869 - Wales Averls
Member……………………………..8/10/1871 - George S. Allen
Member……………………………..5/11/1871
Hoseman…………………………….6/8/1871 - Allphin
Member……………………………..4/29/1869 - Anderson
Member……………………………..6/10/1869 - Barslew
Assistant Hoseman……………….7/14/1870 - W. Beckner
Member……………………………12/10/1870 - Bengiman Beers
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - W. R. Boon
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - John Brigman
Hoseman…………………………….7/8/1871 - A. J. Brown
Foreman……………………………..4/29/1869 to 8/12/1869
Treasurer…………………………….9/9/1869 - B. F. Brown
President……………………………..5/20/1869 - T. J. Buford
Treasurer…………………………….6/1/1870
Assistant Hoseman………………..7/14/1870
Resigned – resignation refused….9/23/1870
Hoseman……………………………..7/8/1871
Treasurer……………………………..7/25/1871 - John Bushnell
Member………………………………4/13/1871
Hoseman……………………………..6/8/1871 - L. Byrnes
Member………………………………6/10/1869 - Cambell
Member………………………………4/13/1871 - Thomas N. Cann
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - Churchill
Member………………………………6/10/1869 - James Coffey
Member………………………………6/6/1871
Financial Secretary………………..6/6/1871 - Cole
Member………………………………4/29/1869 - Collins
Member………………………………6/10/1869 - Crogs
Member………………………………6/10/1869 - Dalrymple
Member………………………………6/10/1869 - J. P. Dorsey
Member………………………………7/15/1869
Fined for not responding…………9/14/1871 - Jack Dorcy
2nd Assistant Foreman…………..7/25/1871 - D. Dosset
Member………………………………9/14/1871 - T. C. Duffey
Member………………………………6/10/1869
Financial Secretary………………..6/1/1870 to 6/6/1871 - R. P. Earhart
Member……………………………..8/10/1871 - John Force
Stricken from the role……………11/10/1870 - J. T. Ford
Member…………………………….12/10/1870
Hoseman……………………………7/8/1871 - G. W. Foss
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - David Fossett
Member…………………………….2/9/1871 - D. M C. Gault
Member…………………………….5/13/1869 - Garden
Member……………………………..7/28/1869 - Henry H. Gilfry
Member……………………………..8/10/1871 - Gilmore
Member…………………………….6/10/1869 - S. E. Gray
Member…………………………….4/13/1871 - Green
Resigned…………………………….9/23/1870 - J. Green
Black Balled………………………..8/10/1871 - B. Hamilton
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - Jno. F. Hamilton
First Assistant Foreman………..4/29/1869 - J. L. Hamilton
Foreman…………………………….7/25/1871 - C. Hinkle
Member…………………………….7/15/1869 - J. G. Holbert
Second Assistant Foreman……4/29/1869 - John Holeman
Member…………………………….7/29/1869 - Dave How
Member…………………………….9/14/1871 - Hutchingon
Member……………………………6/10/1869 - J. C. Hutton
Member……………………………11/9/1871 - James J. Imbrie
Member……………………………6/10/1869
Recording Secretary……………7/1/1870 to 6/8.1871
Hoseman……………………………6/8/1871 - Thomas Kays
Member…………………………….9/14/1871 - W. A. Lawson
Member…………………………….4/13/1871 - Lingon
Member……………………………7/15/1869 - Linn
Member……………………………6/10/1869 - T. H. Lewalling
Member……………………………7/14/1869 - W. Lemons
Member…………………………….8/10/1871 - J. N. Matheny
President…………………………..4/29/1869 to 1/12/1871
President pro-tem……………….6/8/1871
Fined for not responding………9/14/1871 - Y. B. McClain
Member……………………………6/10/1869 to 8/12/1869 - J. H. McCormick
Member……………………………6/10/1869
Second Assistant Foreman……6/1/1870
Resigned……………………………6/6/1871
Restored to the roll………………6/8/1871 - McNelly
Member…………………………….6/10/1869 - Joseph Meyers
Member…………………………….4/29/1869
Foreman…………………………….6/6/1871
Fined for not responding…..9/14/1871 - Joseph Meyer
Secretary……………………………4/13/1871 - Charles Miller
Member……………………………..8/10/1971 - J. W. Minto
Assistant Hoseman………………7/14/1870
Secretary……………………………2/9/1871 to 4/13/1871
Second Assistant Foreman…….6/6/1871 - Clinton Monroe
Member…………………………….8/10/1871 - C. B. Moores
Member…………………………….6/10/1869
Recording Secretary……………..6/6/1871
Hoseman…………………………….6/8/1871 - M. F. Moores
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - Thomas Mozee
Member……………………………..5/11/1871 - Munkus
Member…………………………….6/10/1869 - Mikel Murphy
Member……………………………11/10/1870 - Nettleton
Member…………………………….6/10/1869 - G. P. Nettleton
Hoseman…………………………..7/14/1869 - E. Olinger
Hoseman…………………………..7/14/1896 - Dave Owens
Member…………………………….9/14/1871 - E. J. Philops
Member…………………………….8/10/1871 - Joseph Rector
First Assistant Foreman………..6/1/1870 - De E. Rice
Member…………………………….6/10/1869
Hoseman……………………………6/8/1871 - W. F. Ryan
Treasurer…………………………..4/29/1869
Second Assistant Foreman……5/20/1869 to 6/6/1871 - Thomas Scott
Member…………………………….8/12/1868 - G. E. Sriver
Member……………………………..11/9/1871 - F. M. Sharpe
Member……………………………..5/11/1871 - D. Simmons
Member…………………………….7/15/1869 - C. O. Snyder
Member…………………………….7/15/1869 - William Steel
Member…………………………….12/10/1870 - George E. Strong
Recording Secretary…………….4/29/1869 to 7/1/1870 - C. E. Stuart
Member……………………………..914/1871 - Thatcher
Member…………………………….6/10/1869 - Ed. Thurman
Member…………………………….7/15/1869 - M. Townsen
Member…………………………….8/10/1871 - Jacob Wahl
Member……………………………..4/13/1871 - Charles S. Walker
Member……………………………..9/14/1871 - William H. Watkinds
Treasurer……………………………5/20/1869 to 9/9/1869
Foreman……………………………..9/9/1869 to 6/6/1871 - W. E. Wilson
Member……………………………..6/10/1869 - F. R. Wilson
Recording Secretary………………7/25/1871 - Samuel Wolf
Member……………………………..11/10/1870
Researched and written by Larry Blumenstein
Bibliography:
Tiger Engine Company No. 2 Station Log from the Salem Fire Department archive.
Salem Fire Department 1857-1904, Published in the interest of The Relief Fund, Statesman Job Office.
History of the Salem, Oregon Fire Department: the volunteer era 1857 to 1893, Wilkerson.
Photo Credit:
Tiger Engine Company No. 2 group photograph was copied from a print located at SFD Station 2. The photographer is unknown. The existence of a negative is unknown
This article originally appeared on the original Salem Online History site and has not been updated since 2006.
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