Surnames: Kuentz, Mohr, Peterson, Woodbury

----Source: The Tribune-Phonograph (Abbotsford, Clark County, Wis.) Wednesday, August 13, 2008, Volume 48, Number 33, page 2

The trial of the new fire engine, last Saturday evening, convinced Colby people that Mr. Peterson’s idea of the fire protection is about the right one.

The machine consists of a double cylinder force pump, set upon a tank, capable of holding two or three barrels of water, the whole mounted on trucks and supplied with fifty feet of hose, buckets and two wrecking hooks.

In the trial Saturday evening it won the praise of every person who saw it work. Stationed at the corner, near the Commercial House, with two or three boys at the pump, a stream of water was thrown completely over the hotel, and also upon the Star Saloon building, South of the hotel.

It was then taken between the buildings of Adam Kuentz and L. Woodbury and a stream thrown over the first one and then the other. A stream was also thrown over sixty feet directly up.

Our fire engine is rather a primitive affair, but it will answer all purposes in this village for years. A dozen men with buckets can keep the machine supplied with water and, with a little practice, those handling it can put out any ordinary blaze. In fact, there has been no fire in this village that this machine could not have quenched had it been in use and rightly managed.

Mr. Peterson has been to considerable expense in getting up this machine, and the business men should take pleasure in chipping in to pay him back.

Alex Mohr told his dog Dick, to go after the mail yesterday morning, and he went down to the late East Colby office and barked around until the train came, before he would give up.