NEWARK, NJ: APRIL 1, 1915 – During the afternoon hours, a fire broke out inside a four-story brick commercial building at 17 New Jersey Railroad Ave. On the top floor, a 16-year-old girl working as a stenographer was trapped at a window with the flames closing in. Charles Schoemer, a retired fireman, climbed to the roof of the adjoining two-story building. He called up to the girl, pleading with her to jump. In fear, she drew back from the window and disappeared into the smoke and flames. Several trapped men, however, took his advice and jumped. Schoemer was busy pulling the stunned men clear as others landed on the lower roof. The young woman again appeared, but this time her clothing was in flames as she slumped over the sill. Fireman Monsinger of Engine 3 raced up a ladder, but was unable to grasp her as she lurched from the window and fell to the roof below. She later died at a hospital.
APRIL 4, 1915: TOLEDO, OH – An early-morning fire in the Niagara Hotel took the lives of a honeymooning couple as flames swept the building. Several people escaped with burns and other injuries as the fire swelled. As many as 200 guests were asleep inside the hotel when the fire broke out and numerous people were still missing as firemen combed the smoldering ruins.
NAPLES, ITALY: APRIL 10, 1915 – Six thousand bales of American cotton aboard the steamer San Guglielmo were destroyed by fire while the ship was moored in the harbor. The crew and local firefighters were unable to extinguish the fire before the flames destroyed the entire cargo. The 5,000-ton ship had sailed from Galveston, TX, about three weeks earlier.
UTICA, NY: APRIL 10, 1915 – Kamp Kill Kare, a magnificent estate in the Adirondacks, was destroyed by an early-morning fire that began in the servants’ quarters. The camp, composed of about 20 buildings on 1,200 acres, had been a meeting place of many politicians and prominent businessmen. The camp’s owner arrived with an architect and vowed the buildings would be rebuilt by the summer.
OCEAN GROVE, NJ: APRIL 22, 1915 – Shortly before midnight, flames broke out in the South End Pavilion on the boardwalk. The fire quickly spread to all the bathhouses at that end of the beach. A general alarm and mutual aid of three companies from Asbury Park responded to the growing fire. At one point, the radiant heat was so intense that a cottage some distance from the pavilion ignited. Firemen quickly held those flames in check.
NEW YORK CITY: APRIL 22, 1915 – Responding FDNY units were confronted with potentially deadly fumes and a smoke condition at 206 Canal St. The second-floor assignment involved chemicals, including arsenic, that were producing noxious, smoky fumes. Several firemen were immediately overcome, including members of Ladder 6 and Engine 31. Chief Kenlon special-called the new Rescue Company, whose members entered the building wearing smoke helmets and found a 32-gallon cauldron bubbling and giving off the dangerous fumes. They bailed out the cauldron until it could be lifted and removed outside. The building was then ventilated. In all, 17 firemen were overcome and five required hospitalization. Hours later, several members of the Rescue Company, including Acting Lieutenant Ryan, were stricken with the effects of the fumes and were placed on leave.
MADISON, NJ: APRIL 22, 1915 – An early-morning fire raced though a boarding house at 67 Greene St. A number of people who were asleep when the fire started were forced to escape in their nightclothes by jumping onto the roof, where firemen removed them over ladders. A 69-year-old man hung from a cornice with heavy smoke and flames swirling around him until he could be lowered to the ground. He later died.
NEW HAVEN, CT: APRIL 25, 1915 – The Grand Opera House on Crown Street, the oldest playhouse in the city, was destroyed by an early-morning fire that prompted the response of the entire fire department. The fire began in a first-floor cafe and spread with amazing speed. Firemen were hard pressed to keep the fire from spreading to nearby office buildings.
DETROIT, MI: APRIL 27, 1915 – A major fire threatened the Belle Island Bridge, the structure that connects the city and Belle Island. At the height of the fire, the entire center span collapsed and dropped into the river. Firemen used fireboats and handlines to attack the flames, apparently started by a burning tar wagon. The damage was estimated at $250,000.
PAUL HASHAGEN, a Firehouse® contributing editor, is a retired FDNY firefighter who was assigned to Rescue 1 in Manhattan. He is also an ex-chief of the Freeport, NY, Fire Department. Hashagen is the author of FDNY: The Bravest, An Illustrated History 1865-2002, the official history of the New York City Fire Department, and other fire service books.
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