The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-02-13
GROWING
PAINS
Maryland's Fire-fighters
By MARIE O'DEA

ago TINS week. On Sunday morning,
February z, 1904, an automatic alarm
brought fmemen to the John +. Hurst
Company in Baltimore and a second
alarm was Immediately turned in. A
violent explosion suddenly blew up the
Hurst building, the fragments ignit-
ing dozens of other structures. One
blazing spark dropped into a box of
cartridges in the street and the ex-
plosion ripped the fronts from every
building in the block. The fire rushed
in.
Water froze as it hit and a bitter
high wind carried the blaze north and
east. Block after block of buildings
crumbled to debris. Fire companies
from Washington, Philadelphia, New
York. all adjacent states and from
many points in Maryland poured into
the city. If an engines nozzle didn't
fit Baltimore fire plugs the mouth of
the hose was dropped into the Pa
tapsco. Dynamite was used with alb
solute futility. The fire gobbled up
everything in sight and raced hun
grily eastward toward the Undertook
Italian quarter beyond Jones Falls.
Teror-stricken men, women and chill
dren gathered on the banks and
prayed frantically to their patron,
Saint Anthony.
Every Italian in Baltimore swears
that Saint Anthony helped stop that
fire. Certainly it was no human agen-
cy that turned the wind abruptly
southwark into the river when the
racing fire was only few yards from
the frame buildings Of the Italian col
ony.
When it was over, 70 city blocks
had been completely destroyed and
rs others damaged, 1913 buildings
were gone and 10000 out of work.
Several years later high pressure ser
vice was installed.
This was by no means the first dis
aster that showed up Maryland's for
mer slowness in adopting fire proven
ton methods and adequate freight
ing equipment Beyond a few spiteful
men who burned their neighbors'
fences so that their own stock might
have more grazing land, there were
few major fires in Maryland until the
State House at Annapolis burned on
July 10, 1899
The next day the Lower House de-
cided to order from England four or
five small water engines and twenty
leather buckets to safeguard the State
House in the future On December 5,
1904, the Governor commented:
"The late melancholy accident
might have been prevented had my
often admonitions tooke place, for I
never saw any public buildings left
solely to providence but in Maryland"
On July 10, 1921, the House or
dered, for the protection of public
buildings, a fire engine made to play
with brass Spout only, and three
dozen good strong leathern buckets"
A few years later, arsonists were con-
demned to be hanged and quartered.
Baltimore Towns first fire depart
ment was the Mechanical Fire Com
pany organized in 1863 Fire buckets
were their only equipment until they
learned that a far-sighted Dutch sea
captain had brought a fire engine
over from Holland and was then
Q769) in Baltimore harbor. The Me
chanical Company purchased this ma
chine for 1894 and promptly named it
the "Dutchman."
Each householder was asked to
maintain two leather buckets marked
with his name and to send those buck
cts to every fire. Afterwards, they
were thrown into a big pile and the
town crier called out, "Hear We, oh!
| pray We, lords and masters, claim
your buckets" Baltimore boys Sc
cured many tip when they returned
the buckets to their owners.
Lane men" bearing white staffs
eight feet long formed the lanes
through which water buckets were
relayed. The first fire helmets were
really the ordinary hats Of the day
with their high crowns painted white.
These were worn by the property
men" who salvaged everything pos
sible from the fire. There were strict
rules about identifying these prop
erty men" to prevent looting.
The first fire plugs We're wells and
pumps established at intervals along
the streets. Fire buckets We're used to
relay water to the water tank in the
fire engine which pumped the water
on to the fire. Even in modern times
when water plugs were not handy
hose has been dropped into ponds and
rivers and the water sometimes laden
with goldfish, sucked up by the
pumps.
Meanwhile more fire companies
were organizing in Baltimore and
there were many conflicts Of opinion
and methods. On November Is, 1888,
representatives of the fifteen Balti-
more companies met and organized
the Baltimore United Fire Depart
ment. Uniform rules and regulations