One of Brian’s biggest jokes involved a stray cat that he purchased for a dime in 1895 from a young bootblack on Hester Street who was just about to drown it. According to one news report, Brian bought the cat because he was attracted to the cat’s six toes.
Archive for February, 2015
1910: Mike, the Extraordinary Trolley-Riding Fire Dog of Engine Company 8
Posted: 21st February 2015 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Mascots, Dog TailsTags: Albert G. Vanderbilt, Engine Company 8, FDNY, FDNY history, fire dogs, New York History
Mike was no ordinary fire dog. In fact, he was no ordinary Dalmatian. As the son of Oakie and Bess, two of the most famous mascot dogs in the history of the Fire Department of New York, he was destined for greatness as the fire dog of Engine Company 8.
1900: The Parrot Who Cried Murder in Madison Square Park
Posted: 15th February 2015 by The Hatching Cat in Birds and PigeonsTags: 23rd Precinct, Madison Square Park, New York History, Tenderloin District
Help! Murder! Murder! The loud cries for help pierced the early morning stillness in Madison Square Park, nearly startling Policeman Betts out of his shoes as he walked his beat near the Hoffman House Hotel on Broadway and 25th Street.
1913: The City Farm for Inebriates and Retired FDNY Fire Horses
Posted: 1st February 2015 by The Hatching Cat in Horse TalesTags: Board of Inebriety, Charles Samson, FDNY, fire horses, Mid-Orange Correctional Facility, New York History, Wickham Manor House, Wisner-Durland Farm
Part II of the Fire Horse Heroes and the City Farm “These old hero-horses, as I think they should be called, deserve a better fate than city pavements until they die of exhaustion. On the city farm in Warwick we have 800 acres of wonderful rolling country. We have a lake over a mile long. […]
