El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-14
FATAL GlLISHER
FIRE OCCURRED 4
YEARS AGO TODAY
Old Bob, Veteran Horse, the
First to Respond, Is Still
Alive, but Retired.
BY b. B. CADDLE.

Clang- Clang- Clang-
While the city was sleeping. the fire
alarm rang out at 2:SO o'clock in the
morning just four years ago today, and
the FL Paso fire department was called
out to battle with one Of the most
disastrous cOn1agrations that ever
swept this city Flames were seen
bursting through the windows of the
Calisher building, a four story struc-
ture at the corner of Mesa and Texas
streets and the alarm mad been turned
in calling out the fire ladies
Although quick TO respond to the
alarm the department was pOwerless TO
combat the flames that had gained
great Roadway and the building was
almost entirely destroyed, the FIRE not
being put out until nearly nine hours
later. Falling debris killed two Ell
Pasoans who worked heroically to sub
due the fire. The heroes who gave
their lives as martyrs TO save the bust
ness district were mayor W T. Robin
son and fireman F. T. Ware. They
were fighting CALAMITY with the fire
the building crumbled and fell, pinning
Bob First to Respond.
When this alarm was sounded Bob,
pride Of the central station, was the
first horse TO leap from his stall to his
place under the harness, suspended
above the hose wagon Half clad and
sleepy eyed, the nremen jumped from
Assistant chief J. T. Sullivan of the
Central department was then the driver
Of the hose wagon and he mounted his
seat and gave Bob" his head The
pride Of the fire department and a grey,
his teammate, responded and were first
TO reach the scene Of the fire Bob I
always reached the fires first and for
this reason he was the pride OF the de- /
partmenL
The big horse always pulled more /
than half his share Of the wagon In {
fact the department found II difficult j
supplying horses that could keep pace s
with Bob. The big Steed was a faVOrite I
OF assistant chief Sullivan who now \
mourns his loss from the department
Horse Now Retired
Old Bob has been retired The hero I
Of more than 1000 runs has been moved
down by father time and modern inVen- {
ton Sullivan. who handled the rib !
hons over the old horse. is now assist
ant TO chief W W Armstrong and rides
to the fires in the big so horse power
touring car recently purchased for the
chief Of the department by the city
council
Too old to longer keep pace with the
younger horses Of the Central station,
Old Bob has been retired He still re-
sides in his stall at the Central station.
but when the gong sounds his door no
longer flies open to allow him to take
his place with his teammate in the I
harness. Occasionally he is used in the
city electrical department TO haul the
time he snoozes in his stall. eats and
drinks and silently receives the pats
and apples that the fire boys give him I
He is still a hero but no longer useful
Bob Now p Years Old.
Bob is now p years OF age, which is
old for a horse He was purchased for
the Fl PasO fire department in 1897 BY
chief Hale of Kansas City and shipped
here Bob was then seven years of age.
He arrived on November p, the day be-
fore Turkey day and was Immediately
pressed into service For nearly IS
years he was in the service Of the city
and has won his reward. Bob will be
penSlOned by the city as long as he
lives. He viii not be sold to a junk ]
dealer TO be abused as many fire de-
partment horses are, but will spend his ,
declining years laying around" the
central department receiving the car
-esses and candies his admirers bestow
0n him
Never Missed a Day. ]
Old Bob never missed a day during-l
us is years Of service He was never
II and always ready to answer the Z
alarm He pulled the hose wagon at I I
he Myers opera house fire, the Sam a
schwartz business building, F1orin's
tore and other buildings that were q
kyscrapers in his day.
The automobile is fast supplanting g
he fire horse, not only in El PasO but n
throughout the country. It Is very IN Z
likely that another horse viii IN these b
avs OF ululEEl Invention ever aLLaln u
he great record Bob has Fire chief
armstrong in speaking Of the automo- q
lie as a future fire vehicle Thursday ! -
aid: 2
Horses Days About Done.
Its only the question of time until I
he automobile VIII supplant the horse 1 b
q the FIRE departments. This is true ! -
specially in the larger cities. New | Z
Ork now has hundreds Of auto fire
ngines in the service and they have I ST
demonstrated that they are superior to
he horse. This has also proved true in a
j PasO where a number Of auto fire
1gines are in service. s.
Take for instance the Sunset de-
Here we for several years
aintained two apparatus, necessitat-
e four horses These four horses cost
s. month for upkeep- The COM
nation engine we now have at the
unset station requires only s12s. for
months This is a great saving.
Auto Apparatus Best.
Not only does the auto fire engine
ave money but 1t saves hundreds Of
lOusands Of dollars worth Of property
ach year How2 Why. by quick
srvice. Take for instance a big fire on 3
-ontana street It would take horses
We times the time to reach the scene
the FIRE that il requires an auto fire
lgine to make the run. This saves
luch property I believe that within
We years there Will not be a fire horse
sed in any department in the country.