Skip to content


Ready For The Weekend, Amigo?

No comments

*  *  *  *  *

Some people have fallen into the advertising trap that was set out about 40 years ago that wants us to think that May 5 is also known as Cinco de Mayo, a make-believe holiday from Mexico.  It's harmless fun, but in this era of the soundbite and failed public education systems there are many who think it's for real.  So this morning I will reprise the Morning Lineup from four years ago, May 5, 2009.  Learn and enjoy (like we do every day at Firegeezer):

Did you ever wonder where all this Cinco de Mayo stuff came from? Out of nowhere we’re being potty-trained into thinking that today is some major Mexican holiday and all the once-a-year Irish are now encouraged to become Mexican for a day of celebration. But a cursory check into the cultural history of Mexico discloses that May 5 isn’t a holiday there. Not just that, but most of them don’t even know what you’re talking about if you were to ask.

In fact, Cinco de Mayo is a regional celebration followed in the state of Puebla where the Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862. A French invasion force had entered Mexico for the purpose of collecting a large debt that the Mexican government was trying to renege on and when they were met by a greatly-outnumbered Mexican army, a battle ensued in which the Mexicans routed the superior French forces. That event is the seed of the "holiday."

Fast-forward to the 1960′s and some problem-solving committee meetings at the Coors Brewery in Colorado. Coors had two large obstacles facing them. One was a major push by American Hispanic groups to boycott their products because of some well-publicised hiring-discrimination activities. Their secondary challenge was a sizeable drop-off in beer sales every May as the nation’s colleges finished up their Spring semesters and the partying students headed back home.

So the grand idea was formed: Create a reason to celebrate something Mexican that calls for beer-drinking. Some simple research discovered this lost holiday and the big publicity machine went into action. And the rest, as they say, is modern advertising history. But by the 1980′s it still hadn’t caught on outside of the college campii where it was targeted and the Mexicans were still as puzzled as ever about "what’s the big deal?"

As sure as the sun comes up in the East, more breweries jumped on the phony holiday bandwagon and more than most, the Mexican breweries invaded America looking for their share of the "holiday" prize. That led to some of the most outrageous ethnic exploitation seen in over 40 years. Coors started it’s "Sabemos como celebrar!" (We know how to celebrate!) campaign and Mexico brewery Tecate launched its "Let’s party!" program. The one that went over the top though, was Corona’s campaign parading a "party parrot" wearing a sombrero, sunglasses and a serape while holding a bottle of Corona in each claw and squawking, "Drinko for Cinco!"

In 1997 a consortium of Hispanic cultural groups got together and started to turn the make-believe holiday into something more positive along the lines of the Pulaski Day and St. Patrick’s Day ethnic celebrations and now we are seeing more positive promotions that allow the Hispanic members of the population a chance to display and celebrate their heritage. Myself, I’ll help out by opening a bottle of Dos Equis today.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Should Fire Training Be Banned? a commentary

29 comments

FireHat Finds a Stinker

*  *  *

The State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association of Texas is the first major fire service organization I am aware of to come out in favor of a ban on mandatory training. Yes. The largest fire service group in Texas (I'll confide to you that this is a volunteer firefighters' group, at least unofficially). They are pushing SB 766, the so-called Volunteer Firefighters Protection Bill. It would explicitly bar any state agency from requiring training of volunteer firefighters. In the SFFMA's words, "it has become increasingly difficult to recruit people to volunteer to protect their communities and those who do should not have to ask Austin bureaucrats for permission first!" Well then.

The SFFMA's efforts to promote SB 766 are the most shameful thing I have ever heard of a fire service organization doing. As a longtime volunteer and former member of the SFFMA I am appalled at their actions. As a professional firefighter I am scared by their myopia. As a resident and citizen of Texas I am outraged by their advocacy of incompetence. This move is in direct opposition to Life Safety Initiative 5 of the Everyone Goes Home program and would forever put the lie to any claims of "professional volunteers." It's disgusting.

Texas has a mixed reputation around the United States, to say nothing of the world. As a proud Texan I can't dispute this, even if I'd like to argue that it's unfounded. When it comes to the fire service I'd be really hard-pressed to argue for our system. Here, paid firefighters have to have Firefighter I, Firefighter II, HazMat Awareness and Ops, and, in effect, EMT-Basic to even get in the door and on a truck. Volunteer firefighters, on the other hand, are required to obtain exactly no training.

Yes, you read that right. Texas, a titan of size and economy, has no training requirements for most of its fire protection personnel. I've never heard anyone try to reconcile this with any reasoning except economic. You know, training is too expensive and time-consuming; volunteers just can't do it. That sort of thing. If I were still a volunteer I'd be insulted in the extreme. Nevermind that a great many states and other countries do require training for volunteers. Nevermind that this job is more dangerous and complicated than ever. And nevermind that the people of this state are being protected at wildly varying standards. Above all, this is dangerous and it likely deceives the public.

While NFPA 1001 and a whole slew of other standards recommend certain training for operating in hazard zones and the Everyone Goes Home program, through Life Safety Initiative 5 has taken the position that training should be mandated by law, the State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association of Texas has struck a bold path of its own. They don't see it yet, judging by the obfuscations of their executive director on Facebook, but it is a path to the past ending in irrelevance.

Thank you.  Patrick S. Mahoney

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Judge Orders Yonkers to Stop Cutting FD Service

Comments Off

Politico's Lose Another One

THE NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT has just delivered a one-two punch to the Yonkers City Council and especially the mayor who have been trying to shift spending from the fire department to other agencies.  The Lower Hudson Journal News reported:

State Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Colabella issued a temporary restraining order on Friday that prohibits the city from cutting the department’s EMS response role. It was the second restraining order issued against the city in the past six months. Previously, the court stopped the city from lowering the department’s minimum staffing levels.

The latest restraining order preserves the status quo until Wednesday, when a hearing is scheduled in White Plains.

Mayor Spano  (Newsday)

The duplicitousness of Mayor Mike Spano and his minions toward the firefighters, was exhibited when his spokeswoman Christina Gilmartin responded immediately with a couple of statements that illustrate the animosity that they hold for their firefighters.  She said of all the calls made to 911, the fire department responds to just 42 percent of them. (Ok, so the police get 58% of the 911 calls.  What does that have to do with anything? …ed.)  Barry McGoey, president of the Yonkers firefighters union, disputed Gilmartin’s figures, saying the department responds to 80 percent to 90 percent of 911 calls for a medical emergency.  (Another pathetic attempt by the mayor's office to disparage the FF's by deliberately distorting the statistics…. ed.)

 "If we remove the fire department from a first-responder role, it really wouldn’t affect anything," Gilmartin said.  (A completely illogical deduction which also shows their contempt toward the citizens' intelligence by expecting them to believe that…ed.)

She added that a third of the city’s firefighters have allowed their emergency medical technician certifications to expire.  President McGoey set her straight on that one.  He said certifications have lapsed because the department hasn’t had enough money to pay for training.  (If that is true, then Gilmartin is downright slandering the firefighters by saying that they "allowed" it to happen …. ed.)

Local Pres. Barry McGoey

Read the entire article in the Journal News HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

A Wrenching Story

Comments Off

A Tool Commentary

We've all heard it…especially around my part of the country where so many items are manufactured. " That company is shipping jobs to China," and "We can't compete with China, " etc.  This problem even became a major topic in the presidential election with numerous attempts to link Mitt Romney & Bain Capital with the decline and fall of American industry. ( be sure to read the very last line in this post!)

Many of us complain about the situation….but many of us still reach for the cheaper product to save a few dollars without even thinking about who made it, where it was made and whose pocket the profit is going into….except when it comes to those tools with blue handles. That's simple…you buy Channel Lock.

But another tool maker is locked into a major legal battle with another historically American tool name, Craftsman.

Loggerhead Tools is alleging that Sears first bought and then pirated the basic design of a great tool they make, The Bionic Wrench. Sears placed orders for a year or so but demanded that Loggerhead give it some exclusivity, barring sales to other big box stores such as Home Depot. Sales went extremely well for a year or so, but then Sears failed to place their order for the Christmas sales period. It was about that time the maker of the tool got an email from a tool enthusiast asking about a similar tool now being marketed under the Craftsman brand.

Sears had come out with a very similar wrench, priced about the same but made in China by cheap labor. Admittedly, the new wrench had very minor differences but the basic design was the same. Craftsman has traditionally been thought of as "Made in America". That concept has apparently been discarded by Sears in its struggle to stay relevant in today's American market.

The Real Bionic Wrench

So Loggerhead is about to launch into a major legal battle to save its product and its 100% American work force. That's where YOU come in!

Have tools on your Christmas shopping list? Buy em a Bionic Wrench directly from Loggerhead! Make a political statement Christmas morning by backing a small American company that was doing well until Sears screwed them!

This is NOT the first time Sears has been accused of this kind of action and I'm sure not the last but you can send them a message by refusing to buy the cheap Chinese made version and insist on a LOGGERHEAD BIONIC TOOL and buy it directly through Loggerhead's websitehttp://loggerheadtools.com/?main_page=index .

The back story:  The Chinese company that makes the cheap Sears version is being acquired by Bain Capital, who has made a practice of exporting American jobs.

Sez the Gnome Handler, Steve Marshal.

*  *  *  *  *

Loggerhead also makes the Bionic Hydrant Wrench for those poorly maintained fire hydrants with worn fittings.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Baltimore Cracks Down on Firefighters Online Activity

Comments Off

"Just shut the  %#*~&  up!!"

THE BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT has just issued a new and strict set of orders governing firefighters' usage of the internet, mainly on Facebook, Twitter and their own personal blogs.  The Baltimore Sun is reporting this morning:

Under the policy, department personnel can be reprimanded for anything they write online about their jobs that doesn't adhere to conduct rules, which require "good judgment" and "courtesy and respect to the public and to fellow employees." The policy also restricts them from sharing information about fire scenes.

Fire Chief James S. Clack said the department crafted the policy to protect firefighters from getting into trouble for sharing sensitive information.

But union leaders called the policy too broad and said the department created it unilaterally after negotiations with union attorneys broke down last month. Social media and free-speech advocates balked at the scope of the policy and questioned its legality.

The seed of the new policy is obviously the "good judgement" clause which is also the potential illegal move by the fire chief and the city council.  They have been mightily excoriated over the past couple of years for shutting down firehouses and shrinking the fleet and uniformed force.  If it stands, this policy would allow the fire chief to arbitrarily declare that any statement by an employee, even if off-duty, to be in "poor judgement" and subject to disciplinary action.  The Sun continues:

The new policy applies to online chatter even if the firefighters post anonymously, and regardless of whether they are off duty. While on duty, firefighters are specifically barred from commenting online about "matters of public concern."

Fire personnel are also prohibited from posting online "in such a way as to cause actual or reasonably foreseeable harm or disruption to the operations of the BCFD or the City." That would include sharing "the real-time public disclosure of locations of deployed units, assets or personnel or any other real-time information from an incident scene."

In addition, individual fire units can no longer maintain independent websites outlining their work in the communities they serve, and firefighters can no longer photograph or record images of department property without express permission.

You can see that the chief's listing of legitimate prohibitions is being salted with his wish-list of mind control topics, very well may end up with the whole thing being thrown out in a court challenge.

Bradley Shear, a Bethesda attorney who has advised state legislators in Annapolis on social media policy, said the new provisions are "troubling" and potentially unconstitutional.  "I think the policy is clearly suspect," Shear said. "It's over-broad, it's retroactive, and I think they need to go back to the drawing board."

David L. Hudson, a scholar at the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University who has written about public employees' social media rights, said the department's new policy generally "strikes a good balance between protecting free-speech rights and protecting the department." But, he said, the policy's "breadth" raises concerns.  Prohibiting online speech that doesn't show good judgment is too broad because it "could be interpreted to be anything they don't like," Hudson said. 

 

Some offline activity by Baltimore FF's at Firehouse Expo 2012

While the obvious solution be conducting an honest and up-front dialogue with the firefighters and the citizens about their reasoning and plans, they seem to want to be able to march right along without criticism.  If the City Council thinks closing firehouses is their best alternative, then tell the voters why they think so and then do it.  Stifling dissent never works out very well.

Read the entire article in the Baltimore Sun HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

From Amazon …. Today Only!

Up to 72% Off Office Electronics

CLICK HERE to view the selection and order… today

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Big Box Store Fires & Other Stories

Comments Off

Big Box Store Fires and Other Stories 

I have been looking over major big box store fires and how management of these stores tend to locate highly combustible materials such as class A plastics, pool chemicals and other home cleaning materials along with motor oil near oxidizers etc., in a high piled configuration. This creates fire loading that can and has in the past overwhelmed sprinkler systems. One fire in the late 90s caused $9 million in fire losses.

This is where savvy fire marshals actually support businesses in maintaining their profit making capabilities through partnerships in seeing that their facilities are maintained in a condition that will sustain the threat of fire or other incidents.

Mostly, we see fire inspectors vilified by business leaders as obstructionists by not allowing them to “run their business”. No, it is just the opposite. They are there to provide counsel in how to ensure your business is resilient. I will agree that there are some zealots in the prevention field who are over judicious, inflexible and no friend of business. They are in the minority, however, and ultimately earn their way out of this function of the fire department organization if senior leadership is on point.

We must understand that fire marshals have the duty to enforce the codes adopted by their political leadership. They no other option other than to do just that.

One quick story I read recently about a fire marshal that inspected a large wood pulp facility out in a rural area. The fire marshal found numerous violations. Upon completing his inspection he met with management who went ballistic. After several minutes of discussion, the fire marshal agreed to require the owner/manager to correct the violations in two phases. The first phase would focus on the most hazardous violations, the second on what the fire marshal viewed as of lesser risk could wait until the most hazardous violations were corrected.

One of the violations the fire marshal agreed to delay compliance was to replace a spark arrestor on the stack of an incinerator used to dispose of unusable pulp product. Two days after the initial inspection, sparks from the incinerator set fire to grass, brush and trees, spreading to a lumber yard next door causing a huge loss.

The owner of the lumber yard hired an investigator who retrieved the inspection report which clearly indicated the fire marshal was aware of the violation yet, left the site, doing nothing about it. The city was sued, by the lumber yard owner, accusing the fire marshal of gross negligence. The city later settled for $1.2 million.

The moral of this story is working with management is fine, however, allowing causative violations to exist with no documented action to correct them is a no/no. Causative violations are those that will contribute directly to ignition of a fire.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

This September 11th

Comments Off

Thoughts From France

Today, September 11th, is a day of Prayers. Eleven years ago on a Tuesday morning, many people died in the collapse of the twin towers when 2 planes crashed into them, killing thousands of people. I think that even if 9/11 is the official date to remember the victims and their families, every day we think of and pray for them. Many people do not need an official date written on a calendar to remember this tragedy. Everyday in our hearts we pray for the fallen.

For the families, the 9/11 tragedy is everyday in their lives. They had lost relatives and the absence of their loved ones is unbelievable and cruel. Because last year was the 10th anniversary of this tragedy,commemorations were really important around the world. But what about this year? As far as I'm concerned, I make no differences between the 10th anniversary of this tragedy and the commemorations of this year. The sadness and mourning are still the same for the families of the victims and the rescuers.

While I was surfing the internet recently I couldn't help but notice something … 9/11 is a tragedy but for some people it is a " way" to make money! How can some people think that way? Do they have no heart or conscience? Do they think that death is a way to earn money?Finally, can they really think, or do they just act like robots without any compassion and respect?

I will pray for the victims and their families and the 343 fallen firefighters. Let's pray together. Join our hands and "spirit" to share a moment of peace. May our prayers help the families to feel the love of God. While 9/11 changed everything, we know that Evil could be among us everywhere, anytime. But we also know that our faith in God and our prayers can bring some lights or glimmer of hope in our daily life. In our prayers we do not not forget to pray for the rescuers and the people who are sick because they helped at ground zero. Many people suffer from different diseases and some are dead because of that.

Eleven years after 9/11 there are more and more victims. Smoke, dust, and polluted air keep killing them. Today we need to take time to pray. God bless America.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Postscript Sultana – Conclusion

Comments Off

Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

* * *

The following is a postscript to the article "Who (or What) Really Dunnit?" That article addressed the possible coverup or incomplete investigation of the circumstances surrounding the explosion and fire of the steamboat SS Sultana on April 27, 1865 which took the lives of over 1700 citizens and returning Union Army former pow's following the supposed end of the Civil War. You can review that article. Parts One through Four are (1)here, (2)here, (3)here and (4)here.

* * *

Part Five of Five
(Part One is HERE , Part Two is HERE
Part Three is HERE , Part Four is HERE)

* * *

The actual, formal end to the Civil War never really took place. At least, not in the sense you might envision, say, by virtue of a formal surrender or proclamation. Insofar as the Union never recognized the South as any form of government and nothing more than a literal insurgency, it's not assumed the Union really expected a formal, all encompassing surrender. But, they (the Union) acted in many respects as if they had one.The end started to develop when Lee surrendered the Northern Virginia Army to Grant on April 9, 1865. It is important to remember that Lee was only surrendering the army in his command. Not on behalf of the entire Confederacy. Jefferson Davis was captured on the run on May 10, 1865 and charged with various crimes of treason, etc. The Confederate Congress was at that time too scattered and disrupted to have entertained or issued terms or offered surrender.

While various Generals of the Confederate forces followed suit over the days following Lee's surrender and surrender continued, no one single moment, event or document exists which encompassed the surrender of the South to the North. Thus, the battles and the sentiments understandably continued throughout the country, albeit dwindling in many respects.

General Lee Surrenders to General Grant

So then, while the North 'hoorah'd' the end with the surrender of Lee, there were still fighting factions of the Confederate forces who wouldn't give up so easy. Including the Confederate Secret Service, and, for purposes of our interest in the bombing of Sultana, the boat burners. And, Robert Louden was by his own admission, the Official Records of both the Union AND Confederate Armies, and by comprehensive, though circumstantial evidence, the likely preeminent boat burner responsible for the destruction of Sultana.

The rest of the story. Robert Louden was clearly an active, long standing associate through the Liberty Fire Company 6 with John M. Wimer. Thomas E. Courtenay was the pinnacle of the Confederate Secret Service and the inventor and manufacturer of the 'coal torpedo'. Courtenay was also a former Sheriff of St. Louis County and as importantly, was an investor/business partner of John M. Wimer.

Thomas Courtenay, Inventer
of the Coal Torpedo

Prior to the explosion of Sultana, Louden was known to be in the deep south somewhere along the river, possibly New Orleans. The balance of this story, I will leave to you, gentle reader, to write. I present below actual transcripts of the various remaining Official Records of the Union Army and of the Confederate Army and the Union Provost Martial in St. Louis. These records indicate the nature of documentation retained following the war and represent pertinent, but not all documents referring to these men. Bearing in mind Louden's two confessions of bombing the Sultana, I leave the conclusiveness of the admittedly circumstantial (but for Loudens background and confessions) evidence as to whether to posthumously convict Mr. Louden.

Given all of the circumstances surrounding the country, Missouri and the very nature of the drawn out ending of this war, were these various players acting as unabated killers unwilling to stop, or were they doing nothing more than continuing the fight for the South and their values? I leave it to you.

Was the investigation into the Sultana disaster by the Union authorities just incompetent and bungling? Or was it a purposeful way to avoid ripping the scab off of a war which was supposed to be over, a scab which would and could so painfully reignite the war? I leave that to you also.

Finis

………. Tom Parquette

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Postscript Sultana – Part Four

Comments Off

Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

* * *

The following is a postscript to the article "Who (or What) Really Dunnit?" That article addressed the possible coverup or incomplete investigation of the circumstances surrounding the explosion and fire of the steamboat SS Sultana on April 27, 1865 which took the lives of over 1700 citizens and returning Union Army former pow's following the supposed end of the Civil War. You can review that article. Parts One through Four are (1)here, (2)here, (3)here and (4)here.

* * *

Part Four of Five
(Part One is HERE , Part Two is HERE
Part Three is HERE )

* * *

3rd Street, St. Louis 1854

One of John Wimer's first acts upon entering the mayor's office for the second term in 1857 was the renewed updating of fire protection in St. Louis. Wimer must have had great misgivings about his decision to abolish the volunteer fire service and institute a full time paid fire service. Having organized Liberty Fire Company himself some sixteen years prior, Wimer had no choice but to accede to the political and public pressure which was mounting. The volunteers had become too rowdy, too unlawful and too much of a blemish on the populace which was rapidly becoming more proper and dignified. Wimer announced his intention to disband the volunteer system, acquire all of the volunteer property and start the St. Louis Fire Department and that's just what he did. However, the members of Liberty Fire Company did not take kindly to John or the idea at this point. In February of 1858 on the eve of the assignment of the Liberty Fire Company #6 firehouse and equipment to the City of St. Louis, the Liberty 6 firehouse and all of it's equipment burned to the ground, rendering it all useless and returning the vacant lot back to it's original grantor, the City of St. Louis. Arson was the cause with the intent to prevent the paid regulars from ever using the Liberty property. No one was ever caught or directly accused of this arson.

The paid full-time St. Louis Department was organized into, initially, three companies with H. Clay Sexton as the 'Engineer' (Chief at that time). As the department expanded under Sexton with city resources, the fourth engine company was named John M. Wimer Engine Company and of course, as years went on, simply to Engine Company 4.

During this very difficult period, President Lincoln was struggling with the secessionist movement taking place throughout the country and particularly in Missouri, as Missouri was a 'border state' of the issue. Ultimately, history states Missouri did not secede from the Union, at least in any officially recognized sense. A newly formed Missouri government at one point did vote to secede though. The Union has never acknowledged that vote. Lincoln allowed General John C. Fremont to declare martial law in August of 1861, first in St. Louis, then statewide. The appointment of the Provost Martial was to enforce military law on the citizenry and to ensure loyalty. The Provost Martial essentially had the unlimited power to issue orders, passes, paroles, oaths of allegiance to the United States, transportation permits, and claims for compensation for property used or destroyed by military forces. Citizens could be arrested simply on suspicion; charges could be initiated by anyone, civilian or military. Statements by accusers or witnesses were taken down as evidence.

Not long after martial law was imposed, John Wimer and, separately, H. Clay Sexton were arrested for their southern leanings and imprisoned in the Gratiot Prison. Wimer, because of his long public record of supporting secession and the southern mandate (except slavery) and Sexton, because of recorded complaints to the Provost Martial by disgruntled fire personnel in St. Louis who claimed he had used the southern cause as intimidation. This was never proven and Sexton was later freed from Gratiot on a $5,000 bond and upon signing a loyalty oath to the Union. He return to and retained his position with the City of St. Louis for many years.

Henry Clay Sexton

John Wimer was transferred to Alton Penitentiary in Illinois though, also on the river. In December of 1862, Wimer managed to escape from Alton by hiding in a water tanker as it was moved from the prison grounds.

Alton Penitentiary  1862-1865

Certain historians have suggested over time that Wimer headed for Canada for a time following his escape from Alton. While this would be a technical possibility due to the existence of the Underground Railroad operated secretly by abolitionists which moved thousands of slaves north, the timing dictates it would be extremely unlikely Wimer ever made that trip. Wimer next appears in history organizing a Confederate troop in northwest Arkansas in very early January of 1863.

John Wimer made his way to northwest Arkansas where he quickly joined forces, formally, with the Confederate effort under Maj. General Thomas C. Hindman, commander of the Confederate force in northwest Arkansas. Hindman issued orders to Brigadier General John Sappington Marmaduke to head off the Union forces approaching northwest Arkansas under direction of Union Brigadier General James G. Blunt. Blunt was known to be approaching Arkansas with 8,000 troops and 30 pieces of artillery. Marmaduke assembled his command into two columns. One led by himself, one under the command of Col. Joseph C. Porter. Marmaduke would head north, ultimately losing a battle at Springfield, Missouri, before turning east toward Hartville, the original destination, to rejoin Porter. Porter left Pocahontas, Arkansas on January 2, 1863 and reached Hartville January 9. Porter's column captured Hartville without firing a shot and captured 40 militiamen and 200 weapons.

Battle of Hartville Monument

Porter sent his vanguard detail of Lt. Col. John M. Wimer further north to clear the way for Marmaduke and at Hazelwood, Wimer captured and burned all fortifications there. Marmaduke had ordered Porter to return to Hartville to await his arrival. In doing so, a battle ensued with additional Union forces. In the lengthy Union ambush St. Louis native Col. Emmet McDonald and Lt. Col. John M. Wimer were killed on January 11, 1863. McDonald's history was one of outstanding commitment and valor. You now know much of John M. Wimer's history.

Marmaduke, who following the war in 1884, would be elected Governor of Missouri, ordered McDonald and Wimer's bodies to be transported to St. Louis and turned over to their respective families for proper funeral arrangements befitting the heroes they were. Later, while the families conducted final services in their respective homes for each dead hero, the Union Provost Martial, one Franklin Dick (no,…really) broke into each home with an armed contingent and stole the bodies. Dick had them spirited away and buried in unmarked graves the whereabouts of which were unknown to the families. Dick allegedly did this to prevent public sentiment from boiling over and making the dead men the martyrs they were. The families later learned of the locations and exhumed the bodies for proper burial. John Wimer is appropriately buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Grave of John Wimer

Tomorrow in our conclusion, we'll assemble the likely connections of John Wimer to the possible sabotage of the SS Sultana. Though, as shown, he died valiantly over two years before the Sultana incident, the groundwork had already been laid in place either knowingly or unknowingly, for the murder of hundreds.

Friday – Conclusion

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Postscript Sultana – Part Three

2 comments

Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

* * *

The following is a postscript to the article "Who (or What) Really Dunnit?" That article addressed the possible coverup or incomplete investigation of the circumstances surrounding the explosion and fire of the steamboat SS Sultana on April 27, 1865 which took the lives of over 1700 citizens and returning Union Army former pow's following the supposed end of the Civil War. You can review that article. Parts One through Four are (1)here, (2)here, (3)here and (4)here.

* * *

Part Three of Five
(Part One is HERE , Part Two is HERE )

*  *  *

John Wimer was a busy man following his first term as mayor of St. Louis. In addition to the requirements of his office as president of Liberty Fire Company #6, Wimer was installed as St. Louis postmaster. This allowed Wimer a great deal of freedom to mold the 'local' service in his design as post offices and districts were far more autonomous in that era than they might be considered today. One of Wimer's accomplishments as postmaster was to design and issue his own stamps. These were called Postmaster Provisionals and were common throughout the country. The postmaster could design and print these stamps in various denominations and then sell them at a markup to cover the cost of printing, etc. Thus, one dollar might get you eight of the 10 cent Provisionals, and so on. John Wimer created the "Bear Provisonals" in denominations of 5, 10 and 20 cents. They were notable for the pair of bears standing as they held a plaque stating, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" and bore the name of the St. Louis Post Office. Stamp collectors, today, highly value the Wimer Provisionals and though rare, many have sold on the collector market for as much as $170,000.

The Wimmer "Bear Provisionals"

And, as one of the forefathers of multitasking, Wimer was busy raising financing for his second love next to firefighting. John was one of the original founders of the Pacific Railroad Company in 1851 and as such, fought and politicked with the best for the massive support the new transportation technology would receive.

Construction of the Gasconade River Bridge

As construction took place with the clearing and bridge building to create the rail lines needed for the Pacific Railroad, Wimer was also soon to be named as president of the Commercial Insurance Company of St. Louis. By late 1855, the Pacific line was completed on the first leg of 125 miles to the capital at Jefferson City. As a victory send-off, the Pacific road brought in dignitaries, business people and movers and shakers from all walks to participate in the first ride of this railroad they felt destined to be the first link west to San Francisco. November 1, 1855, in a falling rain, the bands played and drinks flowed as over 600 boarded the 14 car train and rolled out of St. Louis to Jeff City. A car was added full of uniformed soldiers and a band of musicians to play as they traveled. Little did they all know, they had been invited to the worst rail disaster to ever take place in Missouri history.

The Locomotive Assigned to the Inaugural Run

When the train reached the trestle bridge spanning the Gasconade River, the train was supposed to stop for the passengers to admire the beauty of the view. But, the engineer was a little behind time and felt he had to be on time for the festivities in Jefferson City, so he poured on the coal skipping the stop and heading onto the trestle bridge. As the train rolled onto the bridge at fair speed, the eastern most pier collapsed sending the train 36 feet down into the Gasconade River. The engine and seven cars rolled right off the track into the river with the remaining cars tumbling down an embankment.

View of the Crash Site From Today's Bridge

Over 30 were killed outright and hundreds were injured. Among them, critically injured, was John Wimer. The entire region was stunned by the accident. Investigations following the disaster discovered that the contractor that built the bridge simply didn't finish the collapsed portion and instead left a simple scaffolding arrangement instead, and nobody knew. They say if the train had crawled across, it might have made it. Might have.

Remains of the Gasconade Locomotive

This major calamity slowed things down a bit for the Pacific Railroad but it didn't stop it. Nothing could stop the railroads in the 1850's and they still can't. The Pacific Railroad would survive future bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions and under different names, survives today. John Wimer recovered from his injuries and continued.

During this period, Liberty Fire Company continued as well with John Wimer at the helm or very close by. Wimer never missed a fire and it's said he possessed the ability to calmly and accurately size up a fire ground and the form of attack. But, the ongoing public rowdiness of the firefighters and the volunteer fire companies as a whole were wearing thin on the nerves of the rapid sophistication of the public.

Throughout this period of existence of the Liberty Fire Company, one Robert Louden was an active member along with Arthur McCoy, his brother-in-law. Louden had married a woman he met through the Liberty Fire Company. A woman whose husband had been killed in the Gasconade Bridge event in 1855. McCoy married her sister. Louden had used his alias, for many reasons, even in his activity with the Liberty Fire Company. Charlie Deal was his name of choice and he, or he as Charlie Deal, appears in the original membership roster of Liberty. Louden's use of an alias was known by many but went unquestioned, at least, historically.

The times, they were 'a changing.' They were changing fast. John Wimer knew it. The times were becoming extremely turbulent politically on both the national and the local level. The people wanted John Wimer back as mayor of St. Louis. Wimer felt called. The year was 1857. Yes, the times were changing fast.

Wednesday – Part Four

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

Postscript Sultana – Part Two

Comments Off

Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

*  *  *

The following is a postscript to the article "Who (or What) Really Dunnit?" That article addressed the possible coverup or incomplete investigation of the circumstances surrounding the explosion and fire of the steamboat SS Sultana on April 27, 1865 which took the lives of over 1700 citizens and returning Union Army former pow's following the supposed end of the Civil War. You can review that article. Parts One through Four are (1)here, (2)here, (3)here and (4)here.

*  *  *

Part Two of Five
(Part One is HERE)

John Wimer was born May 8, 1810 in Amherst County, Virginia. A significantly high percentage of notable figures in the region of Missouri had their origins in Virginia. Wimer migrated west to Missouri in 1828 at the age of 18 and became a blacksmith by trade, then opened his own shop in 1833. It didn't take long for John's public spirited energy to surface and, while laboring as a blacksmith, he was elected Constable of St. Louis. Very quickly he assumed more positions and responsibility and was named one of the earliest Superintendents of the Waterworks followed by his election as Sheriff and later as a judge. Throughout John's career in early St. Louis, firefighting was clearly one of his greatest interests.

John Wimer

As 1840-41 rolled around, John Wimer was one of the original organizers of Liberty Fire Company #6 as part of the volunteer fire services protecting St. Louis. Liberty 6 was organized in 1841 and formally incorporated in 1843. The original members which made up the entire group, founding and otherwise, were largely employees of the Gaty, McCune and Co. foundry in St. Louis. Volunteer fire companies in St. Louis, of which there were 12 at the peak, were very powerful in the community and quickly developed and took advantage of political connections. The funding for the companies, Liberty 6 in particular, came from a multitude of sources. The city donated land for a firehouse and the balance was raised continually through contributions from citizens and, of course, payments from insurance companies for services. The name 'Liberty' was suggested by Mr. J. McDonough, Esq. who was later to become Chief of Police in St. Louis. Mr. McDonough had originated in Baltimore and took the name from that city's Liberty #6 of which he had been a member. The fire company wasted no time in acquiring what was then the best of equipment. The first pumper was built by none other than the Gaty, McCune & Co. foundry to be followed by a first class engine built by Agnew Company of Philadelphia under the express condition that it had to be better than an engine named "Emperor" delivered by Agnew to 'competing' St. Louis company Union Fire Company #2. The engine desired by Liberty had to include every ounce of the creativity of the Agnew builders and it was delivered on August 10, 1848. Liberty immediately challenged the Union apparatus to a contest which took place September 11, 1848 as a very public affair. Unfortunately, for Liberty, the new engine lost to Union's Emperor which had pumped water 246 feet.

The fire companies in St. Louis, as elsewhere, were extremely competitive and run more like businesses, or even gangs, than a public facility. Liberty stayed with the Agnew Company for their third and last apparatus. Agnew created a beautiful, second class pumper which was delivered in October of 1857 and proudly named "August Philiburr" after one of their past presidents. It was decorated with a very accurate likeness of Philiburr on the side panels.

John Wimer's fire hat

While the organizers of the various fire companies were generally considered to be connected men of political and financial strength, the members of the companies were overwhelmingly not. Many, especially many of the Liberty Company, were considered as east coast riff raff of Irish origins from the docks of the east. Whether true or not, the Liberty members, as well as the other companies in St. Louis loved to drink, compete, and they would go out of their way for a fight. Brawls were not uncommon, and in fact, several times took precedence over actually fighting the fire at hand. You see, when a fire alarm was called, usually more than one company would respond and it turned into a fight over who got to the fire first, and then who got the best fire plug access. In large part, both their individual pay and certainly their self pride depended on beating the competition.

As he both formed and continued to participate in the operation of Liberty Fire Company #6, John Wimer was an even busier man than you might expect. At the age of 33, just following the organization of the Liberty Fire Company, Wimer was elected as the seventh mayor of St. Louis for the period of 1843-1844. John was elected again as mayor of St. Louis for 1857-1858 and became, in both terms, one of the most popular mayors the city has ever had. Wimer was dedicated to the good and safety of the city and it's residents, a goal which would soon enough become fruitless for him. No man before, or probably since, has had the warm recognition and public support in politics as did John Wimer. Prior to his mayoral ambitions, John held the office of alderman for three terms and held the fifth ward in the palm of his hand for years.

As mayor in 1843 John Wimer instituted some of the first municipal fire codes in the country. Chimney and stove fires, always a serious problem of the day, were addressed with a list of specifications and requirements spelled out in detail. Wimer had the city inspectors cruise the city monthly with orders that any nonconforming installations be reported to a judge who would have the City Marshal pull them down. Wimer restructured the pay for city offices and spelled out in detail the responsibilities of each. The new pay structure had the City Engineer as it's highest paid at $1500 yearly with the mayor, register, auditor, judge and water works superintendent at $1200. A sweeping reform of city codes, ordinances and criminal codes followed.

Following his first term as mayor and continuing through the late 1840's and early 1850's, John was to continue his active involvement with the Liberty Fire Company, serving as it's president for over five years. But, having left blacksmithing behind for politics and public service, John became the Postmaster of St. Louis for several years, but not just any postmaster. I doubt John Wimer could envision how history might view his days with the post office. We'll continue following John Wimer's career in Part Three.

Monday, Part Three

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Postscript Sultana

Comments Off

 

Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

*  *  *

The following is a postscript to the article "Who (or What) Really Dunnit?" That article addressed the possible coverup or incomplete investigation of the circumstances surrounding the explosion and fire of the steamboat SS Sultana on April 27, 1865 which took the lives of over 1700 citizens and returning Union Army former pow's following the supposed end of the Civil War. You can review that article. Parts One through Four are (1)here, (2)here, (3)here and (4)here.

Part One of Five

The Trans-Mississippi Theater, or essentially the entire western front of the Civil War produced some of the most intense wartime action of all. The Mississippi was a key factor of the war due to it's ability to move supplies and troops more efficiently than any other option available. The River quickly came under the effective 'control' of the Union, but that didn't stop the Confederate Army from doing everything in their power to disrupt the advantage it offered to the North. In fact, though the surrenders of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee did take place in April of 1865, serious fighting and skirmishes continued. The last credited battle of the War took place at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, Texas on the north side of the Rio Grande River May 12-13, 1865. There are serious historians who maintain that the Civil War did not end until the end of the James and Younger Gang era in the 1880's. The Confederate spies and guerillas didn't accept the surrender readily and continued their work unabated. This was very much the case along the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans.

Jesse James (dec'd.)

In the main articles of "Who (or What) Really Dunnit" this author makes it clear that in his opinion, and the opinions of other historians and journalists, that the explosion and deaths caused in the Sultana disaster were not accidental, by any cause. The key player in this sabotage is believed to have been one Robert Louden, a longtime member of the Liberty Fire Company #6 in St. Louis and a confessed smuggler, terrorist and boat burner of the day. The original four part article fully makes the case against Louden for his likely involvement in the Sultana disaster in addition to which, he is recorded as confessing twice at two different times to being the bomber of Sultana. The last of these confessions was upon his death bed.

This postscript article takes the reader further along in anecdotal, factual, associative and documented evidence which more fully not only makes the case of boat burning, but looks at the connections between some very interesting players for the Confederate cause and their beliefs and the contradictions of their beliefs as well.

During and leading up to the start of the Civil War, Missouri was a hotbed of divisiveness both politically and socially regarding the elements of North vs. South. Slavery was commonplace and hotly debated. The northern tier states attempted in many ways to impose what ultimately became a Union doctrine and the State of Missouri, though split, resisted that imposition. Lincoln tread softly for a time but in August of 1861 General John C. Fremont declared martial law first in St. Louis then statewide. Fremont did so with Lincolns full blessings. Martial law meant that military law would be the order of the day and it would be enforced under the full discretion of the Provost Martial appointed for each county. The Provost Martial had essentially unlimited power to arrest, detain, imprison or execute anyone he felt was a threat to the Union. This could have been one of Lincolns biggest mistakes as he led into the dreaded war. Provost Martial's enforced law but soon turned into, some say, nothing more than thugs and thieves. This caused a resistance which led to the formation of organized rebel groups, guerillas and smugglers working against the Union effort.

Robert Louden

As to Robert Louden and his various associates, our postscript will examine the life of a man who by any other definition must be termed remarkable. A man who was an original organizer of Liberty Fire Co. 6 and his leanings. We'll look at his determination, what some say was his brilliance, at his climb to the pillars of society and his untimely death for all he believed. We'll examine the life of Lt. Col. John M. Wimer and his influence on the efforts which led to the Sultana explosion and we'll look at his significant contribution to the modern fire service today. Stay tuned!

Friday, Part Two

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Five

Comments Off

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit?

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Five of Five

Firegeezer notes: This has been a reprise of Tom Parquette's previous posting under this same title on June 19 – 22. While you may read them previously, we are repeating them here for those who missed them or to be used as reminders  leading into a sequel of five additional parts that will present additional information and a more complete account of the SS Sultana explosion in the Mississippi River in April 1865. A mystery that is still not settled.

The Questions Remain

Loudens wife, Mary, had also been arrested and confined for aiding the enemy. Along with 20 or so other women of the resistence, the authorities didn't know what to do with them so they uprooted them and put them on a boat headed south to Louisiana to rid St. Louis of them. Investigation much later proved that Captain James C. Mason was the pilot of the river boat that hauled Mary Louden to exile and from her children. She was allowed to return following the capture of her husband.

Robert Louden

Louden returned to St. Louis after the Sultana disaster, but chose to do so under cover of an alias. Early history relates that Charles Dale was Louden's alias of choice but we have proof that the true alias Louden used was Charley Deal. Early reporters and transcriptionists carried an error forward and the Charles Dale name stuck in much of history.

This alias is significant. Sgt. Major William C. Streetor of St. Louis was the key records clerk of Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis and knew Louden and his associates very well. Following Loudens escape and his later return to St. Louis as Charley Deal, Streetor actually worked with Louden in the painting business along the river for a time.

Louden was known to like to drink and Streetor, in 1888, related how Louden had previously confessed to him that he had sunk several Union river boats including the Sultana. Louden claimed to use a device known then as a 'coal torpedo'. A coal torpedo was simply a round metal ball hollowed out inside and filled with explosives. Then, coal was applied to disguise it as, well, coal. The coal torpedo was invented by Capt. Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay of the Confederate Secret Service. Louden was well acquainted with Capt. Courtenay and had ready access to him. The coal torpedo, once inserted into the bulk coal pile from which the boilers were fed, would guarantee a massive explosion of the boilers. The 'when' was not controllable but the result was guaranteed. Louden had openly stated to many in St. Louis, especially during the war, that it was far too risky trying to board a boat, set it on fire and then escape fast enough to get away safely. The coal torpedo solved that problem, lessening the risk.

Thomas Courtenay, inventor
of the coal torpedo (below)

Another Gratiot Prison alumnus, Ab Grimes knew and worked with Louden. Grimes himself was a spy/smuggler of great repute and was noted as a very prolific jail break aritst. Grimes lived some time longer than Louden and apparently was aware of the statements Streetor attributed to Louden. Grimes never raised an objection or disputed the claims made by Streetor in reference to his old friend, Louden. Each of these players is worthy of a book of material in their own right.

A. C. "Ab" Grimes

Louden had eventually located to Louisiana following the end of the war and the receipt of his Presidential pardon. He died in the yellow fever epidemic but not until he again made the same confession of bombing the Sultana the night of April 26, 1865, from his death bed.

Arthur McCoy

Arther McCoy, well known then as 'the Wild Irishman', deepened his efforts with Quantrills Raiders from Missouri and as the effects of the end of the war faded somewhat, he grew bored with a farm type life and headed to Texas to try his hand at raising cattle. He was widely reported to be associated with the infamous James Gang taking part in several train robberies and ultimately shooting a Pinkerton officer to protect the James Gang. Questions exist on the extent of that affiliation, however. His connection to the James gang is validated though through the relation of his wife to a wife of one of the James boys and more strongly by McCoy's membership with Quantrill as were the James boys and the Younger gang. An exact date of death for McCoy isn't known but it is reliably believed he died in Texas about 1880. That too, is when he wife first recorded herself as a widow.

Well, if you've never heard of the SS Sultana and the largest maritime disaster in US history, you have now. If you have heard of it, maybe this presents a question in your mind as it has mine. The Sultana did sink by virtue of an explosion at about 2:00 AM April 27, 1865, that much is known, for sure. It was clearly overloaded over six times it's rating. That too, is known. Boiler repairs were alleged to be insufficient. That too, is perhaps likely. Did Robert Louden of St. Louis fame as a fireman with Liberty Fire Company #6, the same Robert Louden known as a reputed spy, smuggler, secessionist, Minute Man, confidant of bomb makers, braggart, and brother in law of a Quantrill Raider turned probable outlaw, commit one of the final strikes against the North? Perhaps a strike against the notorious St. Louis captain who hauled his wife away and broke up his family? Did he see it as a final curtain call to take out over 1700 broken Union ex-pows AND Captain Mason,……..the final revenge as time was 'running out'? Or, was Louden just a rabel rouser who went wrong and wanted to claim 'the big one' as a legacy? We may never know.

Was the Maritime Commission investigation another Warren Commission report that left as many questions as answers? I've read micofilmed digital copies of the hand written transcript from 1865 and, given even adjustments for the times and the technologies involved, I think so. Is this a 'conspiracy theory'? I don't believe so. I believe many historians have been left with the same questions I have. But too, there are those who align with the 'official version'. Go figure.

The SS Sultana did sink to the bottom of the Mississippi about seven miles north of Memphis very near Marion, Arkansas on the west side of the river. Since 1865 the Mississippi has gradually changed course a bit and the spot where Sultana sank is now the middle of an actively farmed soybean field residing some 32 feet below ground level. It is considered hallowed ground. The City of Marion is making efforts to create a formal museum dedicated to the Sultana disaster. Following the disaster in 1865 extensive and repeated efforts were made to induce the US Government to construct a fitting memorial to those lost in the Sultana explosion. Those efforts were unsuccessful to this day. Since most of the victims of the disaster were from various states, it fell upon many local towns and villages to construct monuments to both the Sultana and the local victims involved. Therefore, there are many 'monuments' to this event. In spite of our bipartisan incompetence in DC.

Memphis Sultana Marker

The next time someone mentions, oh, the Titanic, perhaps, you may give a pause for a moment to the 2000+ lives lost in the Sultana disaster too. Many endured four years of confinement, torture, starvation and abuse only to live and see freedom long enough to meet their end on the river. A dark river.

Finis

Wednesday – Part One, Postscript Sultana

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Four

Comments Off

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit?

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Four of Five
(Part One is HERE, Part Two is Here.
Part Three is HERE.)

Firegeezer notes: This is an expanded sequel to Tom Parquette's previous posting under this same title on June 19 – 22. While you may recognize that the first few parts are repetitive, he is adding five additional parts to present more information and a more complete account of the SS Sultana explosion in the Mississippi River in April 1865. A mystery that is still not settled.  Note: There are two 5-part sections to this presentation.

*  *  *

Prior to 1858, St. Louis, Missouri's organized fire protection was limited to at most 12 various volunteer fire companies. Each is a book volume in and of itself but our focus is on Liberty Fire Company #6. Most of these volunteer companies were noted as being rough and tumble, rowdy and very competitive but still, for the time, very good firemen. The mantra, or motto of Liberty #6 was "We Conquer To Save". Liberty Fire Company #6 existed formally from 1841 to 1858. Throughout much of the life of Liberty, one Robert Louden and one Arthur McCoy were very active members. In fact, the final muster records of Liberty #6 list Louden under an alias. Not only were these two brothers of the fire company, but they soon became brothers-in-law as they married sisters from a wealthy, very social St. Louis family. Bear in mind that the photo of the Louden family which accompanies this article was taken in March of 1863 and it does show Louden in his Liberty Fire Company #6 uniform. It is the only photo of Louden known to exist.

The Louden Family

 

The rowdyism and fighting of the volunteer fire companies in St. Louis was extreme. These guys conducted fire engine races, fought over hydrants, drove engines and teams on the sidewalks and dissed the mayor. They even resorted to false alarms, theft of other companies equipment and near riots at fires. They weren't as 'bad' as Baltimore, San Francisco and some others but they were bad enough actors in the 1850's that the public and the pols turned against them and declared the intention of organizing a paid full time fire department in 1858. No matter. Just prior to turning Liberty 6 over to the full timers, the station house burnt to the ground on February 11,1858 with all of the equipment as well. The cause was determined to be arson with the intent that nothing of Liberty #6 would be taken over by the new 'department'.

Louden and McCoy were both noted secessionists and soon, when the war officially began, both became raiders, spys, and rabble rousers behind the scenes for the South. McCoy formed a group named the Minute Men and was and is known by historians as a very accomplished member of Quontrill's Raiders performing sabotage and assasinations behind the lines for the South. It must have been some Thanksgiving Dinner conversation when these guys got together. Their wives were also very sympathetic to the cause and did engage in sabotage as well. Louden partnered in a boat and general painting company in St. Louis. McCoy was known to work with him as well. Painting the river boats and generally doing business on the river brought Louden a certain notoriety in St. Louis and on the water, not to mention some political pull through his association with the Liberty Fire Company as well.

As the early years of the war tore on, Robert Louden became increasingly adept at smuggling mail from the south to the sympathizers and organized rebels in the State of Missouri. Over time, Louden would 'confess' to others that he sank many of the 26 river boats on the Mississippi for the South. History would tell us that Arthur McCoy was probably the brighter of the two.Over a period of time during the war in the early 1860's, Louden was arrested and detained by the Union Army police at least 5 or 6 times for smuggling and sabotage. History does not yet show us whether Louden was ever charged or convicted of boatburning but on the last of these arrests he was sentenced to death and kept, as usual, in Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis. It could be assumed the tribunal which last sentenced him knew or suspected his complicity in the bombings and sentenced accordingly. Toward the end of the war, Lincoln had issued an executive order halting all executions until or unless his personal signatorial approval was issued first. It was during this period that Louden escaped from army confinement and headed south.

Gratiot Street Prison  (MHM Collection)

It has been reported and at various times attributed to Louden that following his escape and his planned trip down the river to Confederate territory, he needed a foolproof way to avoid the Union patrols on the Mississippi north of Memphis. Louden allegedly acquired a casket and thoroughly caulked the box before setting sail on the river. As the ghastly craft would float near any Union troops, they would shun investigating it. When it would bump up against a Union vessel, Louden would stick his arm out and simply push it off again. Take that as you wish. No verification of this anecdote is possible.

Monday, Part Five - The Questions Remain

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Nutty Mayor Nutter Slapped Down by State Oversight Board

Comments Off

The Nutter Just Doesn't Have a Clue

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER iS facing still another setback in his campaign to punish the city's firefighters.  The firefighters have been working for three years without a contract nor any cost-of-living (COLA) raises and recent arbitration settlements have been ignored by the mayor's office.  The legal arbitraition awarded the FF's an annual 3% COLA's backdated to the beginning of the current non-contract period.  After Nutter filed an appeal to the measly COLA, the arbitration panel admonished him and upheld their original settlement.

Mayor Nutter

However, in order to continue to receive State funding and benefits for all agencies, the city's budget has to be approved by the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation :Authority (PICA) and they are refusing to accept the mayor's latest, and vague, plans to fund the mandated raises. The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting this morning:

The Nutter administration avoided a showdown with its financial overseer Thursday by adding a postscript to its five-year budget indicating how the city would pay for any salary and benefit increases for firefighters.

The addendum says drastic cuts would fund an arbitration award the firefighters won in June. Those cuts would include hundreds of layoffs, the slashing of library hours, and the closure of a health center, according to Finance Director Rob Dubow.

Board members of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), which must approve the city's annual five-year plans to keep state funding flowing to Philadelphia, balked at not having a way to pay the firefighters.

One member, Sam Hopkins, scoffed at the addendum. "I am not impressed with this list of cuts as being responsive," he said. "I consider it a political scare technique that it would be a great disservice for PICA to accept in the five-year plan."

Board Chairman Sam Katz said he hoped such reductions would not be necessary. "It would be draconian for the city to have to implement that level of cuts," he said. "I suspect there will be other options that we discuss over the next couple weeks."

The incompetence of the city council, and especially the mayor's administration, is accelerating Philadelphia's attempt to remain solvent.

Bill Gault, president of Local 22 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, called the proposed reductions "crazy" and said they would put firefighters' lives in peril. "It seems to me this administration is very vindictive," Gault said. "What they've decided to do is keep stalling this and stalling this."

City Controller Alan Butkovitz, who this week called on PICA to vote down the five-year plan, said a list of cuts did not constitute a plan to fund the firefighters' contract. "First of all, are they saying what they'll actually do?" he asked. "And, if they do, would it add up?"

He also noted that the administration had suggested the rolling closure of libraries and deactivating fire companies, proposals that "we know create public resentment."

PICA is planning to reconvene in about two weeks to see if the city will present solid plans to fund not just the fire department, but all other city agencies that are operaing under cloudy budgetary plans.

Recommended reading: 
Full article in Philadelphia Inquirer.
Firegeezer posting on Nutter gives top aides secret pay raises HERE.
Fiscal overseer balking at Philly’s budget plan HERE.
City comptroller blasts mayor's "preposterous" inaction.  KYW report HERE.
Firegeezer October 2010 report: Philly Mayor Renews Feud With Paramedics.

IAFF Local 22 WEBSITE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

*  *  *  *  *

 

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Three

Comments Off

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit?

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Three of Five
(Part One is HERE, Part Two is Here.)

The Backstory

Firegeezer notes: This is an expanded sequel to Tom Parquette's previous posting under this same title on June 19 – 22. While you may recognize some of the paragraphs in Parts One and Two as being partly repetitive, he has used the extra space to add more information and present a more complete account of the SS Sultana explosion in the Mississippi River in April 1865. A mystery that is still not settled.

The times were tough. They were brutal, deadly, painful and,…..well,….horrific! There is no other way to describe the history which was occurring in April of 1865,..period! The country had been divided for some years, then Lee surrendered at Appomattox on April 9, Lincoln was shot April 14, Johnson surrendered an army of 7500 to Sherman on April 26, and on the same day Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth was cornered/captured and shot, and then Jefferson Davis was finally captured on May 10 in Georgia. The country, the people and the press had a lot on it's plate to digest. The war was (supposed to be) over. A river boat going down in the Mississippi didn't make news in many places. At least 26 of them had been sunk during the war, one more on top of all the other news wasn't really news.

A rushed maritime investigation begun on April 27 which was literally inundated with piles of paper work and documents (which by all records were not even reviewed) needed an answer and needed to put the disaster to rest. And they did. Overloaded boat. Boiler leak. Rushed repairs. 2400+ soldiers wanted to go home. Then, boom! Case closed. And the case is still closed on the Sultana. Officially, that is. But a growing number of historians and investigative journalists (myself included) can't get some unexplored 'facts' out of their minds. See if it affects you the same way. Captain Frederic Speed, the Union Army officer who volunteered to organize the mustering out of the prisoners, was charged under military law and following a six month trial was convicted of "neglect of duty pertaining to the good order of the military" and discharged. He was the only person charged in the disaster. The charges were later dropped against him.

Sultana marker – Marion, Arkansas

Leading up to the Civil War a growing group of people, secessionists, were campaigning in their various states to leave the union and survive on their own. When Lincoln was elected in 1860, the last straw was down and over a period of six months from December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, 11 states seceded from the union. South Carolina led the way followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. Of note here is that Missouri was not a seceding state.

Though not seceding from the union, Missouri was a hotbed of sympathizers and underground activity in support of the Confederate States, and as any good sympathizer type landscape might do, it produced a certain ongoing hell for the yankee efforts in the Civil War. Many secessionists relocated to Missouri from the Confederate States purely to conduct operations from a central and key geographical point. This very pointed element of history lends itself to a lifelong study and believe me, it is loaded with some of the most fascinating details you never knew before. But, as always we are confined in the time we have so we'll focus on two or three key players and what they might have meant to the fate of the Sultana.

Tomorrow – Part Four

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Two

Comments Off

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit?

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Two of Five
(Part One is HERE)

Into the Darkness

Firegeezer notes: This is an expanded sequel to Tom Parquette's previous posting under this same title on June 19 – 22. While you may recognize some of the paragraphs in Parts One and Two as being partly repetitive, he has used the extra space to add more information and present a more complete account of the SS Sultana explosion in the Mississippi River in April 1865. A mystery that is still not settled.

While the Sultana was in port at Vicksburg undergoing the repairs, men on the docks fought, connived and tried bribing their way onto the Sultana for the trip north. Following the week earlier surrender of the Confederate Army, the rushed exchange of Union troops who had been held captive in Confederate prisons was almost immediate. The notorious prisons of Andersonville and Cahawba kicked loose their captives and the men, virtually all emaciated, weak and struggling, made their way to both Vicksburg and some to Memphis to try to board any northbound vessel. The Sultana was licensed to carry at capacity of 376 passengers. The Union Army had contracted with Captain Mason to pay him five dollars per head for enlisted passengers and ten dollars a head for officers for the trip back to St. Louis and their homes. So Mason allowed the passengers to virtually stack up on the decks and all empty spaces of the Sultana so much so that it was reported by a survivor that he couldn't sit or lay down but rather had to lean into the person next to him. But Mason, as part owner of the Sultana together with Merchant And People Lines, was positioned to grab the big bucks quickly so he loaded the boat to the gunwales. It is reliably estimated that the Sultana carried over 2400 passengers as it embarked Vicksburg and then Memphis. There were other river boats racing to Vicksburg to collect troops and in fact there were empty boats docked at Vicksburg the night Sultana cast off, but the military chose not to use them.

 

The Sultana was packed with
over 2,400 passengers

Captain Mason was generally very highly regarded as a seaman of excellent repute. However, historical records indicate sufficient evidence to support the allegation that Mason was paying off the key military officers involved in troop transport to get all the business he wanted. He just had to be there.

The Sultana made a critical port across from Memphis on the Arkansas side of the river to take on fuel (coal). And then, it would be up river on it's voyage to St. Louis, stopping first in Cairo, Il.

An interesting sidenote. The crew of the Sultana kept a live alligator on board as a mascot. This is not further explained in history.

The Sultana left the Memphis area late on the evening of April 26, 1865 steaming up river into the oncoming spring river currents of the flooded river. Approxiamately 9 miles north, at about 2:00 AM April 27th, a massive explosion seemingly from the boiler room area, tore the Sultana apart and sprayed hot, burning coal and embers through the sky like fireworks. The explosion was heard and some say seen as far away as Memphis to the south and up river to the north. Bodies and body parts were blown into the night air as those who weren't killed outright tried to escape. Anything which would float was thrown overboard into the river and the exhausted and weak ex-pows dove in to cling to the debris. The Sultana was equipped with only one life boat. Over 100 victims tried to cling somehow to the lifeboat but were unsuccessful as it sank. The Sultana, such as it remained, burnt to the waterline and sank. The exact death toll that fateful morning is questionable but the best historical documents put it at 1754 dead the night of the explosion and several hundred more dying within days from their injuries. 

The Sultana in flames.

A maritime commission was impaneled to investigate this disaster almost immediately. While Captain Mason did not survive the conflagration, another, historically unnamed pilot aboard the Sultana, did. Part of his testimony related to "their pride in the one lifeboat" aboard Sultana and claiming the boat was fully equipped with cork life jackets, all 76 of them. The commission investigation might well have been the precursor to the Warren Commission investigation and report regarding the assassination of Jack Kennedy. It might have for all it's thoroughness and pomp and circumstance. Substance? That's another matter altogether. In some level of fairness though, one must remember that the country had just 'ended' the war, it's President had been assassinated AND the very day of this explosion, that same assassin had been also killed by agents. Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby come to mind for some reason, but, hey, that's another story.

The Sultana as well as other steamships of that day were operating, supposedly, under governance of the Steamship Act of 1852 (10 Stat. 61) which, on paper anyway, did revise and improve safety regulations of vessels. The years prior to 1852 had seen many several shipping disasters which encouraged political action. But the war in all it's glory, put enforcement on the back burner. The conclusion reached by this maritime commission might, just might have been dictated from the mouth of Mr. R.G. Taylor. Mr. Taylor was the boiler repair man who performed the hurried repairs to the boiler of Sultana in Vicksburg. He stated that Mason didn't want to take the time needed to perform the repairs correctly. The Steamship Act of 1852 would survive as time and history progressed and it did become the foundation at least for what we consider modern Coast Guard regulations in effect today.

To this day, the position of the 'Maritime Administration' report is just that. Sultana was overloaded. Yes it was. Mason was in a hurry to reach St. Louis and the Union Army cash. Yes he was. The Sultana was steaming under heavy headwind and currents which, in addition to her extreme weight, caused the boilers to be taxed to their limits. Well, maybe. That the Sultana, due to the overloaded condition was 'careening' in the river, from side to side. This caused the water in the married boilers to flow from starboard to port and back, a sort of sloshing effect. The water in the boilers must have been low. Maybe, maybe and maybe again. As the water sloshed from a low boiler that left extreme heat firing an empty boiler and a steam overload. Maybe. And that caused one helluva boom! Well, something sure did. Something,…………someplace,………..or,…………..maybe,…..someone! We'll look at what else history tells us about the greatest maritime disaster in US history as our whodunnit continues next with the Backstory.

Tomorrow:  Part Three – The Backstory

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part One

Comments Off

 

Who (Or What) Really Dunnit?

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part One of Five

Firegeezer notes:  This is an expanded sequel to Tom Parquette's previous posting under this same title on June 19 – 22.  While you may recognize some of the paragraphs in Parts One and Two as being partly repetitive, he has used the extra space to add more information and present a more complete account of the SS Sultana explosion in the Mississippi River in April 1865.  A mystery that is still not settled.

As April 15 came and went this year, it seems none of us were able to miss the acknowledgement of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Memorial events took place far and wide both within the US and other parts of the world as we remembered the tragedy which began when the 'World's Greatest Ship' collided with an iceberg about 375 miles south of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean.

RMS Titanic

Actually, Titanic was one of three nearly identical Olympic Class ships constructed for the White Star Lines between 1908 and 1912. The others were the RMS Olympic and HMHS Brittanic. Though the Brittanic was originally named, albeit briefly, the Gigantic. They thought that might have been just a little presumptuous so they renamed it. They were probably correct.

The disaster of the Titanic that fateful night is well documented throughout history. She ultimately sank in 12,415 feet of ocean water. Cold ocean water. 1514 souls perished that night and some 710 survived. History buffs can easily locate a multitude of information on the Titanic disaster, especially so since they have located the wreckage. In addition to the video, print and literary records of Titanic and the souls lost, there are at least two very credible museums dedicated to Titanic. Branson, Missouri and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee host two Titanic Museums which are both very well managed and both maintain excellent artifact and informational displays of the event. There are others, I'm sure. While Titanic is fully deserving of it's place in history and the massive layers of media and other attention given to it, it's not at the top of the list of maritime disasters in history. Not at all.

*  *  *

On December 27, 1987 the Phillipine passenger ferry MV Dona Paz collided with the oil transport, Vector and burst into flames. The sinking of the Dona Paz took an estimated 4,341 souls to a watery grave. The top ten list of maritime disasters of all recorded history will show the Dona Paz as the worst (lives lost) and Titanic comes in seventh on that list.

MV Dona Paz

The US has had it's share of sea going tragedy but in the top ten, we only have one, number 5. Numbers and rankings don't mean a thing to those lost and mean less to the loved one's they left behind, of course. But since we are a society of rankings of all kinds, and since our inspired readers probably know everything they thought they could know about the Titanic, let's look at that number 5 from a purely US perspective.

In 1863 the John Litherbury Shipyard in Cincinnati completed construction of the SS Sultana, a 1719 ton registered, 260 foot wooden paddle wheeler destined for the lower Mississippi River cotton trade. For about the first two years of it's existence the Sultana operated on a steady route between St. Louis and New Orleans. The cargo was anything from cotton to livestock to troops for the Civil War effort. The Sultana was piloted by a most distinguished gentleman, Captain James C. Mason based in St. Louis.

SS Sultana prior to sailing

April 21, 1865 seemed like any other day in the life of Mason and the Sultana. The boat was loaded with 75 to 100 passengers plus it's normal crew staffing of 85. It left New Orleans with a normal yet fairly light cargo of livestock bound for St. Louis. Since Mason and the Sultana worked under the auspices of the Union and the Union Army, the end of the Civil War, at least formally and publicly, had been fresh and exciting in their minds. The boat headed north on the somewhat flooded Mississippi and put in at Vicksburg, Mississippi for repairs to a boiler. As the very scant records would seem to indicate later, a small leak had developed in one of the four boilers of the Sultana. The boat, just two years old at best, was equipped with four, essentially identical boilers which were interconnected. That is, the water from one boiler was free to travel to the other boilers and vice versa, depending upon the water levels in the boiler(s) and the listing angle, or as the government investigators would state later, the careening factor. If the boat lists or rolls to the starboard (right) then the boiler water force would travel towards the right bank of boilers. If it listed left, then the water could ship to the port side. Allegedly, if the boiler water level was sufficient, it didn't matter.

Captain Mason was faced with a dilemma of sorts. He could tie up in Vicksburg and have a boiler fitter repair the leaking boiler by riveting a plate over the leaking area, a procedure which would take a day. Or, he could have the entire boiler replaced which would take at least 3 days. Mason chose the former and had a patch riveted over the leaking boiler.

Vicksburg 1865

While all of this frantic repair work was taking place in the engine room of the Sultana, history was being made and readied ashore. Remember now, on April 14, just a week or so before the Sultana docked in Vicksburg, John Wilkes Booth visited the Ford Theater and shot President Abraham Lincoln dead. In fact, the news was delivered to Vicksburg by the Sultana due to telegraph sabotage still occurring at the hands of the surrendered Confederate Army. Only five days before Lincoln was murdered, Lee had surrendered to Grant at the Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, officially or at least figuratively ending the War.

This much of the history of the SS Sultana is known. From the time she left Vicksburg, things get a bit more dicey. In fact, they get very dicey.

Tomorrow:  Part Two – Into the Darkness.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Dunce Convention Meets Regularly in Ramara, Ontario.

3 comments

An Opinionated Report on Recent Activities in Ramara Township

Monday July 23

The Ramara Township (Ontario) Council met tonight and voted to end the practice of firefighters assisting with traffic control and using fire trucks as blockers at crash scenes.  The Orillia Packet & Times reported:

Ramara councillors voting to discontinue allowing blockers, argued the practice puts firefighters at risk and could result in significant damage to expensive fire vehicles.

"Our firefighters are not trained to direct traffic," said Deputy Mayor Basil Clarke. "They are there to save lives. That’s exactly what they should be doing and that's all they should be doing. Our firefighters should not be directing traffic. If the OPP needs manpower for that, there are about 90 of them who work in that building in Orillia and I’m sure they can find the people they need there." (The OPP is the police department. Dunce Clarke believes that there are 90 of them sitting around the station waiting for something to happen….Ed.)

Clarke also said fire trucks are "too expensive" to be placed on the highway as blocker vehicles.

Ramara Township Council
front row l. – Mayor Bill Duffy; r. – Deputy Mayor Basil Clarke

Council rejected a motion to defer the decision to a future general committee meeting for further discussion and voted instead to "advise the OPP that the township will not remain at any accident scene to direct traffic or provide blocker vehicles after our fire and rescue services responsibilities are complete."

Five Hours Later, 2:30 am Tuesday July 24

Northumberland Today reports from Ramara Township:

Firefighters say a fire truck positioned to shield workers at an accident scene on Highway 401 possibly saved numerous lives early Tuesday morning.

A fully loaded transport truck slammed into the side of the parked Port Hope fire truck, with its emergency lights activated, in the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 approximately one kilometre east of the Burnham Street off-ramp around 2:30 a.m.

"(The fire truck) saved a lot of lives tonight," Port Hope Fire Department Captain Bob Cranley said. The tanker fire truck was from the Welcome fire hall and was being used as a blocker on the highway while a towing company removed a vehicle from the ditch.

"A blocker is used to protect the firefighters," Cranley said. "So if somebody is not paying attention (on the highway) they’ll hit the fire truck versus hitting the firefighters, police and paramedics who are working on scene. It was probably one of the most frightening things I’ve witnessed," he said. "Just the sound and then the aftermath; not knowing if the guys were okay."

The transport struck the fire truck on the passenger side, sheering off part of the side of the fire truck, including the front mirror. The transport continued down the highway a short distance with heavy damage to the driver’s side.

The driver of the transport, a 31-year-old Calgary man, is facing charges of impaired driving, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content over the legal limit, possession of cocaine and dangerous driving.

Friday July 27

The Orillia Packet & Times continues:

Ramara Township’s decision to stop allowing fire trucks to be used as blocker vehicles at crash scenes could put emergency workers at risk, says the deputy fire chief of Cobourg.

"If somebody is going to say they are not going to allow blockers, I can’t support that decision because somebody is going to be killed," Jim Wheeler said in an interview with The Packet & Times Friday. "That’s what would have happened at our scene Monday night. We were very close to that, if it wasn’t for the blocker truck. You can’t put emergency personnel on the highway without a blocker."

It's a directive that isn't sitting well with the township's fire department.  "This is a council decision and we are going to follow through with it," said fire administrator Tony Stong. "That's their authority to decide what level of service we are going to provide. I don't know that it's the best practice though."  Stong clarified that the "paramount" role of firefighters at a crash scene is to "ensure the safety of all," including victims, members of the public and emergency workers. He confirmed fire vehicles often act as blockers.

"The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires blockers to have a gross vehicle weight of 6,800 kilograms or greater. Our pumpers and tankers fulfil those requirements," Stong said.

Fire departments "have authority" to block traffic under the provincial Highway Traffic Act.

Will they or won't they?  We're all watching now.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Let’s Talk About the “Crucible of Fire” – a Commentary

Comments Off

Should the Fire Service Training Path Be Revised?

I just finished reading Crucible of Fire by Bruce Hensler. The subtitle implies that the book is about the 19th century origins of the modern fire service. This is only partially true; the book is also a broader examination of fire service culture with some hard reflection thrown in. It is thought-provoking and full of things that American fire people don't like to think about. I believe that a few of his statements are inaccurate and a few of his conclusions are wrong, but I think you should read the book. At any rate, I'd like to think more of at least one of his ideas.

Among the controversial arguments Hensler makes is the idea that our training model should reflect a commitment to prevention first. In this vein he suggests that the recruit academies should teach the science of fire and fire prevention, emergency management, IMS, and other broader concepts. Following mastery and some practice in these areas the young firefighter would be taught the tasks of firefighting. This, he says, is similar to the model the military uses where an inductee goes from basic to advanced training in a progressive roadmap throughout his development. (Mr. Hensler will forgive me, I hope, if I have mis-paraphrased him here; I am speaking from recent memory of his arguments.)

This is an intriguing model, to say the least. I think the fire service would do well to reorient its approach to recruitment and acculturation and this might offer a way forward there. Too often a fire department wants a blue collar worker for a firefighter spot. He's mechanical! He has callouses on his hands! Then they want that guy, five years down the line, to be an officer and, ten years down the line, a chief officer. For some reason they fail to notice, or outright deny, that finding the blue collar worker in the same package as the educated professional is rare. We want obeisant drones then we are surprised when our leaders cannot usefully conceptualize the organization's environment and fail to adapt.

It's not just that, as Hensler argues, the training model front-loads task-level suppression training (which is true). Hensler contrasts the American fire service's obsession with restricting leadership to people who came up through the ranks. I don't disagree with that approach (that is, I don't think you can have an officer's academy that trains people who were never firefighters to be fire officers). But I do think that he is on the same scent. We need to do a better job professionally developing our leadership. Maybe we could train them in areas other than suppression first in order to properly contextualize suppression. Maybe we could pull them out of the field a little later, at least the promising ones, to educate them in various facets of leadership and management.

Anyone paying attention knows the world has changed and is changing even faster. Every fire department that has political and community leaders calling it superfluous has to do a better job adapting. We can reimagine our world.

……. Patrick Mahoney

*  *  *

Crucible of Fire: Nineteenth-Century Urban Fires and the Making of the Modern Fire Service
by Bruce Hensler is available in both Hardcover and Kindle eBook formats.

CLICK HERE to read more about the book and to order one.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Proof! Size Doesn’t Matter! – Conclusion

Comments Off

Proof! Size Doesn't Matter!

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Four of Four
(Part One is HERE. Part Two is HERE.
Part Three is HERE. )

 About 530 miles southwest of Detroit City Hall lies the City Hall of Kinloch, Missouri.

The total land area of Kinloch is 0.7 square miles. Kinloch lies just northwest of St. Louis and just northeast of the intersections of I-70 and I -170 in St. Louis County. To Kinlochs west, just across I-170 is Lambert-St.Louis International Airport. Kinloch evolved over time from a community named Kinloch Park and became the first, thus oldest incorporated African-American community in Missouri.

At it's peak, Kinloch boasted a population of between 10,000 to 15,000 in a neat little community enjoying all of the services one could expect in any similarly sized suburban community. In the 1980's, Lambert Airport attempted to acquire large blocks of property in Kinloch for an anticipated runway expansion. Lambert made offers to buy and those offers were accepted by most property owners. It is claimed that Kinloch lost some 75% of it's population as a result of Lambert's expansion plans. The expansion didn't happen. The houses were torn down which did leave Kinloch with more of a rural feel than that of a bustling suburban area but it still boasted full services and was a place where folks could raise their kids in relative safety and security.

The mayoral election of 1999 brought into office one Keith Conway as a write in candidate for mayor. Conway, a wanna be singer and nightclub entrepreneur quickly assumed total control of the community as his own kingdom. Vacant houses were sold to Lambert, bought back by the City of Kinloch and then resold at ridiculous prices to Conway’s cronies and fellow politicians. Conway established an unknown (?) bank account for the City of Kinloch at US Bank which only he had access to. All city funds and receipts were ordered to cross Conway’s desk conceivably to be deposited in City accounts by Conway. It seems they weren't so deposited.

Mayor Conway

Conway ruled with a heavy hand and blocked the police department from arresting his fellow crooks. A 'family' member operated a night club in Kinloch, the Boom Boom Room which Conway ruled off limits to the police! The Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis owned a decent property in Kinloch and agreed to give it to the city as long as it was used as a community learning center. Conway accepted the property for the city and then immediately installed his cronies to operate and front for him in a dive called the Cotton Club II. Screw the Diocese! The club most recently was still operating. Conway went a step further with the Cotton Club II deal and arranged for the city to pay $200,000 to repave a parking lot for the joint.

Cotton Club II

Conway hustled up grants for such projects as the "historical center." Some $200,000 later all the city had was a "walk of fame" sidewalk with brass plaques embedded in it. Conway and the other city movers and shakers were first to be commemorated along with native U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Currently under investigation for ethics violations, Waters is listed among Congress's most corrupt members. As these issues continued, the police department in Kinloch was taken over some 7 times by the St. Louis County Sheriffs office and several Kinloch cops were prosecuted for corruption. The ones that weren't corrupt, were screwed into the ground by Conway and those who were. As recently as 2007, Kinloch police captain and pastor Everett James shot a suspect after a fight that left James with facial and head injuries. Following his release from the hospital he was informed by Conway that he had to pay the $3,000 bill himself! The city has been charged repeatedly with failure to carry the mandated workmans compensation insurance. James paid the bills, then formed a blue flu walk out which lasted a few hours and culminated in Conway firing him in writing. When confronted, Conway denied he had been fired. It seems there was no unemployment insurance in the city either.

 

Mayor Conway and Maxine Waters
at the "Walk of Fame"

The Kinloch Fire Protection District has had it's share of fallout from the corruption going on inside city hall as well. In 2009 the Fire Protection District, allegedly under separate administrative control, was forced to sell it's back up fire apparatus as scrap just to pay it's light bill. Afterwards, the District qualified for a 90% grant from FEMA to purchase a new apparatus, a new Rosenbauer side mount pumper, but the District had to borrow the additional 10% to acquire the engine. A condition of that loan was that they keep full insurance on the vehicle during the life of the loan. Unable to pay the required $4,400 premium for coverage, the District was repeatedly on the verge of repossession of the apparatus by the bank. The electric utility continues to limit service to the firehouse due to nonpayment. Chief Darran Kelly states that the utility only allows one 15-amp service to the building which is only enough to power the radio system and some lights. 

Kinloch Fire Protection District Station

In May of 2011, Keith Conway was arrested and handcuffed in Kinloch City Hall charged with federal offenses in the use of city credit cards to fleece city accounts of thousands of dollars to pay for the mortgage on his Palm Beach Shores, Fl. condo, plane tickets to Florida and Las Vegas, a Carribean cruise, his personal income taxes and even his own light bill. As with so many of these public corruption cases, that is likely the tip of the iceberg. They still haven't gotten to the bottom of the private bank account and some one million plus dollars in funky money that seems to be missing. 

The Kinloch Fire Protection District is an all volunteer group made up of 16 to 20 volunteers making due with crappy equipment and crappy facilities. The door to the firehouse for a long period of time was nothing more than a large blue tarp due to broken overhead doors. 

Fire Chief Darren Kelly

The City of Kinloch has been taken over by miscreants, drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes and bums. But that didn't stop Keith Conway from being re-elected, again, in 2010. He received a 90% margin of the 14, yes 14, votes cast. Oh, the population of Kinloch in the 2010 census was at 298. Various city council members aren't totally above reproach and exhibited shock when Conway’s arrest came up, although more than one, including the then-interim mayor, were living in city owned property or actually running businesses from city owned homes. 

Kinloch Street Scene

Kinloch stands largely bankrupt today. Bankrupt financially, morally and socially. It is offered that the only solution left is to vote to dissolve the city and incorporate it into St. Louis County but that outcome remains to be seen. 

A recent mayoral election brought in former Alderman Darren Small who is also the assistant fire chief behind Chief Darren Kelly. The City moved to hire a city manager following that election and did so in the person of Eric Mason, a convicted felon currently on probation. 

The City of Kinloch is a barren wasteland now. A reminder in microcosm of Detroit? I certainly see the parallels. Did Detroit fall due to the decline of the US auto industry or the unions which tooled it? Or, perhaps it was racism or natural suburban evolution, how about just an 'upwardly mobile society? Or was it all of these saturated with corruption, self interest, moral decay and disregard for fellow man and society as a whole? 713,777 (Detroit) to 298 (Kinloch). Does size really matter to the relatively few decent hard working concerned citizens who for whatever reason are still residents of these communities? Does size really matter to the understaffed, overworked, ill equipped yet dedicated firefighters trying their damndest to fulfill their calling?

Do the excuses and blame laying of the past really matter past the legal responsibility and the butt covering at all levels? Or does the only thing that really matters remain the future and what we can do about it? You decide. 

………. Tom Parquette

* * * * * * *

Proof! Size Doesn’t Matter! – Part Three

2 comments

Proof! Size Doesn't Matter!

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Three of Four
(Part One is HERE.  Part Two is HERE.)

In 1973 Coleman Young was soundly elected mayor of Detroit. Young had a history of activism. In the 1930's Young was to become a union organizer/activist while employed at Ford Motor Company. He was fired. Later, Young was a member and activist for various leftist organizations which led him into politics in the 1960's. He was elected five times to the office of Mayor of Detroit, all as the city shrank in population, finance and respect. One of Young's favorite mantras in office when introducing himself was, "I am the MFIC!" The 'IC' part meant 'In Charge' I'll let you figure out the 'MF' part. Young took over the city and by his actions made it clear the old order was over. Graft, corruption, favoritism were all endemic to Detroit.

Mayor Coleman Young

Following the twenty years of Young, Dennis Archer tried his hand at stabilizing what was already in free fall. Archer was largely regarded as a good, principled man but his two terms in office were enough to convince him that he couldn't or wouldn't be able to turn the ship that was Detroit around. The graft and corruption which Young introduced to Detroit or perhaps expanded upon, was too entrenched.

Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick

And following Archer, the election produced none other than now-felon Kwame Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick only expanded on and created new twists on the fleecing of Detroit which Young had initiated. From a scandelous affair with a staffer to crooked contracts and skim, Kilpatrick was convicted and sentenced to jail of some initial charges. The 'other shoe' is still waiting to drop on him and though released from his original sentence, there is a strong liklihood he will return to the graybar hotel. And now we have Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. Basketball Hall of Famer from the Detroit Pistons. Bing retired from the Pistons and formed an auto parts manufacturing business. He moved to Detroit with the sole purpose in mind of running for mayor. Well, be careful what you wish for, Dave.

Mayor David Bing

Detroit's population has fallen to 713,777 as of the 2010 census. That represents a loss of 25% just since 2000. That is the lowest population level for Detroit since 1910. Once great Detroit is fading fast. Dave Bing is calling for a recount. It seems if he can conjure up another 40,000 or so people, Detroit can get more federal funds. Good luck with that, Dave. Detroit is a city littered with the shells of some 80,000 abandoned houses. Some blocks have only one occupied dwelling with the rest vacant. Arson is the pastime of choice for many of the residents as the city can and has experienced some 20-25 arsons daily! If you need a picture of what Afghanistan looks like, simply drive through Detroit. If you've seen the movie 'Escape From New York', you've seen Detroit.

Detroit neighborhood  (Google Satellite view)

So, "What's this got to do with the fire service," you ask? Plenty. The ongoing saga of the Detroit Fire Department is part and parcel to this decline, as is the Police Department and all city services. Layoffs, brownouts, equipment failures, all are epidemic to Detroit and are certainly festering elsewhere today as well. One recent example of the corruption factor in the city relates to Detroit east side company Ladder 19 house. The firefighters can't park their trucks inside the house because the floor is caving in and structurally unsound. Back in 2004, the city allegedly set aside $400,000 for a new floor. It hasn't been repaired. The city staff posited that perhaps there was a clerical error and the floor was meant for Engine 19 instead. The problem remains that there is no 'Engine 19' in Detroit. But wait! Engine 19 received $210,000 for a new floor as well. The officials can't explain what happened to the $610,000. Engine 22 'received' $400,000 for a new floor as well. Oops! Engine 22, located on Michigan Avenue was decommissioned 30 years ago. 'Ladder 22' didn't get a floor either. But it did 'get' $75,000 for a feasibility study.

Engine 22 House (missing the new floor)

Dave Statter has done a formidable job of following the stress and trauma of the Detroit Fire Department. I highly suggest following his continuing series on this debacle that was Detroit. Detroit firefighters are a determined and hard working group. Bluntly put, they are screwed over at every turn and still keep trying to do the job they feel called to do. Oh, problems exist within, they do everywhere to some degree. Drinking on the job is a serious problem in the DFD. Many if not the majority of firefighters reject and despise the occurrence. Detroit's Executive Fire Commisioner Donald Austin, a transplant from LA, threw down the gauntlet against drinking on the job and demanded to impose a zero tolerance policy. The union quickly reminded him there was a 'tolerance policy' in their contract but it wasn't 'zero.' Austin is, as is his superior Dave Bing, clearly over his head with Detroit. Follow the Detroit coverage here with Firegeezer and Statter as well. The subject is clearly worthy of a volume of books when incorporating fact, history and the anecdotal issues effecting this once great, now decayed city.

 

Fire Commissioner Austin

Detroit FD Headquarters  (scheduled to be replaced)

Okay. Okay. What has any of this got to do with the kitschy title Proof! Size Doesn't Matter, anyway? As honorable Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine once said on TV's Kung Foo, "Patience, Grasshopper, Patience."

IF Detroit is the 'large' (once fourth largest US city, etc. etc.) then what would be the 'small' in fair comparison?

Tomorrow, join us again as we motor away from the "Motor City" er,…."The Aresenal of Democracy", err,……."Hitsville", oh, you get it. Follow us along to see if 'size' really matters in the conclusion of 'Proof! Size Doesn't Matter.'

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Proof! Size Doesn’t Matter! – Part Two

1 comment

Proof! Size Doesn't Matter!

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Two of Four
(Part One is HERE)

Motor City, Motown, Hitsville, City of the Straits, Paris of the Midwest, City of Trees, Hockeytown, City of Trees. All of these monikers, and more have been used to describe Detroit. It has also been called the Renaissance City as well as "The Arsenal of Democracy." That last tag is perhaps the one that sadly, chokes so many today. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in one of his 30 Fireside Chats, referred to Detroit as an "Arsenal of Democracy" in recognition of the rapid transistion of the Detroit auto industry from domestic production to war production for World War II. Roosevelt was correct then to recognize the greatness of the industry and it's geographic base in southeast Michigan. Detroit and the automotive industry were at their peak then and it seemed, regardless of the union issues and other quasi-normal societal issues, the city was pulling in the same direction. The city was the true melting pot of America with stable neighborhoods, consistent employment at a very living wage and growing bigger all the time. Jews, Italians, Irish and blacks worked side by side in the industry though the neighborhoods were distinctly separate in the city.

Detroit's population experienced doubledigit growth throughout most of the first half the the century, softening a bit during the depression years and then climbing right back after the war, at least until 1950. Once the fourth-largest city in the US, Detroit’s population reached over 1.8 million about 1950 and then began the decline. But the decline which started in 1950 was no different than the declines experienced by so many other major metro areas. The migration to the 'burbs had begun.

If we fast forward to today for a moment, we find the City of Detroit has become virtually an economic, social and geographic waste land. Rather than the above mentioned nicknames or terms of endearment used to describe Detroit in the past, we now often hear the terms, 'Arson Capital of the US', 'Murder Capital of the US' and 'Bankrupt City'. Sometimes all in the same breath. The pictures attached to this article only begin to touch on the real savagery which has befallen Detroit.

Abandoned house in Detroit's east side

Every writer seems to follow a path of laying blame for the 'problems'. One of the latest excuses I've heard is the near collapse of the automotive industry in Detroit. Sorry, but that one doesn't cut it. Detroit's reversal of fortune began during the peak of the industry, not in the last few years.

Some blame it on the riots which took place in 1967. Police vice officers raided an after hours club in Detroit known as a "blind pig" in a mostly black neighborhood at Twelfth Street and Clairmount. The police attempted to arrest some 82 people in the club. Tensions advanced and looting, fires and vandalism soon spread from northwest Detroit to the East Side. The riots lasted five days and were increased as the police and the 82 Airborne were called in to diffuse the problem. The riots concluded as the worst civil uprising in the nation’s history claiming some 43 dead, 1,189 injured and over 7,000 arrested. The property damage was enormous and Detroit set the stage for further rioting to follow in LA, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boston,and others.

Detroit riot zone, 1967

Tomorrow we'll look past the riots and the decline of the auto industry as Proof! Size Doesn't Matter continues–

 * * * * * * *

Proof! Size Doesn’t Matter!

Comments Off

Proof! Size Doesn't Matter!

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part One of Four

 It seems as though an almost overbearing preoccupation with 'size' has been afflicting society since whenever the real beginning of time was. In Medieval times man, for survival sake, obsessed about the size of any available rock or club laying around so that he could knock dinner over the head or not become dinner himself for some Mastedon. Then, of course, the Roman Empires were worried about – you guessed it! – the size of their empires.

As man and civilization progressed (?) we obsessed about the size of our armies, our horses, our herds (of whatever) or our acreage. Then our bank accounts, our homes, our automobiles, our families, even our dogs.

In the fire service, well, size matters too. Beginning with the 'size' of the fire (how many alarms) to the size of the department, the apparatus, etc. etc. etc (you thought I was going to say 'hose', didn't you?). There aren't too many areas of society present or past which escape the moniker of 'size'. When you rolled out this morning, you inadvertantly became aware of the 'size' of your caffeine fix or your bowl of cereal. If you drove in, there is the 'size' of the coffee to go or the Big Gulp. Maybe you 'Supersized' it. You've got to know what I'm talking about here. You just can't escape it. Men obsess about the size of their,…..well,… their size. Women obsess about the size of their own various body parts (God bless em') and though they often deny it, about the 'size' of their men. It seems inescapable.

When crisis hits, we refer to 'big problems', when disasters hit, we refer to 'large, devastating floods', or fires,or hurricanes or tornados. I mean, really, were the tornados in Missouri and Indiana small? They might have been in comparison to Hurricane Katrina but try telling that to the Joplin, Missouri Fire Chief.

Politicians tell us we, as a country, have large problems. Problems that can only be solved by a sizeable increase in spending of our tax money, by them. That of course, means larger taxes, larger government with larger payrolls. All the while, giving those same politicians larger powers (over us).

Okay, Okay. You get the picture. This article is about size and whether it matters or not. As we progress, let's turn this topic on it's head and look at two very different ends of the size spectrum and prove that size really doesn't matter. No, when it comes to effective, fair, safe and productive environments, size doesn't matter a bit. It doesn't matter when it comes to greed, bias, power and abuse either.

Hang on! Tomorrow we'll motor off on a trip. A trip which may make Kurt Russell's film, Escape From New York seem like child’s play, or a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 Part Two:  Tomorrow

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

Out of the Bunker – - Back to the Keyboard

1 comment

Afternoon Report From FG HQ

ELECTRIC POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED to  Firegeezer HQ this afternoon.  It was kind of suprising because I didn't expect that to happen until Monday at the earliest.  It was out for only about 36 hours, but it seemed a lot longer than that with the outside temps. going up to 100º each day.  The power company had work crews swarming my area today with the arrival of the contractors and out-of-state help.  We were fortunate here, though,  because we didn't have near the destruction that they got a couple of counties north.  In the greater D. C. area, according to some reports, there were about 4 million people without power.

AP

Some of the weather people referred to the event as a "land hurricane" with the 90 mph+ winds.  With a regular hurricane you at least have a few days warning and can get prepared.  This one came out of nowhere.  They say that some poor folks will not get their power back for another 4 or 5 days yet.

Mike the FossilMed was a good trooper for the cause.  He managed to get a spotty cellphone connection to the internet and got our Morning Lineups posted despite the overloaded broadband that took 15 minutes just to upload the Lineups.  I have to give Mike a big ThankYou for that because since Firegeezer has been online (over 5 yrs. now) we have never missed a morning lineup.  They have been posted from a lot of different places, but always there to start the day.  I had just figured that this would be the break in the chain, but he came through.

Now it's time to rustle up some grub and see if the beer is cooled down enough (it always is, who am I kidding?) and then get back to seeing what's going on in the Fire and EMS world.  Catch you later.