Stories:
Here are stories that are beyond the scope of the book that the author thought were too good to pass up. From the time of Thienhoven bringing his mistress back from Amsterdam oblivious to being met at the dock by his wife and kids in the 1650s-to Aaron Burr in the 1790s forming the shell of a water company to slip the first Republican-controlled bank into New York with the unwitting help of his soon-to-be-former friend, Mr. Federalist, Alexander Hamilton.
Pre-Revolution
The Cornelis van Tienhoven Story New Amsterdam's progress in firefighting and fire prevention during the early colonial period happened in the midst of a rebellion, raids, and a world war. In the middle of several indigenous native raids was the irrepressible Provincial Secretary, Cornelis van Tienhoven.
Why the Dutch Gave up New Netherland Expanded analysis of why and how the Dutch gave up Manhattan (twice) after the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th Century.
The Pieter Stoutenburgh Story Pieter Stoutenburgh, a burgher in New Amsterdam, might be cast as typical of the solid Dutch colonial citizen. But, Pieter was hardly typical. Dispossessed of title, fortune, and meaningful future in the Netherlands, he came to New Amsterdam to start a new life and for his own personal safety.
The Jan van der Heyden Story Van der Heyden was one of the great Dutch artists of their 17th Century Golden Age, which is to say one of the greatest artists of any age. He was a successful artist but his wealth came from inventions, the fabrication of high-value products like water pumps for fire engines with which he created Amsterdam's advanced firefighting systems.
How the Glorious Revolution Came to America What happened in New York when William III displaced the Stuart king, James II.
The Story of 18th Century Firefighting in London and Boston Although the engine technology of the British in the early 18th century was comparable to that of the Dutch, their firefighting capability was not. London, for example, did not have a central management for the hundreds of engines housed in parishes, wards, livery stables, and those provided by insurance companies.
The Provincial Congress and the Firemen Transcriptions from 19th century historian Henry Dawson detailing the interaction between the Provincial Congress and the fireman in 1775-1776 as the Revolution came to New York.
Post-Revolution
The Story of New York Firefighting into the new Century 1783-1819 The challenge for New York firefighting in the 1800s resulted from hyper-growth. The city's population of 30,000 in 1790, doubled by 1800, doubled again by 1824 (124,000), and by 1835 more than doubled once again (270,000). Between 1830 and 1835, every month, one thousand more people popped into the city.
The Story of Aaron Burr Hijacking the Manhattan Company The precocious Burr graduated from Princeton at 16 and was promoted to a lieutenant colonel in Washington's army by 23. His political career was just as remarkable. Admitted to the bar in 1782, he served in the state assembly, state attorney general, US Senator, and delivered New York to the Republicans in 1800 to become Jefferson's Vice President. All in 18 years.
The Story of New York's Water Woes (1783-1842) A crucial component for an effective firefighting system, New York struggled all through the early 1800s to provide enough water for its burgeoning population. In 1798, a Common Council project to convey water from the Bronx River was "hijacked" by private interests led by Aaron Burr, who used it as a "Trojan horse" to fund a Republican bank.
The Story of the Great New York Fire of 1835 The citizen vote authorizing the new system had come in April 1835. Within eight months, to emphasize beyond all doubt the need for water, the city had the largest conflagration in America up to that time. Like most fires that burn so massively out of control, the fire demon in December of 1835 had co-conspirators: the weather, the wind, and frozen water.