If there was a significant fire or emergency that occurred 100 years ago in your department, or your department's 100th anniversary is coming up, please drop us a line for possible inclusion in "Rekindles" in an upcoming issue.
May 4, 1896: CINCINNATI, OH At least 15 people were killed as a five-story building on the east side of Walnut Street collapsed after a gasoline tank exploded in a saloon. The catastrophe occurred at about 7:45 P.M., burying scores of people in the rubble. The alarm was transmitted to the fire department and within minutes a large force of firemen, aided by citizens, began searching the rubble for those trapped beneath. More than 20 people walking in the street at the time of the blast were injured; another 100 injured people were removed from the wreckage by rescuers. A priest administering last rites and aiding those pinned was badly injured by falling debris.
May 7, 1896: HEIDELBERG, GERMANY Flames raced through the riding school attached to the University of Heidelberg. The flames took the lives of two women, two children and 27 horses.
May 8, 1896: NEW YORK, NY Battalion Chief William Shaw was killed after falling 25 feet into the basement of a tenement while checking for a gas leak. The 55-year-old Shaw, an original member of the paid department when it was formed in 1865, was named chief of the 6th Battalion to replace John Bresnan (inventor of the Bresnan distributor and other tools), who was killed by a collapsing water tank in 1894.
May 10, 1896: ASHLAND, WI One of the most destructive fires in the history of northern Wisconsin raced through a huge lumberyard and mill. At least three men were killed by the flames that quickly jumped a 50-foot-wide span between the docks of an adjoining lumber company. Trains transported neighboring fire departments to the scene. A heavy rain helped extinguish the fire, which had burned for hours.
May 11, 1896: BROOKLYN, NY The horses of Engine Company 22 on Quincey Street started for a fire but leaving the engine and the men behind. The alarm was sounded at 4:13 A.M. and the horses moved into place. The horses obviously were not hitched quickly enough because they responded on their own. A fireman gave chase and caught up with horses at Patchen and Greene avenues.
May 13, 1896: NEW YORK, NY Trouble arose during a fire adjacent to Pier 39 on the North (Hudson) River. Before the arrival of the fire department, a tugboat captain started fighting the fire, which was on board a large barge moored at the pier. When the fireboat Zophar Mills arrived, its captain ordered the tug away so the fireboat could take over the operation. The tug captain refused. A police officer attempting to board the tug was driven off by a water stream. The fireboat and the tug then traded shots with streams before the tug backed away and tried to leave the area. A police launch gave chase and the tug captain and his first mate were arrested and fined $10 each for interfering with the fireboat and the police.
May 19, 1896: SANDWICH, MA Suffering its second major wildlands fire of the season, the Sandwich area lost a section of land 20 miles long and three miles wide. Included in this burned-out area was some of the most valuable cranberry land in the world. Men went into the thickest of the blaze in an attempt to flood the bogs and protect the cranberry crops. Numerous homes were also burned as the fire raced through the drought-stricken region.
May 29, 1896: ST. LOUIS, MO A devastating storm swept through St. Louis and East St. Louis, IL, leaving a path of destruction, including collapsed and burning buildings. Firemen were severely tested as large sections of the cities were reduced to blazing kindling. Early reports estimated there were 184 dead and more than 1,000 injured in St. Louis and 150 dead and 300 injured in East St. Louis. Both cities also had numerous people missing.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS: The Whitehouse, OH, Fire Department celebrates its 100th anniversary on May 26, 1996. William K. Jones was its first chief, serving until 1912 … FDNY Engine 243 and Ladder 168 celebrate centennials this month … The Broad Brook Volunteer Fire Department in East Windsor, CT, is marking its centennial.
MILESTONE: Narragansett Fire Company 3 (Engine 3) is celebrating its 150th year of service in the Warren, RI, Fire Department. The company was established on April 7, 1846, with its first piece of equipment being a Button Hand Pump.
Compiled by Paul Hashagen
