Amelia Bauman, Frank Groff, William Becker, Clara Blanchaine, Lee Ean, Dana and Effie Jewell.

One of the steeplejacks, working on the Catholic Church, is reported to have turned a handspring on the peak of the steeple—125 feet above the ground.

A petition, signed by more than half of Ossian's voters, was presented to the city fathers. It requested that a referendum be held on building a municipal waterworks. (We are surprised to find this item. It was so many years prior to realization.)

There were 21 applicants for the three teaching positions at the public school this fall. F. C. Clark was hired as principal. Sarah Owens and Ellen Test retained their positions in the lower rooms.

There were many bargains offered at Ossian stores this Christmas season. Anderson & Gunderson: men's wool suits @ $12, boy's 3 piece suits @ $2.50; yard goods: prints—4¢ , sheeting—4¢ , ginghams—5¢, flannels—5¢, pepperel—5 1/4¢ muslin—6-1/2¢ and 40 inch wool serge—40¢ .

Frank Figge's store suggests: overcoats @ $1, collars @ 5¢, bib overalls @ 50¢,boy's wool pants @ 35¢, oysters—30¢ qt., jelly—40¢ for 201bs., corn—4 cans for 25¢ and flour--60¢ a sack.

The Ossian Bank offers passenger tickets: Norway to Ossian—$35, Germany to Ossian—$35; and New York to London--$9.75-

A likely descendant of Judas Iscariot cut off, and stole, the top of an evergreen tree at the Catholic school grounds. We hope he is discovered and that the marshal pays him a Christmas call.

The Lend a Hand Ladies served a New Years Day dinner at the M. J. Carter residence with the following menu; turkey or chicken, cranberry sauce, potatoes, baked beans, salad, pickles jelly cake, fried cakes, coffee or tea. Price--15¢.

THE OSSIAN FIRE DEPARTMENT

Perhaps the greatest danger, certainly one of the major catastrophes facing our ancestors, was destruction of their property by fire. Ossian's pioneers were no exception. From the time of the burning of the patriot's barn by the session-ists, through the destruction of a major portion of the town's business houses in the late 19th century, fires were difficult to extinguish. In the early days, bucket brigades seem to have been the only tool of fire fighting.

Fire struck the Ossian business district on Feb. 29, 1892. The Lamm building was consumed and the properties of Aloys Glisner, Figge & Webster, D. D. Rosa and H. T. Klisart were badly damaged. Glass fronts of Gunderson's, Blanchaines, the Ossian Bank and Mrs. Kauple's variety also received damage. This seems to include most of the stores on both sides of Lydia.

A blaze in 1896 destroyed Mrs. Pegg's residence. Her son, Dr. Wm. Pegg, was seriously burned while attempting to extinguish this conflagration.

A major fire this same year almost wiped out    the north    side of    block 16    (south side of Main street from Schroeder clothing to    Beckman's    Western    Auto). Eight buildings were destroyed or badly damaged with listed losses as follow: F. Figge —$1000; John Wershing—$1000; Joe Spillman--$1500; F. W. Dessel--$1500; G. G. Oyloe—$600; T. Boyle—$1000; John Spillman--$430; and John McGary—$400.

A fire ordinance was passed by the town council. This act prohibits erecting in, or moving, any wooden building into blocks eight and sixteen of Brook's addition. Privies were exempted.

The first mention of fire-fighting equipment, revealed by our research, was in the autumn of 1897. A blaze, originating in    an old frame barn    owned by    the Kennedy estate, spread to Anton Bohr's barn on the corner    of Main    and West    streets and then to the residence of Mrs. Catherine Meyer. Two hundred feet of hose was connected to Dr. Jewell's cistern pump. The fire was extinquished with damage of $305 to the house. There is no mention of a power operated pump to move the water; presumably, muscle power on the pump handle maintained the flow.

A fire department was organized in June of 1898, superseding the fire company