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Newspaper Articles Unknown Year - Shot, He Walked Six Miles From the Newark Star 1909: The building of the Firemen's Insurance Company at Broad and Market Streets, which has been razed to the ground to make way for a fine modern structure, was erected by the First National Bank in 1872. It succeeded an old fashioned brick building erected on the site of the historic Gifford Tavern. Champagne flowed like water on every floor when the First National Bank opened its new building. The Celebration was begun in the afternoon and kept up until after 9 o'clock. Mayor Frederick W. Ricord and the Hon. Schuyler Colfax, who had been speaker of the House of Representatives and Vice-President of the United States under President Grant during his first term, came to the reception. The bank failed and closed its doors in 1879. The late Jabez Cook was president and James Hedden was cashier. The Firemen's Insurance Company bought the property and took possession in 1882. The company put on the roof at the Broad and Market Streets corner the wooden figure of a fireman holding a fire trumpet to his lips. From: "Newark, the City of Industry" Published by the Newark Board of Trade 1912 To the business acumen of a sagacious and far-seeing management is due the fact that on the northeast side of Newark's historic "Four Corners," loftier in architectural prominence than most of its neighboring associates, stands the 16 story fire proof office building of white marble and steel construction owned by the Fireman's Insurance Company of Newark. The second and third floors are used by the company, the floors above are rented for office purposes while the ground floor is occupied as stores. There are three passenger elevators and one for carrying freight. August 5, 1855, the historic period of the old Volunteer Fire Department, marks the exact time that the Firemen's Insurance Company of Newark was organized. It began operations on December 3rd of the same year, with a capital stock of $50,000, divided into shares of $10.00 each. Those shares had eager takers among the volunteer firemen, who comprised a large number of the leading citizens and business men of the city, and the student of municipal history will find that the first board of directors, 30 in number, was made up of volunteer firemen by a large majority. To the directors who have made a success, financially, in whatever business or profession they have been engaged, much is due for the success of the Firemen's. From: Rider's Newark 1916 At the northeast corner stands the new sixteen-story Fireman's Insurance Building. Note above the entrance "Fireman No. 2," a life size statue of a fire chief in uniform, trumpet in hand (erected 1910' Paul Wiehle, sculptor). "Fireman No. 1" was a wooden figure which for 32 years stood on the roof of the old building. On the south, or Market Street facade of the same building is a bronze tablet erected by the New Jersey Branch of the Sons of the Revolution, marking the route taken by Washington on his way from Philadelphia to Cambridge. Butler Fire Department The Wooden Fireman for over forty years’ was perched on top of the Fireman’s Insurance Company Building at Broad and Market Streets in Newark. It was erected on the building in 1868 and was removed May 7th 1909 by the Salvage Corps. of Newark. Many fire companies tried to obtain this statue but through the influence of John Williams, who will be remembered for his many years of service to Butler as a fireman, it was presented to Kinney Hose Company No. 1. The story goes on that John Williams and John Spellman went by horse and wagon to Newark and hauled the fireman safely back to Butler, in spite of the robbery attempts by Bloomfield firemen. The fireman had lost a leg in the tearing down of the Newark building and this was replaced by August Mayer. Inadvertently, the fireman who had lost his left leg was supplied with a right leg. Today he stands perched in the window of the Carey Avenue firehouse, with two right legs. In this case two rights made one wrong.
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