Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

LANSING TOWNSIIP AND CITY, WITH HISTORY

535

town and men, women and children began to gather round and
push and shove and crane their necks for a look at its resplendent
brass work and inlaid rosewood sides could not have been filmed
and today thrown on the screen to be glimpsed anew, in our day.
Time went on, Lansing grew and began to take on airs and
bigger fires. Somewhere about 1870 steam fire engines, then
which, with their highly polished brass or nickled boilers and
smoke stacks, nothing in the fire-fighting line more impressive has
ever been produced, were purchased. Then came the day of the
beginning of tragedy for the first old "tub." It was sold to the
village of Cheboygan, and apparently its history was closed forever, so far as Lansing might be concerned.
FIND "OLD TUB."
Six or seven years ago James P. ("Jim") Edmonds and Oscar L.
McKinley were hay fever victims at Mullett Lake. From there
they went into Cheboygan one morning, hearing of a big fire at
that place. Mr. Edmonds was talking with a barber there and
one thing led to another and finally the barber told of the most
curious old contraption in the way of fire fighting apparatus
stored away in a shed down at the pumping station. The connection came to the mind of Mr. Edmonds in a flash. The old
"tub" standing hub deep in mud was found and in due time dug
out and photographed. Later negotiations led to its purchase,
for old-times sake, and the former pride of the old Torrent Engine Company was shipped to Chief Delfs at Lansing. Again the
old "tub" came back triumphantly.
At the present time the old engine is stored in the loft at Engine
house No. 3, in the southwestern section of the city. It has
been taken apart because there does not seem to be room to display
the old relic adequately; but some day-perhaps when the collection of the State Pioneer and Historical Society is adequately
housed-the old engine may be taken out, placed upon its wheels
and displayed to stir the imagination of those who find pleasure in
revivifying the old days and living them over again with the
ghostly folks who once materially trod the ways and byways of
this city of outs.
It deserves to be said in this connection that there was at one
time Torrent Engine Company No. 2. It was at North Lansing.