Our Firemen - The History of the Pittsburgh Fire Department, From the Village Period Until the Present Time #220287

The History of the Firemen of the City of Pittsburgh is a. Continuous record of brave deeds and of self sacrificing devotion to the good of all. That history extends over more than three quarters of a century, during which the struggling village has grown to a great and commanding city, with more glowing fur naces and a greater output of iron, steel, and glass than any other municipality in the country. Her wealth has come through the refining influences of fire; yet so excellent have been the precautions taken, so willing and so intelligent have been the services rendered by those who made it their duty to keep the flames of industry confined to their legitimate vises, that the city now stands among the first of those in the country rated by in surance companies as safe. Once, it is true, the baptism of a terrifying misfortune came. But it was the natural result of a village outgrowing itself, and in the end proved rather a blessing than a curse. The fascination which attends fires, however destructive they may be, in a large manner appertains to a recital of their history. The pride with which persons read of deeds of heroism, is amply gratified in perusing the records of the firemen of what is no longer the Smoky City, but the Gas City.