July 1901 - Large sections of the United States were suffering through extreme weather conditions. In the large cities people were dying by the hundreds from temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees. In the West huge areas were in the grips of a terrible drought.
July 1, 1901: ELIZABETH, NJ - Spontaneous combustion was blamed for a fire in the W.H. Rankin Tar Roofing Company on Rankin Street. The afternoon blaze spread to two adjacent factories before it could be brought under control. One fireman was taken to the hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.
July 1, 1901: BOSTON - Fire broke out just before 9 A.M. at Pier 5 of the Hoosac Tunnel Docks in Charlestown. The fire started in a second-story storage area and threatened to spread to nearby buildings and a large grain elevator. Firemen braving the tremendous temperatures of the fire and the weather halted the fire after a fierce battle. Several firemen were treated for heat exhaustion.
July 1, 1901: ALLENHURST, NJ - One of the finest hotels along the Atlantic coast, the Allenhurst Inn, was swept by flames driving 165 guests from the blazing frame structure. Plumbers working inside the building had cut off the water supply and when flames broke out in the basement there was little anyone could do. By the time the local fire department was summoned the fire had reached tremendous proportions and had extended to three cottages nearby.
July 2, 1901: BROOKLYN, NY - Lightning struck St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church at Hoyt and Degraw Streets. The empty church was soon filled with flames. Responding firemen made an aggressive attack and several were seriously injured as a section of the church collapsed on them.
July 3, 1901: HOT SPRINGS, VA - Defective electrical wiring sparked a fire in the Homestead Hotel at about 10:45 P.M. The flames destroyed the structure, valued at $300,000, and drove 120 guests out into the night.
July 4, 1901: BALTIMORE - The six-story brick and iron building on the corner of North and Lexington streets was destroyed by a morning fire. The structure, known as the Hoen Building, housed a lithography and printing company. Firemen battled the flames for more than an hour before the fire was contained.
July 8, 1901: COLEBROOK, NH - A large portion of the business section of the prosperous lumber and trading center on the Connecticut River was destroyed by fire. In all eight buildings were consumed. The fire started in the rear of a drug store and was fanned by strong breezes.
July 12, 1901: LONDON - A large fire swept the West Indian Docks and destroyed a number of huge sheds and their contents. Sugar and timber warehouses were ablaze as the fire brigade pushed into the blazing area.
July 12, 1901: JOLIET, IL - Traces of smallpox were still believed to be in the large wooden structure known as the Bissel Hotel. Authorities ordered the building destroyed by fire to protect the populace. As the structure was burned a number of other structures caught fire as well. Among the burned buildings were a church, several homes and a number of barns.
July 16, 1901: WICHITA, KS - The Jacob Dold and Sons packing plant was destroyed as fire swept the facility. Four large buildings were soon ablaze and firemen scrambled to stop the spreading fire front. A falling wall severely injured four men.
Time Capsule
ST. LOUIS - JULY 14, 1901: PARROT GIVES FIRE ALARM
The frightened, half-stifled cries of a pet parrot hanging helplessly in a cage saved the lives of several sleeping tenants. The bird began squawking as smoke began to push up through an elevator shaft near his perch. "Fire, fire - poor Jack, poor Polly, Jack is afraid!" cried the parrot.
Awakened by the bird's cries a family made its way to a window just as Truck 5 pulled up. Ladders were thrown and the family was rescued. Another family was then removed from the heavy smoke on the third floor. A hose was pushed in and the fire was extinguished.
As the smoke cleared, the parrot was found on his side at the bottom of the cage. He had succumbed to the thick smoke, but had helped to save the lives of two families.
Compiled by Paul Hashagen
