WARRIOR RUN, PA: AUG. 1, 1906 – The entire town was threatened as an explosion tore through a coal mine, killing two men. Huge pockets of trapped gases escaped up through the ground and bubbled up through standing water. Several leaks caught fire and threatened to spread to nearby structures. With the uncontrolled gas leaking around the town, all lights and sources of ignition were extinguished, leaving the community in total darkness as night fell.
MILAN, ITALY: AUG. 3, 1906 – A fire broke out in the Palace of Decorative Arts exhibition of the International Exposition. Four thousand exhibits of furniture, hangings, household goods and clothing covering 15,000 square yards were soon in flames. Local firemen battled to halt the spread as fire extended to Architectural Pavilion, but were successful at making a stand and protecting huge sections of the exhibition presented by Japan, Netherlands, Britain and the Switzerland.
ST. LOUIS, MO: AUG. 5, 1906 – Flames swept through the huge five-story brick building occupied by the Salvation Army. The fire extended so quickly that a man was forced to jump to his death before firemen could reach him. More than 20 men were removed safely from the blazing structure.
NEW YORK CITY: Aug. 10, 1906 – A group of boys were playing in an excavation for a new tenement building at 23 E. 104th St. in Manhattan when one of the walls of earth and sand caved in, trapping two of the boys. A child dashed for a fire alarm box as several other boys began digging for their playmates. As the first engine pulled up, the children had freed one of the trapped boys and stepped back as the firemen continued the rescue. With steep walls threatening to collapse at any moment, the digging continued. Thirty minutes later, the missing child was found and gently carried out by a fireman. All resuscitation efforts were in vain.
FAR ROCKAWAY, NY: AUG. 11, 1906 – A crowded grandstand inside a circus tent collapsed, injuring more than 100 people. The three-ring circus had drawn a crowd of more than 2,000 when the accident occurred. Fireman Thomas Smith of Engine 164, assisted by two policemen, calmed the panicked crowd. They forced the band back on stage and had them play popular music. As the audience was pacified, rescue work began in earnest.
NEW YORK CITY: AUG. 11, 1906 – A baseball team of firemen and policemen from San Francisco traveled to Manhattan as part of a cross-country fund raising effort. They played games against the FDNY and NYPD in American Legion Park to sellout crowds. The San Francisco team “rocked†both the Bravest, 7-1, and the Finest, 3-1.
ORANGE, NJ: AUG. 18, 1906 – A suspicious fire ravaged a huge South Jefferson Street hat factory during the early-morning hours. The factory, the site of past arson attempts, was already a sheet of flames before fire apparatus could arrive. The blaze became so intense that it threatened the entire southern section of the city. West Orange also provided mutual aid as the low water pressure complicated firefighting efforts. A valiant stand was made and the fire was prevented from spreading to other structures.
PITTSBURGH, PA: Aug 22, 1906 – A gas explosion tore through the large furnace at the Laughlin Steel Works. Flames killed one worker and acrid smoke rendered several workers unconscious as they attempted to remove their co-workers. Firemen arrived and pulled several men to safety. When workers were able to shut the gas feed, firemen extinguished the flames.
Paul Hashagen, a Firehouse® contributing editor, is a retired FDNY firefighter who was assigned to Rescue Company 1 in Manhattan. He is also an ex-chief of the Freeport, NY, Fire Department. Hashagen is the author of FDNY 1865-2000: Millennium Book, a history of the New York City Fire Department, and other fire service history books.
