No fire engine horses 1875

Hannibal Clipper newspaper, Aug. 12, 1875

Is it not about time that our City Fathers should purchase horses for our fire department? Or are they waiting for a "big fire" to remind them of the lamentable fact that they have no horses wherewithall to pull the fire engines? This thing of depending upon "neighbors" to furnish teams in time of fire seems to us to be an exceeding bad policy, and might prove a very expensive one to the people of Hannibal - should a fire occur. The city gets credit for having a well organized fire department, but when it takes from one half to three fourths of an hour, after an alarm is given, to get the engine out we cannot say it is a very "active" department; yet this is no fault of the chief or his men, but of the city authorities in neglecting to furnish horses. Now in the name of the property holders of Hannibal we ask for horses, mules or - we were going to say asses, but perhaps the city is well stocked with those animals already.