The History of the Portland Fire Department
Part 1,

The Volunteer Fire Department – 1850 to 1883

By Andrew C. Sherbert

Portland was founded in 1844. Her first meager buildings, hewn from the virgin forest near-about, were protected from fire by a bucket brigade, the buckets being carried and replenished by all able members of the community. This primitive method, under no recorded leadership, obtained until 1880 when the rising village felt the need of more adequate protection.

In the year 1880, a company of volunteer firefighters was organized with Thomas J. Dryer, owner of Portland’s first newspaper, The Weekly Oregonian, as foreman. Through voluntary subscription the organization, which was known as Pioneer Fire Company No. 1, had acquired a hand pump, which was many times more effective in extinguishing fires than the earlier bucket brigade.

Portland became an incorporated city through grant of the Territorial Legislature of Oregon. The bill, which was presented to the Legislature December 30th, 1850, passed the House January 14th, 1881, was signed February 8th, 1861, and become effective April 8th of that year. At the time of incorporation, the forest came down to the bank of the Willamette River, except that the trees had been cut from Front Street between Burnside and Jefferson Streets. The stumps of the trees had not yet been removed, and as there were no street lights the stumps were white-washed to prevent persons from colliding with them after nightfall.

Despite this primitive setting, Pioneer Fire Company No. 1 had ambitions. Portland was growing; 134 shingled roofs were to be counted on the town site, and her taxable property was placed at more than a half million dollars. Effective as the hand pump was in extinguishing fires, there was a better method, and Pioneer Fire Company No. 1 was determined to have it – a steam fire engine.

But steam fire engines cost a considerable amount of money and it was apparent that it would be quite impossible to obtain one through funds raised by solicited contributions. Eager as every resident was for better fire protection, ready money was scarce, and, too, doubtless there were many whose ideas were not so advanced as those of Dryer and his associates. It appeared that the only certain way to raise the money required for the purchase of a fire engine, was to levy tax on all taxable Portland property.

The first move toward this end, was for Pioneer Fire Company No. 1, to offer their services to the newly incorporated City of Portland and thus become a part of city government and have a voice in municipal affairs. This was done, at the ninth meeting of the Common Council, held May 6th, 1861. A portion of the transcript of the Council proceedings is as follows:

“. . . . . . Recorder Caldwell moved that the foreman of the Fire Company formed in this city be heard, which was carried. Thomas J. Dryer on behalf of Pioneer Fire Company No. 1, offered the services of said company to the City to aid in extinguishing fires. On motion of Councilman Thompson it was voted that the thanks of the Council be tendered to Pioneer Fire Company No. 1 and that the report of the Foreman be accepted . . . . .”

Twenty days later, May 26, 1851, an election was held in which a majority voted in favor of a tax levy for the purpose of purchasing a steam fire engine. At the 26th meeting of the Council, held October 22nd, 1861, the following action was taken:

“ . . . . . That there be and is herby levied a tax of one half of one percent upon all taxable property within the City limits for the purpose of procuring a fire engine as authorized by a vote of the citizens of said city at an election held on the 26th day of May, A.D. 1851 . . . . . “

The much desired fire engine, however, was still in the hands of the future as a transcript of the Council proceedings for March 22nd, 1852, would indicate:

“ . . . . The following resolution was offered by Councilman Slater and adopted by a vote of the Council: Be it resolved that the Mayor be requested to inform the Council what disposition has been made of the Ordinance levying a tax for the purpose of purchasing a Fire Engine and apparatus (sic). In compliance with the foregoing resolution, the Mayor submitted a communication which was received and ordered to be spread upon the Records. The following is a true copy thereof:

‘Gentlemen of the Council – In answer to your Resolution inquiring to know of me disposition I have made of the duplicates levying a tax to collect and raise a fund to purchase a Ingine and Hoes (hose) for the use of the City I will say for your information that they are in my desk without my signature. H. D. O ’Bryant, Mayor.’”

Hugh D. O’ Bryant was Portland’s first mayor, a native of Georgia, and 38 years of age at the time of his election. The Recorder, W. S. Caldwell, evidently was ashamed of the unscholarly communication from the Mayor as he carefully underlined the word “true” in stating it was a true copy thereof.

The issuance of City bonds was an unheard of procedure at that early date, municipal purchases commonly being settled for in gold coin at the time of purchase. Three years elapsed before enough money had accumulated in the struggling city’s coffers with which to purchase the long desired steam fire engine. In 1855, the city directed Territorial Governor, George C. Abernethy, then in New York, to act as their representative in consummating the purchase of the engine. At a meeting of the Common Council, held November 10th, 1855, the following information was disclosed:

“Councilman Slater on the Fire Engine Committee gave information as follows: That means are now in New Your City nearly if not sufficient to purchase an engine subject to the order of Governor Abernethy when any engine selected shall be pronounced perfect by an inspector engaged to inspect same. (The importance and seriousness of the transaction may be inferred from the extreme caution with which the City safeguarded her interests, as the following stipulation indicates.) Also to make the matter more sure, Maks-Diamond and Company, of New York, in the case of the death of Governor Abernethy are authorized to draw the money and purchase said engine. He also stated the engine might be expected in about five months . . . .”

That Governor Abernethy dispatched his fire engine assignment to the satisfaction of the city is evident from the following excerpt from Proceedings of the Common Council, April 15th, 1866:

“Communications and bills enclosed Concerning Fire Engine from Mr. George C. Abernethy, New York, received At the hand of the Mayor were read by Councilman Slater and commented on with remarks highly complimentary to Mr. Abernethy for the Interest (sic) he has taken in his Agency for the purchase of a Fire Engine for the City of Portland in which it was supposed he could feel but little interest.”

After its long journey ‘around the horn’, the fire engine arrived in San Francisco in July, 1856, and a resolution read at a meeting of the Council held July 26, 1856, was as follows:

“Be it resolved that an order be drawn on the Treasurer for the sum of One Hundred and Thirteen Dollars and Forty Five Cents in favor of G. W. Vaughn for payment of Freight on Fire Engine &c From New York to San Francisco . . . .”

The fire engine was transferred at San Francisco to a ship bound for Portland, where it arrived shortly after to become the pride of the northwest and to awe and amaze all who beheld it for the first time. The arrival of Portland’s first steam fire engine, on that long-ago day, marked the first important step in the mechanization of the city’s fire fighting equipment which was to culminate in the highly efficient mechanical and intricate and ingenious electrical devices used in fighting fires today.

At this point it may be well to mention that the steam fire engine augmented rather than supplanted the hand pump of that period. The hand pump remained in use for many years after the advent of the steam engine. Until late in the century, and within the memory of many Portland residents, the hand pump appeared regularly at fires. The hand pump was mounted upon a pair of high wheels, for easy mobility, and was equipped with two rocker-bars which were raised and lowered, see-saw fashion, to actuate the pump plunger. Each rocker-bar was long enough to afford hand-holds for a half dozen or more persons and the continuous up-and-down motion necessary to the pump’s operation was considered extremely strenuous exercise even among the hardiest members of the community, that is, if the fire was of long duration. To man the pumps as obligatory in an emergency and to refuse to do so was punishable by fines. Ordinance No. 11, May 22nd, 1854, stated in part:

“That any person or persons may be called upon to assist the Fire Department and failure to comply with this order is punishable by fine . . .Physicians, whilst engaged in their professional duties, are exempt from this order . . .”

But manning the pumps did not long remain a duty of franchised Portlanders. The city had a large Chinese population (every fourth Portlander was a chinaman, as late as 1860) and the onerous chore of pumping soon belonged, by command, to the Chinamen, whether willing or unwilling. This seeming display of race preference found justification, in the occidental conscience, in the case that the Chinese fire-fighter could not understand the shouted commands of the fire chief and was better suited, therefore, to the menial task of bending up and down at the pumps. The white volunteers attended to the more spectacular and less arduous duties of extending hose lines, adjusting connections, and directing the streams of water against the flames.

In the early days Portland had no general water system. Water was obtained from streams, wells, and springs. With the growing use of hand pumps, and following the city’s acquisition of a steam fire engine, the need for a more convenient and abundant supply of water for fighting fires became urgent. On November 10th, 1855, the following resolution was acted upon at a meeting of the Common Council:

“Be it resolved that the Committee on Streets and Public Improvements be instructed to obtain from the City Surveyor an opinion or report upon the expediency of constructing at the present season Reservoirs for the use of the Fire Department. Also to obtain from him a proposed plan for constructing said Reservoirs in detail and also an estimate of the cost thereof . . .”

In a meeting of the Common Council held January 12th, 1856, the reservoir plan was adopted in the following resolution:

“Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Portland: That they adopt the plan recommended by the Committee of the Whole upon arising from the consideration of a plan which had been laid before the Council at a previous meeting. The plan thus adopted is that the Cisterns are to be built of wood and of the particular manner and mechanism as is represented by a model that is presented to the Council of said Committee, the Capacity of said Reservoirs to be fifteen feet square and nine feet deep to be caulked and pitched . . .”

The construction of the fire cisterns began immediately and soon every important intersection in the congested section of the city had a cistern – installed and filled with water. At first, certain parties contracted to haul water from the river with which to fill the cisterns. Subsequently, the various cisterns were connected by a system of conduits and water was piped from Balch and Carruthers creeks to keep them supplied.

The early pitched-timber cisterns were difficult to keep in repair so were replaced by brick reservoirs. These brick reservoirs were added to from time to time as the city grew and all but three of the original ones are still in use. The City at present has more than 80 fire cisterns located at convenient points in the metropolitan area. In the event of failure of the water supply due to a landslide at the Bull Run headwords, earthquakes, or other local calamity which might affect the normal functioning of the water system, the fire cisterns would afford ample protection against advance of any conflagration. This added safeguard is taken into account by fire underwriters in establishing insurance rates for Portland property.

In spite of the simple construction of early Portland buildings, and the relatively ample space between structures, there were many potential sources of fire in the early days. Tallow dips, sperm oil and coal-oil lamps were used for illumination and each of these early sources of light contributed its share to the mounting list of burned buildings. The parlor match had not yet been invented, it being customary for the pioneer household with a cold hearth to either borrow a shovelful of live embers from his neighbor with which to kindle his fire, or to hasten home with a blazing pitch knot retrieved from a neighboring fireplace. Lightning caused fires then, as today. The rapidly growing city constantly extended the clearing in which it nestled and the stumps to be blasted were many. The danger of powder as a source of fire was recognized by the pioneer law-makers as Ordinance No. 34, passed by the Council, November 27th, 1954, indicates”

“It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to keep their private use in any one house within the limits of the City of Portland more than five pounds of powder at any one time . . . . . It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to keep in any one store building more than twenty-five pounds of powder and that shall be kept in a box, well secured, with the word “Powder” distinctly marked upon it . . .The box shall always be kept within six feet of the main entrance of the building. It shall be the duty if every person keeping the powder to keep it in a conspicuous place on the front of the building a sign with the words “Powder for Sale” conspicuously painted upon it. . . “

To the end that all ordinances pertaining to fire would be observed by the citizens of Portland, the city was divided into two districts and a fire warden for each district was appointed.

It was the duty of the warden to inspect each building in his district to see that fire regulations were being obeyed. Ordinance No. 1, passed by the Council April 7th, 1854, was as follow:

“There shall be a fire warden in every district, who shall be appointed by the Common Council. It shall be the duty of the fire warden to examine all buildings or places where fires are or may be used, for the purpose of discovering any violations of this or any other ordinance that may be hereafter adopted for the prevention of fires. If, in the opinion of any fire warden, there is a danger to be apprehended from the construction of any fireplace, stove, stove pipe, chimney, or in any other manner from fire, to direct that the danger be corrected, and if the direction is not complied with in a reasonable time, the parties so offending shall be subject to a fine not less than fifteen dollars nor more than fifty, at the direction of the Recorder.”

This original fire limits of the city (Ordinance No. 1, April 7th, 1854) were bounded as follows: “Beginning at the Willamette River and running through Jefferson Street to its intersection with Second street, thence along Second to Ash street; thence along Ash street to the intersection of the Willamette river; thence along the water front to the place of beginning.” The fire limits were divided into two districts, the first district being that portion of the city lying between Jefferson and Alder streets; the second district being the portion between Alder and Ash streets.

In 1869 Portland was a thriving community with an estimated population of more than 3,000. The fire department had kept pace with the growth of the city. New equipment had been purchased from time to time; stations to house the equipment had been built, and the city was proud of the department and its record of achievement. In April 1863, Mayor David Logan, in his annual message, said of the fire department:

“. . .Our Fire Department needs no commendation to recommend it . . . it is a large, experienced and well disciplined Fire Department, ever vigilant in the protection of property from the ravages of fire, by which so much desolation and penury has been caused in the cities of our sister state of California . . .The buildings erected for the use of two of the companies are a credit and an ornament to the city. The judicious expenditure of public money in substantial and elegant public buildings give impetus to enterprise . . . “

Mayor Henry Failing, in June 1865, in equally commendatory terms expressed a feeling of pride in the fire department of that day:

“The taxpayers have been more than repaid during the past year for the expense attending the support of the Fire Department. We have narrowly escaped extensive fires and this has been due to the alacrity of our firemen. Probably no city of its size is better supplied with fire apparatus or can boast of a more efficient department . . .”

A further milestone in the trend toward mechanization is seen in the following ordinances; the first, passed March 22nd, 1867, and the second, passed January 10th, 1868:

Ordinance No. 404. “That the Committee on Fire and Water and Chief Engineer be and are hereby authorized to purchase for the use of Protection Fire Engine Company No. 4, of the Fire Department, one of H. C. Silsby’s 3 class Rotary Steam Fire Engines at a cost not to exceed Five Thousand dollars ($5,000)…”

Ordinance No. 460. “That the Committee on Fire and Water be and are hereby authorized to sell the Hand Engines known as No. 2, and the Hand Engine lately in use by Protection Fire Engine Company No. 4.”

In 1871 Portland’s Volunteer Fire Department had come of age. In the score of years that had passed since its incorporation no fire of major consequence has visited the city. The department’s development had been well planned and the results attained, gratifying. Portland’s citizen’s felt smugly assured that the department’s valiant and well-organized members would prevent the occurrence of a major fire in the years that were to come. So proud was the city of the record of her fire fighters that an anniversary celebration was planned in their honor and the following ordinance passed, August 23rd, 1871:

“That the sum of Five hundred be and is hereby appropriated out of the General Fund to defray the expenses of the ensuing celebration of the anniversary of the Portland Fire Department.”

The city’s attitude of smug assurance suffered a rude shock, however, in the two years that followed. In December, 1872, a fire destroyed three important city blocks with a loss estimated at a half million dollars. Inadequate fire-fighting equipment was blamed for this conflagration and agitation was begun immediately for an improved fire department. However, before much had been accomplished in that direction, a second and greater fire, August 2nd, 1873, began at First and Salmon streets and devastated 22 city blocks. This fire was of such magnitude and occasioned so much property loss and personal suffering that the community was long in recovering from its effect. Many families were rendered homeless and, a great many of the city’s business enterprises having been destroyed by the fire, many persons were out of employment.

A committee was formed to assist the destitute refugees in the efforts toward rehabilitation. Funds for the aid of the needs were contributed by able citizens who had had the good fortune to have been unaffected directly by the fire. Distant cities, out of sympathy, offered financial assistance which was promptly refused by the committee, the committee proudly claiming the “refusal of outside help was the only course consistent with the honor and good name of the city.” Incidentally, the relief committee was sharply criticized by many for its stand in the matter.

When the fire occurred, Portland’s volunteer firemen were summoned to action by a bell, centrally located, which could be heard by all. As the town’s boundaries expanded, a larger bell was needed. On October 1st, 1873, the Council passed the following ordinance:

“The Committee on Fire and Water and the Chief Engineer are hereby authorized to contract for and purchase a Bell for fire alarm purposes of not less than four thousand nor more than forty-five hundred pounds weight and at a cost not exceeding twenty-two hundred dollars,”

The huge bell was no sooner installed than it was rendered obsolete by the appearance on the market of an electric telegraphic alarm system. The electric alarm having proven its worth, Portland was among the first American cities to contract for one of the new telegraphic alarm systems. An ordinance authorizing the purchase of the system was passed by Council February 17th, 1875, and was as follows:

“. . . The Committee on Fire and Water for the City of Portland are hereby authorized to contract for the purchase and erection of telegraph wires, signal boxes, Engine house gongs, Bell-ringing apparatus and such other appurtenances as shall be required to establish a system of automotive telegraphic Fire Alarm: Provision: There shall be not less than two signal boxes, four engine house gongs; and one bell-ringing apparatus for large alarm bell and that the cost of erecting same shall not exceed the sum of Seventy-five hundred dollars.”

The system was installed satisfactorily and the locations of the fire alarm boxes – as listed in the Oregon State Directory for 1880 – were as follows:

No. 4

Hall and First

No. 5

Tiger Engine Company House, Fourth Street

No. 6

Protection Engine Company House, First Street

No. 7

Jefferson and East Park

No. 8

Morrison and Tenth Streets

No. 9

North Eighth and E Streets

No. 12

Morrison and First Streets

No. 13

Washington and Front Streets

No. 14

Second and Oak, at Police Building

No. 15

Ankeny’s New Market

No. 16

Clarendon Hotel

No. 21

Corner Fifth and Morrison

(The State Directory for 1880 also observes that, “The Portland Fire Department is a volunteer body comprising in its ranks many of our best citizens, and to their active exertions, we have more than owed the safety of the city.”)

It seems an anachronism that electricity entered the fire department before the era of the horse, but such, nevertheless, was the fact. An excerpt from a record of the Council proceedings, January 7th, 1880, is descriptive and explanatory:

“The Fire Department still maintains its high standard of efficiency. Owing, however, to the rapid growth of the city (Portland’s population was then 21,523) it is necessary that horses should be provided for at least two of the companies to haul the engines. The volunteer firemen have always responded with alacrity when called on at all hours of the day or night, but it requires time after the alarm is sounded for enough of the firemen to reach the engine houses to haul the engines to the scene of the fire, and after they do reach the fire they are exhausted from hard work hauling the engines over the rough, muddy streets and not able to do the hard work required of them, for which they receive no compensation. The horses should be kept ready for service at a moment’s notice . . . .”

The above suggestion was not acted upon immediately, as two years later, in the Council Proceedings of January 4th, 1882, the following communication was recorded:

“The Volunteer force has been as efficient as could be reasonably be expected for men serving without pay. The time has come when men cannot serve without pay in this arduous work. The services of the men in this department should be paid for. Horses should be provided for a sufficient number of engines to enable them to reach the outer portions of the city in as short a time as possible to prevent the spread of conflagration . . . “

On January 7th, 1883, by consent of the people, an act was passed establishing a paid fire department for the City of Portland. The act also provided for horses, which marked the beginning of a colorful period in the history of Portland’s fire department. An estimate for the appropriation necessary for the charge from a volunteer department to a paid department, and the amount needed for maintenance for the fiscal year of 1883, was as follows:

Chief Engineer’s Salary

$ 2,000

1st Assistant’s Salary

500

2nd Assistant’s Salary

400

Secretary

900

Superintendent Fire Alarm

600

Salaries (5) Companies (48) men

22,000

Rent of Offices for Commissioners

325

Purchase of 14 horses

3,500

Four new hose carts

1,800

Harness and repairs

650

No. 2’s Engine

4,000

Horse Food

2,400

Shoeing of horses

275

Coal and wood

450

Oil and sponges

500

Coke

400

Medicines

50

Supplies for maintaining Fire Alarm

500

Filling up Commissioners’ Office, Books, Stationary, etc.

750

Alterations to engine houses

2,500

Repairs on apparatus

2,500

Water for year

3,000

Construction of new hydrants

1,200

Construction of new cisterns

3,000

Telephone – expenses of telephone

300

Gas for department

500

Thus was inaugurated a new municipal bureau, Portland’s “paid” fire department – and thus was the curtain lowered on Portland’s historic Volunteer Fire Department, whose picturesque members for 32 years