Omaha daily bee., 1897-06-21

company No. 2 and also the Durant engine
company at the shops He acted in the ca
pacity OF stoker From his many good quail
ties as a fire fighter he was at length Sc
lected as chief OF the Omaha fre department
In 1874
SOME THREATENING FIRES.
To form an estimate of the efficient work
performed by Galligau it is only necessary
to look over the records of the many seri-
Gus connagrations at which he acted Of
hcially. The destruction OF the Grand Cen
tral hotel at Fourteenth and Farnam streets,
which occurred September -, 1873, attended
by the loss of five men, was the first great
fire handled by Galligan. The building was
a veritahie finder box and was located In
the heart Of the business section Of the
city. Notwithstanding the fact that the
doomed building was surrounded on every
hand by fire traps, the blaze was confined to
the one structure and a fire which for
time seemed to threaten the entire city was
forced to eXpcnd it's energies within its
brick walls. \ loss of 900 was sus
tainod besides the deplorable eXtmguishing
Of Ave human lives,
The Boyd Packing company fire. January
is. 1880, was the next big blaze. The build
ing was located four miles distant from
the center of the city and water and fa-
CiitieS for lighting 1t were few and far be
tween. In spite OF this, however. the
flames were placed under control and none
OF the surrounding property was destroyed.
The loss was Sl27 900.
The Mccormick cooperage establishment
was burned in July OF the year 1880 en-
failing a lees of 500 600 Ish & Co S store
near Farnam and Fourteenth streets fol-
lowed in 1881. causing loss OF $4,000. The
A. u. Morse Boot and Shoe company fire
in 1883. Sloan Johnson in 1887, and the
Barker building November 5, 1856. are some
of the most notable fires which Jack CALI
gan fought. In every instance the flames
wete never allowed to pass beyond the struc-
ture in which they originated.
OF the later day fres which Galligan
fought were the Gibson, Miller q Richard
son blaze in 1891, entailtng loss OF S62 900;
the Omaha Hardware company, In 1892,
causing a loss Of $lS5, 900; the Shiverick fur
niture store during the same year, with
loss of S32 900; the Orchard fire with
loss of s152, 900; the old Boyd theater In
1S93 the Boston store in 1894, and the EX-
position building.
SICKNESS FORCES RETIREMENT.
On account of continued sickness during
the last years OF his service Galligan at
length retired from service in January, 1895,
His death occurred on the evening of April
IA, 1895. at the age Of As years.
Notwithstanding all the dangers Galigan
braved during an active life, in which fear
played no part he was singuarly exempt
from accidents. In 1890 while attending the
nTe OF tne llty steam laundry ne missed ms
footing and fell down an elevator shaft to
the basement, a distance of thirty-three
feet. He was back in his buggy within the
lapse of a few days am was directing the
work Of the department, against the advice
OF his attending physician. The most seri-
Gus misfortune which befell Galigan was
the loss of his left eye, which due to
a severe cold he contracted while attending
a fire in the winter.
In many respects his life seemed to be
charmed one, for he was twice thrown from
his buggy while running at a breakneck
speed, and in buildings times innumer-
able where flames encOmpassed him on every
hand and totterng walls were falling in
every direction. His death was largely due
to this entire disregard for his personal
safety while attending to his calling. He
died of consumption contracted by exposure.
Gallgan was succeeded by Chief John
Redell, who was called by the Board of Fire
and Police commissioners to fill the duties
Of the office after Galligan's health rem
dered him unfit for the position. Chief
Redell was born in New York City in 1S47.
In ISIS he was made a captain in one of
the hook and ladder companies Of the Chi
cago fire department after a service in that
city of six years. Later he won a promo
tiOn to marsha, Of the First battalion of the
same department and remained in this posi-
tion for five years After reSigning the posi-
tion on the Chicago department he was
called to be chief of the Winona, Mimi. fire
department, which place he occupied for
several years.
There have been no fires OF any magnitude
in Omaha since Chief Redell assumed the
duties of the local office, although there
were several which promised to be disas-
trous confagratons, but which were nppeu
in the bud by rapid work Among the larg
est blazes handled by hedell in which eX
/ cellent work was done was that of the Cady
planning MILL which caused loss of $780,,
600, and the Ike Brown building on Douglas
street, where the loss was considerably
smaller,