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HISTORY OF COH ASSET. 



A plant costing sixty thousand dollars was necessary, 

 so that there was plenty of room for the investments of 

 public-spirited men. At last, on April 26, 1886, the first 

 meeting of the Cohasset Water Company was held.* 



These men were convinced that by driving a series of 

 tube wells in the meadow called the Picle, a sufficient sup- 

 ply of water could be pumped by an engine into a reservoir 

 upon the top of Bear Hill, whence it could be conducted 

 in pipes to about nine tenths of the homes of the town. 



Furthermore, the force of this water at any of the lower 

 parts of the town would be so great that a stream could 

 be thrown upon the roof of any house, and thus a lire pro- 

 tection of incalculable value would be afforded. The old 

 fire engine had many times been called to extinguish 

 burnings, where the water of mud puddles and wells and 

 brooks, so soon exhausted, left its pump a helpless thing in 

 the hands of disappointed firemen. f The old bucket 



* The following were present at the first meeting of the Cohasset Water Com- 

 pany : — 



Chas. A. Welch. Z. T. Hollingsworth. 



Chas. S. Bates. B. C. Clark. 



Waldo Higginson. J, S. Bigelow. 



Jas. H. Bouve. A. H. Tower. 



Chas. F. Tilden. W. C. Burrage. 



Chas. A. Gross. Geo. K. Nickerson. 



Ezekiel B. Studley, W. G. Cutter, 



t The origin of the first fire engine company may be seen by the following peti- 

 tion, April 30, 1807, which was discovered some years ago by W. J. Brennock in 

 the attic of the town hall, and is now framed as a precious document in posses- 

 sion of the Zaccheus Rich Hose Company, Number One. 



The front wheels of the old engine and two of the buckets are also owned by the 

 Hose Company. The method of working the old pump was by filling its huge tub 

 with the buckets of water carried from the nearest supply, and then pumping from 

 the tub a heavy stream upon the fire. Members of the engine company were 

 exempted from militia service and from the payment of poll taxes. 



April 30th 1807. 

 To the Selectmen of the Town of Cohasset. 



Gentlemen, — You are requested to insert the following article in the warrant for 

 May meeting, viz. : — 



To see if the Town will Accept of a Fire Engine, with Bucketts &c Compleat 

 According to Law, to be procured and paid for, by Mr Elisha Doane jr, Mr Nich- 

 ols Tower, Mr John Nichols, Mr Joseph Lincoln, Mr Wm Whittington, and such 



