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.
Dec. 2, 1897: PROVIDENCE, RI A carelessly discarded cigarette or match ignited a pile of excelsior. Flames quickly spread up an elevator shaft, trapping more than 40 people on the floors above. Firemen rescued all of those trapped except for one man who was found dead after the fire was controlled.
Dec. 2, 1897: PORT HURON, MI The steamer Egyptian, bound for Milwaukee from Cleveland with a cargo of coal, caught fire just off Sturgeon Point in Lake Michigan. Another steamer approached the blazing craft and removed her crew to safety.
Dec. 3, 1897: HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NY A fire in the tar pits of the National Conduit Works sent columns of dense smoke up into the snow-filled sky. Arriving firemen were forced to stretch a hoseline across train tracks in an effort to put water on the flames quickly. A northbound train unable to stop in time severed two lengths of hose, causing a considerable delay. Firemen were successful in quelling the blaze.
Dec. 3, 1897: NEW YORK CITY Fire was discovered in a sawdust-filled warehouse adjoining a ship building company and a stable. Firemen arrived to find an advanced fire spreading to the other structures and a number of horses trapped in the stables in the rear. The trapped horses were led through the blinding smoke by firemen who then stretched hoselines to battle the flames. Three men operating a hose were injured when the ladder they were on broke.
Dec. 7, 1897: KINGSTON, NY The family of a local tailor were trapped in their apartment above the store as a fire broke out in the shop below. The wife escaped with four of her children, only to realize the baby was still inside. With the father away and firemen yet to arrive, the 12-year-old son entered the blazing structure. He dashed up the burning staircase and saved his infant brother.
Dec. 7, 1897: NEW YORK CITY The photographic rooms in Police Headquarters on Mulberry Street caught fire as a result of chemical reactions. The room was filled with more than 1,100 negatives and photos known as the "Rogues Gallery." The fire was quickly extinguished but overhauling revealed the structure to be in an extremely poor condition and renovations would be needed.
Dec. 11, 1897: PHILADELPHIA A fire that began in the cellar of the Dobson Carpet Warehouse shot up an elevator shaft and soon had the three upper floors in a mass of flames. A general alarm was sounded, bringing the entire department to the scene. Firemen began an attack on the Chestnut Street building and only through heroic efforts kept the fire from extending to the adjoining buildings.
Dec. 14, 1897: DOVER, ENGLAND The Officers Quarters in the Dover Castle were destroyed by flames. The entire garrison was called out to save valuables and battle the flames. A bucket brigade stopped the fire from spreading to the castle proper.
Dec. 17, 1897: GRAND FORKS, ND An early-morning fire roared through the Nash Brothers wholesale grocery on Third Street. Flames spread across the street and down the block in both directions. The Hotel Dakotah, with 1,000 guests, was soon burning and the fire took the lives of an elderly couple. Numerous buildings on the street were left in smoldering ruins.
Dec. 18, 1897: EASTON, PA The magnificent four-story stone structure known as Pardee Hall was badly damaged by an early-morning fire. The building, part of Lafayette College, sat on top of College Hill and was filled with rare books, a museum of birds and minerals, and valuable engineering instruments. A strong wind fanned the flames and the entire fire department was called. Firefighters held the fire to the original structure.
Dec. 23, 1897: CHICAGO Fire broke out in the basement of a restaurant on Madison Street and was being extinguished when a sudden explosion rocked the building. A fire captain was critically burned and a number of firemen were injured. The building was soon a mass of flames. The freezing weather caused ice to build up rapidly and the shattered structure was soon encased in ice.
TIME CAPSULE
Dec. 24, 1897: Chicago Coliseum Fire
At 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue in Chicago stood the Coliseum Building, site of the 1896 Democratic National Convention. A manufacturers' exposition was being staged and crowds filled the aisles and exhibit booths. It was just after 5:30 P.M. and most of the crowds were leaving when an exhibitor began to fill a gasoline lamp near a booth that demonstrated X-rays.
As the gasoline was being poured, it came in contact with a glowing ember from a torch and burst into flame. A small dog used in an exhibition was covered in flaming liquid and ran through the hall, spreading a trail of fire behind him. As flames leaped up drapes surrounding the booth, men raced in with extinguishers and a house hoseline, neither of which had any effect. Within minutes, the fire reached another larger tank of gasoline, which exploded. Those remaining fled the blazing structure.
At the X-ray booth, an exhibitor grabbed two valuable Crookes tubes and started for the exits. As the wave of heat hit him from the exploding tank, the tubes burst in his hands. He ran from the building with blood streaming from his hands and his hair on fire.
Inside, a fireman hired by the hall was making a valiant stand when he was forced to retreat. As he headed for the exit, a large piece of glass fell from the roof and pinned him to the floor as the flames closed in. Arriving firemen rescued people trapped at windows and helped the remaining people out of the first floor, then pulled hose toward the building.
As Engine 19 approached Lake Shore Road, the hose wagon crossed the train tracks followed closely by the steamer. The watchman for the railroad heard the train approaching but not in time to prevent the engine and train from colliding. One fireman was injured.
At the coliseum, firemen fought a losing battle as the structure collapsed in flames. Only one person died from the fire, the building fireman trapped under the glass, but many were injured. The total loss to vendors and the hall itself was nearly $750,000.
Paul Hashagen
Compiled by Paul Hashagen
