06/12/2026
150 years ago - The Board of Fire Commissioners appoints the first paid firefighters of the Oswego City Fire Department.
The following is the meeting report from that day:
“Council Room[,] Fire Dept.
June 12th, 1876
Present B. B. Burt Chairman Coms.
“ Thomas Dobbie Coms.
“ D. M. Gorsline “
“ Edwd. Mitchell “
On motion of Coms. Dobbie, second by Coms. Gorsline[,] the office of Clerk was declared vacant. –
On motion of Coms. Dobbie[,] second by Coms. Mitchell[,] John Clark Cooley was unanimously appointed clerk of this board. –
On motion[,] it was resolved unanimously that the following fire companies be organized viz:
Three (3) Steam Fire Engine Companies, and to be respectively known as numbers one (1), two (2), and three (3); And one hook and ladder company to be known as number one (1). –
On motion of Coms. Gorsline[,] second by Coms Mitchell[,] the following persons were unanimously appointed firemen on the East Side of the river viz:
Geo. W. Warsop
Joseph Mitchell
John Dillon
Michael Goreman
John Brenman
John Clark
Henry Nettles
Wm. Daley
Norman Belger
Samuel Garihan
Eugine O’Neal
Richard Cullivan
Francis J. O’Brian
F. C. Hammond
Frank Gadwoods
Peter Bartholomew
Edward McLoughlin
Louis DeLack
James Pidgeon
Wm. H. Keifer
John Keeley
John Nacey.
On motion of Coms. Dobbie[,] seconded by Coms. Mitchell[,] it was resolved unanimously that the following persons be appointed firemen on the West Side of the river viz:
Peter M. Cunningham
Wm. H. Young
M. L. Raulston
Anthony Salladin Jr.
Chas B. Chase
John T. Cunningham
Wm. Garriham
C. H. Bryan
Zachariah Smith
John W. Roach
Chas. H. Carrier
Dennis Redmond
John Galvin
John Fitzsimmons
Henry Sands
Frank Cusick
Frank M. Fairtile
Wm. Williams
M. Dempsey
Michael Looney
John Phillips.
On motion of Coms. Gorsline[,] seconded by Coms. Dobbie[,] it was resolved unanimously that the following named persons be appointed to the following offices viz:
George W. Warsop[,] Chief Engineer[,] Fire Dept.
Peter M. Cunningham[,] 1st Asst. “ “
Joseph Mitchell[,] 2nd “ “ “
Richard Cullivan[,] Foreman[,] Steamer No. 3
J. F. O’Brien[,] Assistant “ “ “
John Dillon[,] Forman[,] Steamer No. 2[,] Formerly No. 4
Timothy Cutter[,] Engineer[,] “ “ “ “
John Brenman[,] Stoker[,] “ “ “ “
William H. Young[,] Foreman[,] Steamer No. 1[,] Formerly No. 7
Anthony Salladin Jr.[,] Asst. “ “ “ “ “
Charles B. Chase[,] Engineer “ “ “ “ “
M. L. Raulston[,] Stoker “ “ “ “ “
Wm. Willams[,] Forman[,] Hook and Ladder No. 1.
Charles H. Carrier[,] Asst. “ “ “ “ “
On motion of Coms. Mitchell, seconded by Coms. Dobbie[,] it was unanimously resolved that the following compensation be paid to the following named officers per year or at that rate for the time they shall respectively serve.
Chief Engineer - $500 ($15,145 today)
First Asst. - $350 ($10,602 today)
Second Asst. - $200 ($6,058 today)
Engineers of Steamers - $300 ($9,087 today)
Stokers of Steamers - $125 ($3,786 today)
Foremen of H & L - $125 ($3,786 today)
Assistant of H & L - $100 ($3,029 today)
Firemen - $80 ($2,423 today)
Clerk as fixed by act of Incorp. - $200 ($6,058 today)
On motion[,] the meeting adjourned – Jno. Cooley
Clerk.”
Prior to 1876, the Oswego Volunteer fire department consisted of ten different Engine, Hose, and Hook & Ladder companies with roughly 500 plus members overall. This number now had to be reduced drastically. Following the announcement of the appointed paid firemen, there was unease with the selections. The following is an article was written by the local newspaper describing the selection of the firemen:
“The Work of the Fire Commission. -
“The appointments made by the Board of Fire Commissioners, constituting the new paid fire department, were announced yesterday. There is no doubt that the commission have earnestly and conscientiously wished and tried to appoint as good and capable a working force of firemen as their time and information would permit.
"The old fire department was in a chaotic and uncertain state, and time was an important element in the case. We have good reason to think that the appointments are mainly good; some of the appointees we know to be excellent, faithful and competent men; those we do not know, of course we cannot speak of.
“We are inclined to think that perhaps in a few cases the Commissioners have made the unintentional mistake of putting the best men in subordinate positions, and if this should turn out to be so, we have no doubt it will be promptly remedied. In fact, we are given to understand that the Commissioners intend to watch the operations of the men carefully and any mistakes they may have made in assigning men to places or in appointing them at all, will be promptly corrected.
“The test of the department as a whole must be the manner in and success with which it dose its work – this will be the test equally in the eyes of the Commissioners and the public. The whole force must get well settled together before it can be clearly told whether it is all right in every respect.
"Probably too much must not be expected of it ‘till the apparatus is all in suitable order and the men get used to their duties. As we have said above, we think the commission have given us a good a department as could be expected, taking all things into account.
“The men appointed are now in commission and operated at the fire last evening.”
- The Oswego Daily Palladium – Tuesday, June 13th, 1876.
The fire that was mentioned above was the first fire that the paid fire department responded to. It was for a tug boat named the “May Queen,” which caught fire in the harbor. The following is the article about this fire:
“A Tug on Fire.
“Last evening about seven o’clock, clouds of smoke were seen issuing from the smoke pipe of the tug “May Queen,” lying inside of the stone pier, and as the gentlemen who saw the smoke knew that the crew had left the boat for the night, they made [a] search for the cause, and found the interior of the boat in flames.
“Captain Thompson, the owner, was notified, and with the assistance of his neighbors tried to extinguish the fire without scuttling the boat, but could not, and the tug had to be sunk, decks under, before the fire could be subdued. The firemen were on hand promptly after the alarm was given, and although they got a stream into the tug’s hold, the fire was so located that they could not fight it with success. The boat was raised this morning, and it was found that several of her deck beams, her ceiling forward and some frames were badly burned.
“It is thought that the fire was caused by a coal of fire falling onto the timbers through a crack in the ash pan. The ‘Queen’ is insured for $1,200 in the Amazon, Mollison, Hastings & Dowdle agents. The insurance will fully cover the loss.”
-The Oswego Daily Palladium – June 13th, 1876.
Life for the first paid firemen was very tough in the beginning.
“With the inception of the paid fire department, the firemen were on duty 21 hours out of 24, with three hours off each day for meals; breakfast, dinner (lunch) and supper. A number of men were also made “call men” and slept in the fire houses from 10 p. m. to 7 a. m. The men were supposed to have one day off in eight.
“By 1876, horses were purchased and housed in the fire stations, and a driver was appointed to each company to care for them. The horses, mostly Blue Roans, were ordinarily fed at 6:30 a. m., 11:30 a. m., and 4:30 p. m.; then bedded down for the night at 8 p. m.
“No firemen was allowed time off on Christmas or the Fourth of July as they had the highest threat of large fires because of Christmas tree candles during the holidays, and fire-crackers and bonfires for July 4th.
“It was often said of firemen at this time that, “firemen seldom saw their families growing up.” - James R. Jackson; "A Century of Fire Fighting in Oswego;" 1946.
