The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-06-30
Has Seen 43 Years of Service
in the Department.
The LAST OF THE old GUARD
Began Fire Fighting With Vol.
unteer Company in 1872.
Burned, Battered and Bruised
in Line of Duty.

fire department, is today giving the
last of forty-three years of service in
the department. Tomorrow, for the
first time in forty-three years, he can
sit back and say to himself, 81 should
worry" when he hears an alarm of
fire. His resignation not only as
chief, but also severing his connec-
ton with the department, was pre-
scented today and takes effect tomor-
row.
Babcock's voluntary retirement
marks the passing of the last of the
"Old Guard" those who served since
the creation of Topeka's paid fire de-
partment. When he became a MEM
Der of Topeka's first fire department,
there were no telephones, electric
lights, paved streets, fire signal serv-
ice, or even a water system available
for fire fighting Then fire depart
ment headquarters were in a little
frame building on Quincy street.
where hand apparatus was hauled
out in case of fire. There were no
horses and inventions for saving time
in hitching up were unknown. Bah
cock has witnessed the growth of To-
peka fire department from practically
nothing to its present up-to-the-min-
ute condition.
The retiring chief is a man of few
words. Some men grow loquacIous,
others more silent, years advance.
Babcock is of the latter kind. He is
the veteran of a thousand fires. There
are thousand stories in him, but he
does not tell them. He has been
bruised and SCARED, and nearly
blinded, and many times he was con-
sidered lucky to have escaped with
his life. At one time he was disabled
six months. But for all of this he ap-
pears younger than his years, and on
the retired list he will be able to ell
joy living, to a greater extent than
many men who are younger.
AS token of remembrance and ap-
probation the members of the fire de-
partment today presented him with
handsome fishing rod and reel.
Sketch of His Life.
Chief Babcock was born in Hart
ford, Conn.,, Jan. z, 1854, OF parents
who in England would have been en-
titled to a IA mily coat of arms. He
came to Topeka from Hamilton, Ohio,
when his father, Stephen Babcock.
moved to Topeka and started the
Western Foundry, of which r. L. COT
ran, former mayor. is now proprietor
His early ambition was to become a
jections ruled, and young Babcock
worked in his fathers foundry. r. L.
Cofran was then employed as machin-
iSt there.
A volunteer fire department was
organized in Topeka in 1872, and Bah
came membe From that time to
the present, with the exception of six
months when he was recovering from
injuries received while on duty, he has
been in continuous service. January
1, 1876, the volunteer department was
reduced to sixteen men and the city
gave them permanent employment
Two years later the department was
moved to what is now the rear of the
Security building on West Seventh
street. AS there was still fire
alarm system maintained, a man was
kept in a watch tower at night. The
tower had been built for the drying
of hose.
Babcock received severe burns and
carries the scars of an accident which
occurred twenty-five years ago. He
was driving a fire team up an alley
when a burning barn fell. Both horses
and driver were badly burned.
When the top floors of the Santa Fe
office building burned twenty-six
years ago, Babcock was rendered I'M
conscious and was blind for two days.
He was on fire escape when the
walls crumbled. Firemen lost control
of the hose which was writhing with
stream of water under high pressure.
Babcock was knocked from the fire
escape. He was rendered unconscious
another time when he fell in front of
Stansfield's drug store while at
tempting to swing on hook and lad
der wagon. He has been in several
accidents in which fire wagons were
smashed. One finger is disabled by
having been mashed by falling joist.
At another time his collar bone was