At the meeting, December 3rd, each householder was ordered to make a ladder to his chimney, within a month, or to be fined 6 guilders., and Jan Nagel was fined 25 guilders. for putting his compost heap (fireplace ashes) on the public street, contrary to the town regulation. In that era of straw roofs and wooden tenements special precaution against fire was necessary ; and several fires had actually happened in the village, causing great alarm and heavy losses.