Dec. 3, 1904: ST. LOUIS, MO – An arsonist was arrested after he started a fire on the grounds of the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition – the World’s Fair of 1904. Flames destroyed the streets of Rome and Quo Vadis and damaged Fair Japan before being extinguished. The fair consisted of 900 separate structures housing exhibits from 22 nations that were visited by more than 2 million people.
Dec. 3, 1904: WESTBURY, NY – All but four buildings in this small village burned down as firefighters struggled with a severe water problem. The flames erupted in a blacksmith shop and spread quickly. The fire chief called for mutual aid from neighboring departments as the fire jumped from structure to structure, consuming seven buildings and two windmills.
Dec. 5, 1904: NEW YORK CITY – The FDNY began a test of the new “two-platoon system.” The new system divided the crews into two shifts, a 10-hour day tour and a 14-hour night tour of duty. (The present department work schedule is five days on and one day off.) All the beds were removed from the firehouses as the men working the night tour were expected to remain awake and ready for all alarms.
Dec. 14, 1904: MINNEAPOLIS – Flames that started in the basement of a photography shop spread to stored chemicals. As firemen made an aggressive attack, conditions quickly became unbearable as huge waves of heat and gases rushed from the cellar. Pipeman John Fellows and Insurance Patrolman Jacob Miller were killed and several other firemen were seriously burned. Six days later, one of the building’s weakened walls collapsed onto an adjoining hotel, killing 11 people.
Dec. 18, 1904: BROOKLYN, NY – Three people were killed and seven were injured as flames swept through a three-story rooming house in the Williamsburg section. Firemen Lloyd and Reardon of Ladder 54 scrambled to the top floor and reached a trapped woman and her 3-day-old baby. The firemen began to take the mother and baby down to the street when the ladder collapsed, throwing them toward the ground. Luckily, they all landed safely in a huge snow bank.
Dec. 21, 1904: COLUMBUS, OH – Firemen rescued 15 people as a fire raged on High Street. At the height of the blaze, an explosion injured five firemen. Flames extended from a carpet and rug dealer to the adjoining grocery store and a dental supply company.
Dec. 22, 1904: BRISTOL, RI – A residential building known as “The Mount” was destroyed by fire during the night. The mansion, owned by the de Wolf family, was one of the finest examples of Colonial architecture in the state. A priceless portrait of George Washington painted by Gilbert Stuart was rescued from the flames.
Time Capsule
DEC. 23, 1904: SIOUX CITY, IA – DEPARTMENT STORE BLAZE SWEEPS CITY
A match accidentally ignited flammable Christmas decorations in the crowded Pelletier department store. Within minutes, the six-story building was a mass of flames. The flames quickly jumped the street, setting the Toy Building ablaze as the fire continued westward. Soon, two city blocks were burning and the entire fire department was struggling to contain the growing blaze. Collapsing buildings crushed supply lines, further hampering the firemen.
The night sky glowed orange as waves of heat and smoke pressed across the city. Amazingly, only one person was killed during the conflagration. A man jumped from a fourth-floor window toward a life net being held below, but he struck a telephone cable that deflected him to the street. Flames destroyed more than a million dollars in property and leveled 2½ blocks.
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.
