Sept. 1, 1900: PAWTUCKET, RI - A fire destroyed a soap manufacturing company on Front Street. The soap company was a total loss and the occupancies on the floors above sustained heavy damage.
Sept. 1, 1900: PEEKSKILL, NY - The champion jumping horse "Comedian," the winner at a Madison Square Garden competition the year prior, was killed in a blaze that tore throughout his owner's barn. Two other horses and a pony were also lost.
Sept. 2, 1900: HATFIELD, PA - Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 were injured in a rear-end collision between two trains. Firemen and other rescue workers operated with axes for several hours to free the trapped passengers.
Sept. 2, 1900: BAYONNE, NJ - The lumber yard of the Brady Brothers at Fifty-first Street and Avenue E was destroyed by a fire that broke out in the early evening. A spark from a passing steam locomotive is believed to have ignited the $25,000 blaze.
Sept. 7, 1900: LIBERTY, PA - Flames swept through Sempsey Hotel killing one guest, while several others were forced to escape through windows.
Sept. 8, 1900: JERSEY CITY, NJ - Fire raced through a New Jersey Central Railroad ferryboat. The boat was not occupied at the time. City firemen struggled to get lines in place, but were unable to due to the boat's location. Several tugboats were able to knock the fire down with their streams.
Sept. 12, 1900: NARRAGANSETT, NY - The summer season came to a fiery end in this vacation community as the Rockingham Hotel caught fire. A strong wind drove the flames throughout the structure and to several adjacent buildings. Conditions were becoming so intense that firemen made a stand to save the rest of the town. Their efforts held the fire.
Time Capsule
SEPT. 17, 1900: 5 KILLED IN CINCINNATI NURSERY FIRE
A man and four children were killed as fire raced through a four-story tenement building being used as a nursery by the Salvation Army. Firemen made several heroic rescues of women and children trapped in the building. Thick smoke filled the upper floors as a grueling search was begun. Doctors and nurses from nearby hospitals arrived and treated both the rescued and the rescuers. Exhausted firemen were unable to reach the five on the upper floor.
100 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION:
The LaGrange Park, IL, Fire Department will celebrate 100 years of service with a muster, parade and swap meet on Sept. 30. The department was formed in 1900 and in 1904 it obtained its first piece of equipment, a hose reel which it still owns. The department currently operates with three engines, two ambulances and one ladder.
Compiled by PAUL HASHAGEN
