a Engine. Company No. 2 was
organized, and it was provided with an engine house near the corner
of Third and Jackson streets. The first officers were H.P. Grant,
foreman; M.J. O'Connor and H.B. Terwilliger, assistants; members,
Harry M. Shaw, Nicholas Hendy, John B. Oliver, F.A. Cariveau, H.A.
Schlick. C.D. Hadway, N. Nicuhaus, L.R. Storing, William T. Donaldson,
Daniel Rohrer, J. Fletcher Williams, N. W. Kittson, Alfred Bayace,
John McCauley and a number of others. The Minnehahas were a prosperous
organization from the first, and their engine house was always kept
open and served as a general lounging and reading-room for such of its
members as had nothing particular to do.

* * * * *

Rotary Independent Company No. 1 was the third engine connected with
the St. Paul fire department, but that was a private institution and
was only used when there was a general alarm and on the days of the
annual parade of the department. This engine was purchased from the
government by John S. Prince when Fort Snelling was abandoned, and was
used for the protection of the property of the mill, which was located
on lower Third street.

* * * * *

By the formation of Minnehaha Engine company the city fathers thought
they were possessed of quite a respectable fire department, and from
that time on the annual parade of the St. Paul fire department was one
of the events of the year. The first parade occurred on the 12th
of September, 1859, and was participated in by the following
organizations:

Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.
Hope Engine Company No. 1.
Minnehaha Engine Company No. 2.
Rotary Independent Company No. 1.

These four companies numbered 175 men, and after completing their line
of march were reviewed by the mayor and common council in front of the
old city hall.

In 1858 the legislature passed an act requiring the sextons of the
different churches to ring the church bells fifteen minutes whenever
there was an alarm of fire. The uptown churches would ring their
bells, the downtown churches would ring their bells, and the churches
in the central part of the city would ring their bells. There was a
regular banging and clanging of the bells.

"In the startled air of night,
They would scream out their afright,
Too much horrified to speak,
They could only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune."

Every one turned out when the fire bells rang. Unl