South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-08
Retiring Fireman Tells
Many Historic Incidents
Of Past Half Century

Capt Oscar Stollard of 10 s. St.
Louis blvd. resigned from the South
Bend fire department on June l.
after having served Al years. during
which time he has watched the old
methods give way to the new. from
the time of the man drawn appa-
ratus down through the time when
horses We're used until the present
time when motors are ever ready TO
start out on call.
Capt Stollard was born i'm Mar
shall county or Feb. .. 1861. Ten
years later. he fought his first fire
not as a fireman but as a water boy
In that year. about the same time
as the big Chicago fire, one broke
out in Marshall county. following
long drouth. Forest fires were com
mon occurrences in the fall of that
year and when the one started near
Stollard's home. he was assigned the
task Of carrying food me water
10 the lighters II was then that he
made up his mind 20 become fire
man.
In 1872. his family moved to
southern Kansas where he helped TO
fight a number of prairie fires which,
as a rule, were started from the
sparks of a locomotive. Returning
TO South Bend in 1878, he Joined the
first paid fire department He was
assigned TO hose company number
5. which was located at Michigan
and LasaIe where the Masonic tenn
pie now stands
Tells of Tournament.
The captain tells an interesting
story of the fire tournament held at
the old fair grounds in 1882 "a which
his company recovered themselves
with honor in the a. yard run Fire
companies from all parts of Indiana,
Ohio and Michigan participated in
this annual tournament which was
created 10 stimulate interest in FIRE
lighting The main event vas TO
run 40 yards with the hose cart, lay
100 feet OF hose. break the coupling
and start throwing water Capt.
Stollards men ran the 40 rods in %
SECONDS which record still stands.
although bit Of hard luck deprived
them of the sweepstakes event won
bv Niles. the latter company being
the first to start throwing water.
In The DAYS Of the horse drawn
apparatus. Capt Stollard was con-
sidered 10 be the best driver IN the
department. He tells many in
stances Of the fast time made by
pair ~ roam horses, remembered by
al the older inhabitants of South
Bend as Rock and Rye. They were
for a long time the pride OF the
South Bend force and known all
over the state for their beauty
The first big fire that occurred
after "A regular department had been
organized was that Of the oliver no.
tel IL was on Christmas eve Of 1873
with the mercury registering p de-
grees below zero. The Oliver was
then three stories high. Some OF
the more adventurous hremen ran
line Of hose TO the roof. where. lying
down 10 escape the piercing wind,
they became frozen TO the roof and
street below. another hose was play
ing through a side window. the two
men handling II standing over their
shoetops in water They. too. were
frozen in. The captain has inter
esting picture OF this fire
Another Big Fire.
Another big hre occurred in 1850
in the Washington block where the
city hall was then located The FIRE
started in DR.. Cummings Office and
gained rapid Roadway IL was so
cold that night that five hydrants
were tried before the tiremen could
get one 20 work Finally steam
pump was put into use.
The West Race" hre happened in
1883 during which all the buildings
went up in flames with the exception
OF the one known as old Salamsnder.
the building now used as mill
Capt. Stollard has served under
three chiefs in the volunteer depart