Menasha Fire Department

From the June,1898 Menasha Press (Souvenir Edition):

"...For forty years Menasha has had a volunteer fire department ranking foremost among Wisconsin organizations of the kind.  First it was the pioneer bucket brigade; then the old hand engine companies with their showy uniforms, and lastly the consolidated fire department of the present.  Many a disastrous fire has been stayed in its destructive progress by the brave and heroic boys who 'ran with the old machine' and fearlessly faced death in the faithful discharge of duty.

The department today is in better condition than at any previous time in its history.  It amounts to efficiency to a paid department- in fact, the engineer, teamster, and assistant are under full pay, while the members receive a yearly salary of $60 each.  The fire station is in the city hall, where City Teamster Pankratz has two splendid spans of horses always ready for service.  Directly in front of where the Silsby steamer is stationed is arranged a set of drop harness, and another set is suspended in front of the hose wagon on the other side of the hall.  A system of electric bells and apparatus is also in evidence, connecting the hall with the engineer's house and also opening automatically the doors leading from the horse's stalls.  So perfect are the arrangements that in less than one minute from the sounding of the first alarm, horses and steamer are on their way to the fire.  The fire hall is equipped with two steamers - a Silsby and a Mansfield- as well as a large hose wagon, and a hook and ladder truck.  In the second story of the hall is the firemen's sleeping room from which descends a pole affording the firemen on night duty a quick means of reaching the ground floor in case of an alarm."