March 7, 1905: CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The plant of the American Cereal Co., the largest of its type in the world, was destroyed by a fire believed to have been caused by spontaneous combustion. It was reported that at least a dozen lives were lost as a powerful explosion tore through five huge grain elevators. Minutes after the explosion, three of the largest buildings collapsed and the others were in flames. Arriving firemen were faced with a conflagration well beyond their capabilities and mutual aid was requested. The plant was lost, but the remainder of the city was saved.
March 7, 1905: NEW YORK CITY – Twenty-nine people were injured, two critically, in a rear-end train collision at the 23rd Street subway station in Manhattan during the afternoon rush hour. One train was just sliding its doors open to discharge passengers when another train slammed into it. The second train, a newer model built of steel, tore through the wooden train, pinning dozens of passengers. As power was cut to the tracks, the lights went off in the station and firefighters, using flashlights for illumination, had to chop the wooden car with axes to free the trapped passengers. It took more than 30 minutes to extricate the last victim.
March 12, 1905: CONNELLSVILLE, PA – A smoky fire raced through the huge Connellsville Car and Machine Co. plant during the early-morning hours. As the fire began to spread, the night watchman dashed into the blazing structure and forced his way into the carpenter’s shop. He was never seen alive again.
March 13, 1905: CHICAGO – A woman resident of the Arlington Hotel was in bed reading the epic poem “Dante’s Inferno” by lamplight. She was so engrossed she failed to see the wick burn down into the oil, causing an explosion. Flames quickly consumed her and the bed. Other guests of the hotel escaped and the fire was contained to the room of origin.
March 14, 1905: CHICAGO – A blaze broke out in the printing and box department of the Grand Crossing Tack Co. plant on 79th Street. Firemen were able to contain the blaze in the original building until the walls collapsed and the fire spread to the adjoining structures. Damage was estimated at $500,000.
March 15, 1905: ECHO LAKE, NJ – An early-morning fire destroyed the Echo Lake Hotel. The famous hostelry was quickly filled with flames, but the landlord, his family and their servants were able to evacuate safely.
March 15, 1905: BOSTON – A fire broke out in Hold No. 2 of the 423-foot-long steamer Wildenfels from Bremen, Germany, while it was moored at the Mystic Wharf. For three hours, firemen battled the stubborn blaze, which was feeding on stored jute and burlap. The remaining cargo, valued at nearly $1 million, was saved.
March 24, 1905: SYRACUSE, NY – The actress Ethel Tillson was in her dressing room changing costumes when she accidentally set her hat and gown on fire. She rushed onto the stage in flames, causing a panic and stampede in the audience. The stage manager took off his coat, tackled the actress and smothered the flames. She was rushed to the hospital with serious burns.
March 25, 1905: CARBON, IN – A huge fire decimated the town as high winds pressed the flames from building to building. Without benefit of fire protection, the town lost more than 60 structures.
March 25, 1905: NEW YORK CITY – A blaze that started in the cellar raced upward through a large apartment house on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 30th Street in Manhattan. Firemen under the command of Acting Chief John Binns made several spectacular rescues using aerial and portable ladders. The multiple-alarm fire extended to the building next door before it could be brought under control.
Time Capsule
MARCH 23, 1905: NEW YORK CITY – FDNY FIRE HORSE DIES ON DUTY
Billie,” a veteran fire horse with 11 years of service with Engine Company 8, stepped from his stall as the fire bells sounded. The gray-coated horse was moving into position to be hitched up when he suddenly collapsed onto the apparatus floor, dead. The horse had pulled the hose wagon earlier in the day to a fourth alarm three miles away, but showed no ill effects. “Billie,” a favorite of the firemen, was trained to do several tricks and was popular with neighborhood children. The 19-year-old horse had served with the FDNY since 1894.
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.
