History of Detroit, a chronicle of its progress, its industries, its institutions, and the people of the fair City of the straits, / by Paul Leake ... [Vol. 3]

HISTORY OF DETROIT

881

list of members composing Protection Fire Company No. 1, the first duly
organized fire company in Detroit, and until his death no man in the
city took a more active interest in building up and extending the usefulness of the fire department. He served as president of the department
from 1847 to 1851, and to his financial tact, energy and determination,
no less than to honest pride in the fire department, all citizens are
greatly indebted. In 1840 he framed and procured the passage of the
law incorporating the fire department, and it was largely his efforts that
secured the erection of the first firemen's hall. His death, which occurred May 7, 1855, was an especially severe loss to the fire department,
the feling being fittingly expressed in the following resolutions adopted
by its officers:
" 'Resolved, That in the death of Mr. Van Dyke the fire department
of Detroit has lost one of its benefactors; that his name is so closely interwoven with its fortune, from its origin as a benevolent and chartered
organization, through the vicissitudes of its early and precarious existence, until its successful and triumphant development as one of the
prominent institutions of the city, that it may with truth be said that its
history is almost comprised within the limits of his active participation
in its affairs.
" 'Resolved, That as a fireman, beginning and serving his full term
as one of the commissioners of this city, his aim seemed to be rather to
discharge well the duties of a private than to accept the proffered honors
of this company, save as trustee of the board. But of those duties he
had a high appreciation, deeming it a worthy ambition, as inculcated by
an address to the department, to dedicate one's self to the work with
heart brave and steadfast, tenacious of obedience to law and order, with
an elevated and stern determination to tread only the paths of rectitude.'
"In order to further honor his memory the fire department issued a
memorial volume, containing the proceedings of the department, of the
Detroit bar and of the Common Council, relative to his death, as well as
several tributes to his memory from those who knew him best. "
In the domain of his chosen profession Mr. Van Dyke gained preeminence. Profound and exact in his erudition, strong in dialectic powers, forceful in the clarity and precision of his diction, and with a most
pleasing personal presence, he naturally commanded a place of leadership as a trial lawyer, while as a counselor he was equally secure and
fortified. He appeared in many important litigations and made a reputation that was not hedged in by the confines of his home city and state.
This article would stultify its consistency were there failure to advert
to the masterly argument made by Mr. Van Dyke in connection with one
of the most important cases ever presented in the courts of the state of
Michigan. He was one of the counsel for the people in the great railroad
conspiracy case, relative to the Michigan Central Railroad, which was
tried in the circuit court of Wayne county at the May term, 1851.
It may be said without fear of legitimate contradiction that his was the
leading argument advanced in this cause celebre, and the record concerning the same has become an integral part of the history of Michigan
jurisprudence. The argument of Mr. Van Dyke occupies one hundred
and thirty-two closely printed pages, and is noteworthy alike for its
cogency, its broadness and fairness, as well as for its absolute eloquence
and its beauty of diction. Of course, it is impossible within the compass
of a sketch of this order to offer more than the briefest of extracts from
the article in question, but the following excerpts, both eloquent and
prophetic, may well be given place here: