Are you kidding me? 37 degrees at 7 am? This is getting old. I put my order in for spring but apparently no one is listening. On with the coffee, on with the heat, and in no time, we were roasty toasty warm inside Graybeard. I’ve learned to always keep the propane tank above 50% and the batteries topped off so we can run the heat whenever we want. Once we get above 40 degrees we kick the heat pump on and that really puts out the heat.
Well, neither of us was moving too fast this morning. I believe we both were feeling the effects of too much delicious food consumed while at my mom’s house. That and the fact that neither one of us really wanted to get out of a nice warm bed. Finally, hunger got the better of us and we ambled out to the kitchen table. Ah, a nice big bowl of frosted flakes and another cup of coffee. Barbara, of course, had her usual, oatmeal with chocolate chips washed down with a cup of coffee.
Today was a day for us to just kick back and relax. Barbara did some research on the computer of possible sights to see (unfortunately not much in this area) and churches to attend this Sunday. I, on the other hand, had my list of monthly maintenance chores to see to and a bedroom door to fix. That dang door every time we travel would bang back and forth and finally end up jammed in the wall. No more, though, it now has a latch on it that will hold it securely in place. There were a bunch of other little things to do as well, clean the heat registers in the floor, check under all sinks for possible signs of leaks, check in all overhead lockers also for any signs of leaks, check tire pressure and the list goes on. Most of it I finished today, more to do tomorrow. Later on in the day Barbara and I went through our bedroom closet sorting out what to keep and what to get rid of based on what we have used over the last several months. We’re learning.
News flash! I found it. What you ask? My tire gauge which when we left Cedar Island I put in a secure place so I would not lose it. Well, it was so secure I couldn’t remember where it was! The last junk closet I searched today, there it was. The last place I would have thought I would have put it. Now I’ve put it in its proper place, with the 12 volt air compressor which I use for putting air in the tires of Graybeard and Little Graybeard.
One last time, let’s go back now to New Bern. This time we are going to this museum
The New Bern Fire Department began with the Atlantic Hook and Ladder Company. Members paid monthly dues of 25 cents and faced fines of $5 for leaving a fire truck while at the scene of a blaze or for showing up drunk. The department became inactive for a brief period of time during the Civil War due to the fact that many of its members were away serving the Confederate Army.
Below is a picture of an early hose wagon that belonged to the Atlantic Hook and Ladder Company. Following that is a picture of the same wagon during an annual New Bern parade.
Seeing a need for an active firefighting company during the Civil War, Union soldiers who occupied New Bern during that period, formed the New Bern Steam Fire Engine Company No. 1. Then in 1884, the city traded the New Bern Steam Fire Engine Company No. 1’s steam fire engine for a new “Button Steam Fire Engine.” Shortly thereafter, the nickname “Button Company” came to be used when referring to the New Bern Steam Fire Engine Company No. 1
After the Civil War ended, the Atlantic Hook and Ladder Company was reactivated by the Confederate soldiers that came home. Rivalry between the two companies, Atlantic and Button, played an important part in their advancements, and with the arrival of this new steam fire engine it gained momentum. Which fire company reached the blaze first became more important to New Bernians than the damage done or whose house was on fire.
Sparring between the Atlantic and Button companies lasted for decades and remains part of the city’s lore. In those early days, they would try to out race each other when the fire alarm bells rang. People would gather to see which men would get to a fire quickest. They wouldn’t cooperate with each other. Even babies were brought into the rivalry. With each company having its own group of fans, mothers dressed their infants according to the companies’ colors — blue and white to support the Atlantic crew and pink and white for the Buttons.
The companies tried to one-up each other on the competition field as well. At the turn of the century, firefighting competitions were popular, and both the Atlantic and Button companies traveled around the state for events.
The rivalry continued until 1927, when the city housed both companies in a central fire station on Broad Street. Even then, however, the two companies still held separate meetings. Below is a picture of that station, note the white columns in the middle that in essence separate the building into two equal sides. Each side was identical — one side for the Atlantic volunteers and the other for the Button members. They each had their own living quarters, meeting rooms, and chief’s offices, two brass slide poles one for each company, and though hard to see in the back there are two separate sets of stairs that ascend to separate quarters on the second floor for each company.
In 2000, the firefighters moved out of the divided station to the current headquarters down the road. This was about the time the two companies merged under the name New Bern Fire Department. The department now has more than 50 full-time, paid firefighters and 25 volunteers.
Then there was Fred. Off to the back of the fire museum is a horse’s head staring out of a glass box. For the past 85 years, Fred’s chestnut-brown eyes have looked toward the
horizon, perpetually ready to respond to the next fire call. Beyond the bridle covering his long face, the reins reach back to where his wagon, beloved driver, and the rest of him used to be. Fire Horse Fred, as he’s dubbed, served the residents of New Bern for 17 years. When not pulling a fire wagon he pulled a sanitation wagon around town that collected the town’s garbage. “Fred died in 1925 of a heart attack while responding to a false alarm.
Then we have these plaques. At first I was at a loss as to what they were for. We were
told by our tour guide that they were insurance plaques. In so many words, if the fire department arrived at a fire, say two houses next to each other, and one had a plaque similar to those above on one of the houses, that is the house they would try to save first. That’s because they knew the insurance company would pay for damages to the house with the insurance plaque and they in turn would be paid for their services!
Here is a picture of an early fire engine now housed at the museum. In this
picture, do you notice anything missing? Look close. What do you have on your car that is not on this fire truck? If you said side view mirrors, you are correct. Why? Because a fire truck with side view mirrors would not fit through the garage doors of the fire house.
Now we all know what this is of course, a representation of a Dalmatian. Know why they were typically part of a fire station? In the early days of horse-drawn wagons, when the horses reached the scene of a fire, the fire and the resulting commotion often spooked the horses. The Dalmatian would sit at the feet of the horse and exerted a calming influence upon them. Now you know.
Below is a picture of an early horse-drawn hose wagon.
There is more, of course, but let’s call it here. It’s a fascinating museum and one I would recommend to you if you can make a date to visit. This is by far not the end of all that is in New Bern. I,for one, am looking forward to getting another opportunity to visit the city and the many historical sites I didn’t get a chance to visit this time. All I can say is, go if you ever have the chance.
Well, the day is done. We watched the sun sit over the reservoir, the sun on the water, the brilliant red sky behind it. It took your breath away it was that beautiful. So once again we had another great day, a day we spent together, just hanging around, kicking back, and doing as little as possible. We hope you had a wonderful day as well. If not, then ask yourself, why not? Always remember you cannot control what the day brings you, but you can control how you face it and deal with it. As my dad would say to me when he was alive, Son you never have problems, problems are just possibilities for what might be.
As always, if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God. After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.
Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye. Till tomorrow. Thanks again for sharing our day with us.
These are the voyages of Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans. Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before
"On The Road of Retirement" 