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Salt Lake City FF’s Tribute To LODD of 70 Years Ago

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Keeping The Memory Alive

SEVENTY YEARS AGO MONDAY, June 10, 1943, Salt Lake City, Utah firefighters were working at a fire in the Hotel Newhouse at 400 S. Main Street.  Four of the firefighters were working off an extended aerial ladder shortly after 10 pm when the ladder started shaking, then twisted and buckled dropping the four truckies to the ground.

The fall seriously injured three of them and the fourth, Lt. Paul Hamilton, then age 34, was killed.

This Monday morning a large group of today's firefighters and interested citizens gathered at the site (now a parking lot) to hold a brief ceremony. They hung a department flag from the tip of a raised aerial and placed a memorial wreath that would be left in place for 24 hours.

KSTU-TV

"We can pass this on to our younger generation of firefighters," Capt. Chris Milne said. "There should never be a time when our firefighters drive by this site and don’t have a moment of reflection [for Hamilton’s sacrifice.]"

KSTU-TV filed this video report on Monday's ceremony:

 

Read the full report in the Salt Lake Tribune HERE.

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This is the American LaFrance factory photo of Salt Lake's Truck 1 (Big Dan)
It cost $29,000 in 1941 and was the FD's first aerial to be hydraulicly raised.
(photo via Utah Historical Society)

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1920's postcard view of the Newhouse

Construction began on the Hotel Newhouse in 1909 and was one of the city's first two skyscrapers.  Built of steel structure of the "fireproof" design, it boasted wet standpipes to the top floor with 1-½" hose connections on each level.

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Steve Lutz wrote a complete historical account of the fire and accident that has been published by the Utah Valley University.  He writes in part:

Three soldiers from Dugway were guests in room 922 on the north side of the hotel. One of them, Sgt. John Gfoer fell asleep alone in the room when the fire started from his cigarette. He escaped with only burns to his feet. Miss Virginia Owens, the elevator operator smelled smoke and called for help. While the desk called the fire department two bellmen rushed up and tried to extinguish the fire with pans of water and an extinguisher, but the fire had already gotten too big for them to control.

The first alarm assignment for any downtown box typically included Engines 1,2 and 4, Ladder 1(Big Dan) and a Battalion Chief. It took only a few minutes for the rigs to get to the Newhouse from Station 1 about 3 blocks away and Station 2 about 7 blocks north. The response was quickly upgraded to a general alarm, which brought many more units to the scene.

Big Dan pulled up near the northwest corner of the building while engine crews went in the front door of the Hotel and headed upstairs. Lt. Kresser began to raise the ladder while the crew laid 2 1/2" hose to extend up the ladder if an exterior attack was needed.

According to the crew, the ladder was fully extended and well away from the wall of the building just below the fire when (Lieut.) Paul Hamilton went up first to secure the uncharged hose and to man the nozzle. Quickly firemen John Boshard, John Andrew and Ralph Ponderzay joined Hamilton on the ladder to secure the hose to the ladder with straps. The engine operator charged the line to the ladderpipe, which whipped around on the ladder as Lt Kresser started up. The ladder began to sway while the firemen on top yelled at Kresser to "Tow her down".

The ladder began to twist and then buckle. Hamilton, Boshard and Ponderzay tried to get down but instead rode the broken ladder to the sidewalk. Andrew was apparently caught in the ladder. Some eyewitnesses reported that one fireman was pitched from the ladder into the street where the roof of a parked car somewhat broke his fall. The entire ladder collapsed onto the sidewalk on the west side of the building. Thirty-four year-old Hamilton died quickly of massive trauma.

Utah Valley University

The ladder came to rest in a giant inverted V with a bend at the base and another at the fourth floor with the tip resting on the ground behind the hotel. Hamilton and the injured men were taken to the Emergency Hospital.

UVU

This tragedy came less than a month after 3 firefighters died a block away at the Victory Theatre when a balcony collapsed on them. Mayor Ab Jenkins left a meeting concerning an inquest into that fire and rushed to the Newhouse. Authorities had the area of Big Dan’s collapse cordoned off and Jenkins fired off a telegram to American Lafrance demanding that company engineers fly out immediately to determine the cause of the failure. Guards remained with the truck until the Lafrance engineers arrived the next Monday and conducted their examination.

The next week Lafrance engineers Lee Estes and Hubert Walker arrived to examine the wreckage. They told City Attorney E.R Christensen and City Engineer W.D. Beers, the men charged with investigating the accident, that there was no defect in the design, construction or materials of the ladder and that the collapse was the result of the operator striking the side of building by moving the turntable with the charged line and the four fireman on the ladder. Assistant Chief Lloyd Egan, Lt. Kresser, the operator and Battalion Chief Don White, an eyewitness, vehemently denied that version of events.

They also insisted that training and ladder testing was ‘By the book", specifically Lafrance’s own manual on the truck.

The Mayor requested that metallurgists and engineers from the U.S. Bureau of Mines examine the wreckage and do a scientific analysis of the failed areas. Using microscopic photography, the scientists, T.R. Graham and James Long documented numerous cracks and poor welds. Porous welds with little penetration and thermal cracks formed at the time of welding substantially weakened the structure. They determined that bad welds in the handrail of the bed section of the ladder failed under tension. They went on to say, "The welding material is gassy and porous…There is a lack of fusion at the overlapping joint…This is the worst condition that can be encountered…cracks and fresh fractures suggest that welding operations produced the course, brittle structure."

Lafrance continued to deny they were at fault but curiously enough, moved quickly to replace the ladder at no charge to the City and wrote a check compensating the Hamilton family and the injured firefighters. This may have had something to do with the failure of a similar Lafrance apparatus in Boston at almost the same time. It is likely that Lafrance just didn’t want any more bad publicity and wished to avoid a lawsuit.

The total damage to the hotel and its contents was less than $2,000. The rooms were ready to reoccupy in just a few days.

Read the entire, informative report by Steve Lutz HERE.

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Morning Lineup – June 3

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Monday Morning – Anybody Seen Amelia?

I hope that Winter is finally gone for everybody.  This has been a crazy Spring as far as weather goes….. cold, icy rains one week, then into the 90's the next.  But no good, mild weather for the garden plants and food crops to get their start into the growing season.  Maybe now.

Ever since before I was born, people have been speculating about where Amelia Earhart crashed her airplane somewhere in the South Pacific.  Scads of movies, magazine articles, studies and explorations have been carried out for 75 years searching for the answers to this aviation pioneer's demise.

Amelia Earhart (AP photo)

But these past 2-3 years have raised some hope that the mystery may be solved soon.  In the past ten years, improvements in satellite technology, map imaging and undersea scanning have made great strides, and the always-dedicated explorers who never let up in their quest for the answers are getting closer.

Every now and then somebody announces a "We think we got it!" discovery, but it always slips away.  It has happened so many times that I usually note it with some interest but skip on the the next project.  Just another Earhart discovery – not.

Another one of those surfaced recently and I have a little more confidence in this one.  All those other close calls have been effectively narrowing down the choices and just maybe this group has nailed it.  Quoting from a recent Yahoo! News article:

A sonar image may point to the wreckage site of Amelia Earhart's plane, the Electra, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery announced. The nonprofit organization has been on the hunt for the Earhart plane for the last 25 years.

"What we have is something that looks like what we think the expected wreckage should look like right in the place where we expect it to be," Ric Gillespie, TIGHAR's executive director told Yahoo News. "That’s what's so enticing about this, it looks different from anything else out there."

The image was taken from a remotely operated vehicle 600 feet below the water off an uninhabited island in the southwestern Pacific republic of Kiribati. It shows, says the TIGHAR website, an "anomaly."

"The most prominent part of the anomaly appears to be less than 32 feet long," states TIGHAR, which also notes the plane was 38 feet and 7 inches long.

The group has now set out to raise the funds needed to go down there and physically inspect the site.  I sure hope somebody does make the breakthrough and finally find her remains and the Lockheed Model 10 Electra that she was flying as she attempted to make the first circumnavigational flight back in 1937.

 

Read TIGHAR's extensive but very interesting and well-illustrated report on their find HERE  And if you wish, brush up on Amelia's explorations and final flight on Wikipedia HERE.  The Official Amelia Earhart Website is HERE.

We need to prepare for a landing in the apparatus bay now so that we can get the equipment checked out, so let's get started.  I'll have the Bunn-O-Matic ready to go after we touch down.  See you back in the terminal.

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Where Can You Get A Wooden Ladder Anymore?

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Not Very Many Places

FOR THE FIRST 100 YEARS all the fire departments had specially-built ladders that could withstand the rough usage and brutal conditions they were used under.  In fact, all ladders used by everybody, painters, construction crews, burglars, were made of wood because that was the only suitable material that would work.

But in the late 1940's – early 50's availability and affordability of aluminum led that medium to start being used for ladder construction.  It is so much lighter and easier to carry and set up that there's no thought of staying with wood.

Gradually in the 1950's heavy-duty aluminum ladders developed for fire service use started taking over the ladder beds of firetrucks everywhere and by the end of the 1960's the wooden jobs had virtually disappeared.  But not in San Francisco and a handful of other West Coast cities.

The Golden Gate City is one of the few remaining fire departments in America that still uses wooden ladders and they are adamant about staying with them.  It's not a blind adherence to tradition that keeps those 400-lb. beauties on the ladder racks, but what they feel are necessities due to their unique geographical situation.  Basically it's the hillside construction throughout the city that leaves electric lines in the way of ladder-raising coupled with the off-shore winds that frequently whip through the streets and can easily blow over an aluminum ladder no matter how sturdily it's built.  Once a wooden ladder is in place, it stays there.

There are twelve other FD's that use wood, 3 of them in the San Francisco Bay area, 8 in Los Angeles County plus the City, and Bellevue, Washington.

So where does San Francisco go to buy their ladders?  They do what they've always done….  they make them themselves.  In their dedicated ladder shop where skilled craftsmen both make and repair the several hundred ladders in the fleet.  And that brings us up to today's treat, a video visit to the country's last wooden ladder shop:

 

Inside the Ladder Shop at the San Francisco Fire Department from ASK Media Productions on Vimeo.

Did you catch that statement in the early part of the video where they tell us that their timbers are aged for 15 years?

Cities currently using wood: San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, Alameda County, San Mateo, all in the Bay Area, plus Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, Glendale, Pasadena, West Covina, Montebello, Arcadia, all in Los Angeles County, and Bellevue, Washington.

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James P. Aiken, Brevard FD Line of Duty Death, August 25, 1909 – part 1 (revised)

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Was it a steamer engine explosion or a chemical engine crash that killed Chief Aiken?

On Saturday, May 4, thirteen names will be added to the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Memorial in downtown Raleigh. The annual ceremony—this year’s is the eighth annual ceremony—is held on the first Saturday in May. The memorial was created and is maintained by the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

The thirteen firefighters being added to the memorial include, of course, those killed in the line of duty in 2012. There are ten from last year, including four members of a North Carolina Air National Guard crew killed when their tanker crashed in South Dakota on July 3, 2012.

Three legacy names are being added, including one of the oldest firefighter fatalities in the state’s history: James P. “Jim” Aiken of the Brevard Fire Department in Transylvania County. He was killed in the line of duty on August 25, 1909. His story is somewhat easily found via Web searching, which is almost but not entirely correct regarding the details of his death. More on that later.

Looking a little harder, we can find a DigitalNC site (http://www.digitalnc.org/), which includes newspaper scans from that era. Though their copies of the Sylvian Valley News are incomplete, they miraculously include this news item from August 27, 1909:

Chemical Engine Explodes

J. P. Aiken Instantly Killed and Several Others Injured

Wednesday morning about 7:00 o’clock, in response to an alarm of fire, the chemical engine was rushed down the hill north of the court house to Jim Axum’s house which was on fire, and just as the hose was being put in readiness to play on the building a terrific explosion occurred, which instantly killed Jim Aiken and injured several others.

Jim as behind [the engine] unwinding the hose when the end of the cylinder blew off and he was thrown ten or twelve feet. When reached by the others he was already dead. His neck was broken, one arm nearly severed from the body, beside being otherwise badly mangled.

Read the entire article (http://legeros.com/ralwake/photos/weblog/images/2013-05-02-brevard.pdf) (PDF), which describes the injuries to others, including the Fire Chief, and speculates on the cause of the explosion.

Tomorrow, we’ll look another biography of Jim Aiken, and an account of the incident that gets a few facts wrong.

Morning Lineup – April 1

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Monday Morning – Can You Hear the Music?

I really don't know why the Titanic disaster is so prominent in people's cultural history interests.  Sure, it was a mighty terrible thing with hundreds of innocent lives lost and it really slammed the Anglo-American populace hard when it went down in 1912.  A real headliner, for sure.  And it rightfully needs to be remembered for the true loss that it was.

But to still be a headliner 100 years later is significant.  Maybe it has to do with the discovery and exploration of the Titanic's wreckage at the bottom of the ocean over the past couple of decades and the retrieval of the sunken artifacts that makes it fascinating to onlookers today.  Thanks to the salvaging skills and the marketing acumen of the company that has been harvesting the shipwreck, people are getting to see things that the contemporaries of the time never could.

One of those artifacts has recently surfaced publicly and is stirring this curiosity and interest again.  One of the most famous items that legend carries on is the bandleader's violin that he supposedly played on deck while the band serenaded the doomed victims as the ship was sinking.  The story goes that they were playing the hymn Nearer My God to Thee as they went under.

That very violin was discovered seven years ago in an attic in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the Titanic was built and where all the crew members lived.  ABC News, along with scores of other news agencies, has just this month broached the subject because the violin's authenticity has been definitely verified as being genuine.  From their report, in part,:

Bandmaster Wallace Hartley, 34, from Colne, Lancashire, died in the 1912 Titanic disaster and his brave and elegant playing amid the desperation of the doomed ship has become one of the central stories of the catastrophe.

How the violin survived the wreck is not known for certain. The auction house Henry Aldrige and Son of Wiltshire, England, which has researched the instrument's history, noted that several newspapers from May 1912 reported that Hartley was found with the instrument in a leather case strapped to his body

In 2006, the son of an amateur musician discovered the violin in a leather case with the initials "W. H. H." while looking through his mother's things in the attic. His mother had been given the violin by her former violin instructor. The violin's owner, who is remaining anonymous, took the violin, along with jewelry from Hartley, to Aldrige and Son to inquire about its authenticity. The auction house has extensive experience with Titanic memorabilia.

The auctioneers brought the violin to the government's Forensic Science Service. After several years of tests, the service concluded that the corrosion deposits on it were compatible with immersion in sea water. Specialists used the corrosion deposits on items from other Titanic victims as a benchmark for comparison. "And then we decided we need a jewelry expert," Aldrige said.

One of the unique attributes of this violin is an engraved silver plate, which states, "For Wallace on the occasion of our engagement from Maria." Historical research suggests that Maria Robinson gave a violin to Hartley in 1910 when the two became engaged. Through analysis, a silver expert was able to confirm that the silver plate and its engraving style was contemporary to 1910.

The final vital piece of proof is the historical train of evidence linking the violin to its owner on the Titanic.

Their article goes on to lay out the chain of possession of the missing violin and is an interesting story in itself.  Go ahead and read the complete ABC News report HERE to learn how this came about.

We need to stop fiddling around now and get our equipment checked out.  Since this is Monday, we need to grab the long checklist, so let's get started.  I'll make sure the Bunn-O-Matic stays afloat while I get a couple more pots going.  See you back in the day room shortly.

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Who Has The Oldest Firehouse?

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The Key is "Continuous Service"

OUR FRIENDS IN MANISTEE, MICHIGAN, have a challenge out to see if anyone works in a fire station that is older than theirs and has been in continuous service since it was built.  They are certain that theirs is the oldest in the state of Michigan, but want to know how they rank nationally.

The Manistee fire station was built in 1888 and has been operated by the FD for the entire 125 years since then.  The department was organized in 1869.

Firegeezer believes that there are older firehouses in some of the large cities in the East, but they have not been continuously in operation all that time.

So, what do you think?  Got any nominations for #1?  If so, post them in the Comments or send us an email with the particulars.

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On This Day in 1941 ….

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13 LODD's from one small FD

ON THIS DAY, MARCH 10, IN 1941 the Brockton, Massachusetts, Fire Department lost 13 of its firefighters in a tragic roof collapse while fighting a fire inside the Strand movie theater.  The fire had started in the basement and was knocked down fairly handily, but it had gotten into the vertical voids in the walls and extended upward into the ceiling area. The firefighters were working inside the auditorium against what looked to be a small fire in the ceiling but was burning the roof trusses and heating the exposed steel beams.

Several firefighters were in the balcony trying to pull the ceiling so that hose crews in  the main level could direct streams onto  the burning rafters.  Suddenly a portion of the roof collapsed dropping onto the balcony and the FF's there.  Thirteen of them were killed and 20 more were injured.

Rear view of the Strand
photo by Stanley Bauman

One of the best accounts of the tragedy is the article written by Capt. Mark Picher of the Brockton Fire Department and posted on Brockton Local 144's website HERE.  It is recommended reading. 

Five years ago the Enterprise newspaper ran a good story about the tragedy that included an interview with the last-surviving member of the FD who was working the fire. It's worth your time to CLICK HERE and read the entire article.

 

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An LODD Anniversary in Palatine, Illinois

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Three Firefighters Lost in Downtown Fire

FORTY YEARS AGO, ON FEBRUARY 23, 1973, three members of the Palatine, Illinois, Volunteer Fire Department lost their lives in a commercial fire in the town center.  The FD was made up of about 30 members, many of whom were local businessmen and were widely known in their community.  Around 5:45 am a passerby driving down Brockway St. on his way to work saw smoke coming from the Ben Franklin Five & Dime store, so he called the FD.  The tone alerts were sent out to the members who all started out from their homes to the scene while the designated driver/operators responded to the firehouse for the equipment.

In an emotional recounting of the day of tragedy, the Daily Herald tells us in part:

Whenever a call came in, John usually would make a beeline next door to Assistant Chief Barney Langer's so they could drive directly to the fire while his dad went to the station to get a truck. But this was a Friday morning, and the 18-year-old was avoiding his dad, afraid he'd be ordered to school, and missed his ride.

Left to fend for himself, Tobin started his jog to the store. He quickly realized this would be a biggie.

"I'd never seen so much smoke in my life," said Tobin, now with the Elgin Fire Department and nearing the end of his 35-year career. "And then I heard those four outrigger plates clang on the ground, which told me they were setting up the Snorkel."

Daily Herald / John Tobin

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The main floor was smokey but clear of flames. Firefighter John Wilson, 40, owned the store and figured the furnace was the likely culprit.

He led Richard "Dick" Freeman, 25, and Warren "Auggie" Ahlgrim, 32, through the building he knew so well. To access the basement, they had to make their way through the long, narrow structure to a set of interior stairs.

At one point, Wilson came upstairs and got another line from Tobin's dad, saying the fire was pretty much snuffed. That was the last time anyone saw him alive, as the fire, in fact, had spread.

Tobin and high school classmate Rick Cartwright both had their cameras at the scene and captured gut-wrenching shots of firefighter Howie Freeman working to put out the blaze, and later being held back from trying to rescue his son.

Crews eventually removed the bodies once the structure was safe enough to enter.

Daily Herald / Tobin

"We all stood there silently and respectfully while each of them were loaded into the ambulances," said Tobin, who recently wrote a book about the fire. "The whole town was affected. I know I've never been the same."

Most of the men made their way across the street to the Slade Street fire station to warm up. They were so devastated that the Arlington Heights Fire Department left an engine there to respond to Palatine's calls that night.

Daily Herald / Tobin

To this day, the townsfolk gather every February 23 for a remembrance and prayer at the Firefighters Memorial placed on the site of the fire at Brockway and Slade Streets.  The current firefighters lead a procession preceding a wreath-laying and the memorial bell tribute.

Palatine Firefighters Memorial

There are more details and anecdotes in this story that tells of the emotional impact on the entire town.  Read the full article HERE.

Former member and current Elgin firefighter John Tobin was at the fire and relates his experience in this brief video:

 

The Daily Herald also has a 14-image photo gallery HERE.

Palatine Fire Department WEBSITE.

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Morning Lineup – February 11

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Monday Morning – Let's Go Exploring

Let's take a look at the National Hockey League standings for a few minutes.  The NHL is 1/4 of the way through their truncated season of 48 games in 99 days and most teams are just now settling down to steady play.  With no real training camp and zero pre-season games to work out line combinations and timing, etc., there have been a lot of lop-sided records as they try to work out the kinks while compiling the championship points.  Teams that are starting the season with new coaches or widely changed rosters are especially vulnerable for early setbacks in the standings.

That partially explains why the Washington Capitals are the league cellar-dwellers at the quarter-pole with only 7 points while the players are adjusting to their new coach's system.  That's not an easy task.  Also of concern is the Stanley Cup defending champions Los Angeles Kings.  They are in a 4-way tie for next-to-worst with just 8 points.  On the other hand, teams that were already good and remained stable over the off-season are handily parked in the top slots of their conferences. 

If there's an eye-opener in the standings, it's the Chicago Blackhawks.  They are in first place in the Western Conference after 12 games, not too surprising because they were already a good team.  But …. of those 12 games only 2 of them have been home games, the other 10 all on the road.  And yet they still have a 5-point lead over 2nd-place Anaheim this early.  It will be interesting to see how that plays out over the next two months when the "season" will suddenly be over.

If you want to grab a look at the conference standings, go to the NHL webpage HERE  for today's rankings and HERE for the divisional standings.  Let's hope they settle down this week and all play more consistently.  The final standings at the end of the season are going to be based on luck as much as anything else, and a 4-game losing streak can knock somebody out of the playoffs in a flash, even this early.

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Bear with me now, please, while I go still farther off-topic.  Did you know that the fictional adventurer "Indiana Jones" is based on a real explorer?  Yep, according to some accounts, a fellow named Hiram Bingham from Connecticut was partially an inspiration for the character.  Wikipedia tells in part:

"Hiram Bingham (1875–1956) was an American academic, explorer and treasure hunter and politician. He obtained a B.A. from Yale University and a PhD from Harvard. Bingham was not a trained archaeologist, yet it was during Bingham’s time as a lecturer – later professor – at Yale that he discovered the largely forgotten Inca city of Machu Picchu.

"His book Lost City of the Incas became a bestseller upon its publication in 1948. Bingham has been cited as one possible basis for the "Indiana Jones" character"

An interesting side note also covered in more detail in the Wikipedia entry is his unusual entry into elected office in 1922.  He had been elected Lt. Governor of Connecticut and not long after, the governor's position opened up following the guv's suicide.  Bingham ran in the special election to fill the unfinished term concurrently with the election for the U.S. Senate seat that was also open.  He won both.  So he served as Governor for one day – the shortest term served by any Connecticut governor – then resigned to take the Senate seat.

He was also a military officer and an aviator among other stuff.  For a good lunchtime read, check out the much more extensive Wikipedia entry for him HERE.  Also, a history-based website called Retronaut has several interesting photos of Bingham taken at different stages of his varied life HERE.

Ok, let's start exploring the apparatus bay and check out the equipment for today.  Monday = long checklist, remember.  I'll see if I can uncover the location of the Bunn-O-Matic and get some coffee going.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

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Morning Lineup – December 28

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Friday Morning – What's In a Name?

By now I am thoroughly confused as to what day of the week it is.  With the two holidays falling on Tuesdays, we are ending up with four "weekends" in an 11-day span.  For me, it's not too serious a problem because I don't have to be at work on specific days.  One of the major perks of being retired, I might add.  But down on the lower-right corner of my computer screen is a little reminder of what the day and date are, so I'm able to keep up with it.

We learned yesterday that General Norman Schwarzkopf passed away.  He was the charismatic leader of the armed forces during Operation Desert Storm that drove the Iraqi army out of Kuwait, freeing that country, and sent them back to Baghdad, then set up the no-fly zones to contain the dictator Saddam Hussein.  There are plenty of obituaries online this morning that include his own biography and summaries of his career in the Army.  But I would like to tell you a little bit about Gen. Schwarzkopf's father, a man who achieved some fame and notoriety of his own.

Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., like his son, also graduated from the West Point Military Academy and became an officer in the U. S. Army.  He served in World War I and rose to the rank of Colonel before leaving the Army in 1921.  He had been asked by the Governor of New Jersey, his home state, to head up the newly-formed New Jersey State Police.  Schwarzkopf personally trained the first 25 troopers and organized them into two troops.  The northern troop was equipped with motorcycles and assigned to combat the Mafia-controlled gangs in the New York City area that were running whiskey and gambling rings.  The southern troop was mounted on horseback and went after the moonshine stills that were flourishing in the southern half of the state.

N. J. State Police Superintendent Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr. (Badge #1)
(Official State Police photo)

He continued to expertly grow and organize the state police and was thrust into the national spotlight when in March 1932 he was the first police officer notified and brought into the Lindbergh kidnapping incident.  The crime itself was the hottest news world-wide and Schwarzkopf led the investigation.  Charles Lindbergh himself was adamant about exerting some control over the contacts and hunt for the kidnappers, but when the infant's body was discovered on May 12, it became a murder investigation and Schwarzkopf took total control over the case.

At the time, he was widely criticized by outsiders for his failure to find the kidnappers and presumably prevent the child's death, it turned out that he was killed within hours following the abduction.  Schwartzkopf personally developed the sequence of events of the kidnapping and collected the clues that eventually led to the arrests of the kidnapper, Bruno Hauptmann.

A few years later he had some personality clashes with the then-governor of the state who ousted him from the state police.  Not long after that, and with the growing war in Europe, he re-enlisted in the Army and fought in his second world war.  When he retired from the Army in 1953 with the rank of Major General.

The elder Norman has quite a story of his own, doesn't he?  I would recommend that you read his fascinating biography in the Wikipedia HERE and review his state police career in the New Jersey State Police website's history page HERE.

Now we have to return to our own history and get this equipment checked out for today.  I'm already aimed toward the Bunn-O-Matic, so I'll catch you later in the day room.

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Morning Lineup – December 27

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Thursday Morning – Lights, Camera, Action!

Yesterday was my proclaimed day-of-rest.  I didn't do nuttin' or go anywhere with the exception of answering the phone.  And got a few postings up on the website, but that's done while sitting.  Now I'm feeling ready to resume normal activities today and hoping it warms up outside.  Winter weather arrived here yesterday with snow flurries that turned to rain along with cold air and some winds.  So we're looking at January arriving soon and can't do anything about that.

I imagine that a lot of folks, including some that you know, received a video camera as a present this week.  That kind of leads into this interesting video that was posted on YouTube by the Kodak Foundation.  It is their laboratory film color testing results when they were developing the Kodachrome movie film in 1922.  Their purpose, I presume, was to see how the range of colors transferred to film and held up, so we can see a lot of bright colors in a variety of presentations.

 

Keeping in mind that this test was carried out 100 years ago, we know that these lovely ladies that were chosen to model the clothes are all gone now.  I can't help but wonder how their lives played out as they grew older and lost their "bloom of youth."  From one of Eastman Kodak's interactive websites (HERE) we learn that:

"In these newly preserved tests, made in 1922 at the Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey, actress Mae Murray appears almost translucent, her flesh a pale white that is reminiscent of perfectly sculpted marble, enhanced with touches of color to her lips, eyes, and hair. She is joined by actress Hope Hampton modeling costumes from The Light in the Dark (1922), which contained the first commercial use of Two-Color Kodachrome in a feature film. Ziegfeld Follies actress Mary Eaton and an unidentified woman and child also appear.

George Eastman House is the repository for many of the early tests made by the Eastman Kodak Company of their various motion picture film stocks and color processes. The Two-Color Kodachrome Process was an attempt to bring natural lifelike colors to the screen through the photochemical method in a subtractive color system. First tests on the Two-Color Kodachrome Process were begun in late 1914. Shot with a dual-lens camera, the process recorded filtered images on black/white negative stock, then made black/white separation positives. The final prints were actually produced by bleaching and tanning a double-coated duplicate negative (made from the positive separations), then dyeing the emulsion green/blue on one side and red on the other. Combined they created a rather ethereal palette of hues."

If you are interested in film history, go ahead and follow that link and meet the man who restored this clip, Kyle Alvut.  He explains what causes the flickering that you see.  Have fun!

Now let's make our own fun and get this equipment checked out for today.  I'm going to have fun with coffee before we meet back in the day room.  See you there.

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From Amazon ….

Up To 60% Off – Swiss Army Knives

Still used by Firegeezer for more than 50 years

CLICK HERE to view the choices and to order

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Famous Dormitory Fire Recalled – Part Two

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On December 13, 1977, a fire started on the fourth floor of a women's dormitory, Aquinas Hall, at Providence College in Rhode Island. Within 30 minutes ten young women were dead. According to the NFPA, two of the ten student fatalities died from injuries received when they jumped out a window, four died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation, and four died as a direct result of burns. Twelve students and one firefighter were injured.

Long-time Firegeezer reader and occasional contributor, Mark Donovan was a student at PC at the time and was witness to the activities and the area of destruction. He has written this recollection to share with us his experience. This is the conclusion of a two-part article.  Read Part One HERE..

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PROVIDENCE COLLEGE DORM FIRE: 35 YEARS AGO
Part Two

by Mark Donovan

 

In the morning Sully's shift came on duty and I knew he would come to the scene to relieve the D shift BC. Sure enough, shortly after the sun came up, I saw Car 23 drive up and walked over. It was a somber reunion; we all had cried that morning. He put on his gear, his well-worn turnout coat and dirty helmet; Sully was a firefighter's firefighter, no fireground commander alone… he worked, "I won't ask any of my men to do what I wouldn't do" was kind of like a pledge he lived by.

He once told me about a fire at a nursing home on the east side. It was in the sub-basement laundry, and the first due company just couldn't knock it down, despite repeated advances. They had banged the second quickly due to obvious life-safety issues. Finally, calling upon the memory of his deputy chief dad, he looked at all the firefighters who had amassed as a result of the second alarm and said, "We're going to put this M/F fire out… Who has the balls to join me?" And of course, he/they did.

So here, at Aquinas, that somber morning, Sully looked over at me and said, very matter-of-factly, as if he owed it to me, "You ready to go up?" Silently I nodded yes and off he and I went, Billy leading the way with the light of the rechargeable wheat lamp bouncing off the snow.

Aquinas Hall (new wing)

I had been no stranger to Aquinas Hall over the past year and a half. It was a very impressive building, ornate in its architecture, as many on the campus then were. Built in 1938, it was a U-shaped building of mixed construction. Classrooms/lecture hall on the first floor, dorm rooms on second, third and fourth. There were three enclosed stairways. Dead-end corridors of about 60' long at each end. Room doors were non-closing, wood composite; many of them had air-transfer grills approximately five feet from the floor.

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The transfer grills were made of combustible pressed board with holes in it, similar to what you see tools hanging from in a workshop or hardware store. The fire alarm system consisted of manual pull stations, three heat detectors and interior alarm horns. There were no smoke detectors or automatic sprinklers.

We ascended the interior center stairwell, which, to say it was tight, is no exaggeration. In turnout gear it was one thing, however, for two students, say one ascending and one descending, each had to each turn their body to get by the other. If you were claustrophobic, you didn't want to use those stairs. You could, rather, have chosen to use the elevator… no bigger than an old stand-alone phone booth, it had a cage door that opened accordian style. Frankly, I'm sure that everyone using it just crossed their fingers that it would take them to their desired floor. I know I did when I was invited to visit a girl.

We climbed to the fourth floor and my first impression was simply overwhelming.

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The only way to describe the hallway was total combustion. A seasonal competition had been held for the past few years for "Best Decorated Room and Corridor" and the women of Fourth Floor Aquinas readily accepted the challenge. The hallway had been entirely covered, ceiling to floor, with crepe paper. What were once bulletin boards covered in cards, artwork and such were now simply empty frames hanging on the wall. The stench of death (which I would come to know several times again running with Providence) hung in the air as we entered the room of origin and several adjoining rooms. Sully was very matter-of-fact… pointing things out to me as if it were his duty. I really loved him for taking me under his wing. Billy always nodded… he was a good chief's suck.

In one room, it appeared a parachute or some type of large fabric had been hung from the ceiling, barely anything left. What hadn't combusted had melted or just shriveled to nothing.

Click on the "more" link to continue:

 

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Famous Dormitory Fire Recalled 35 Years Later

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On December 13, 1977, a fire started on the fourth floor of a women's dormitory, Aquinas Hall, at Providence College in Rhode Island.  Within 30 minutes ten young women were dead.  According to the NFPA, two of the ten student fatalities died from injuries received when they jumped out a window, four died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation, and four died as a direct result of burns. Twelve students and one firefighter were injured.

Long-time Firegeezer reader and occasional contributor, Mark Donovan was a student at PC at the time and was witness to the activities and the area of destruction.  He has written this recollection to share with us his experience.  This is a two-part article and will conclude tomorrow.

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PROVIDENCE COLLEGE DORM FIRE: 35 YEARS AGO

by Mark Donovan

It started as had most early Winter nites there on PC's campus, albeit a nice touch of snow, the season's first on that December 12th, 1977. A 19 year-old sophomore, I had spent some time studying in the library, and then headed back to my single room in Dore Hall, a dorm on the "lower campus" (which had once been home to a mental institution), to continue. Finals were coming up and then Christmas break, which everyone was looking forward to.

The fire radio, ever on, blared call after call, incessant chatter that I had gotten used to. I had a bullhorn speaker mounted at the top of the headboard, which fed me the action all nite long. It was amazing I ever got any sleep!

This particular night I was roused out of a deep sleep by three firm blows on the door. From their intensity, I knew whoever was doing it, was pissed. WAKE UP! R.A. (resident assistant) OPEN THE DOOR, NOW! I looked at the clock and it was after 3 a.m. WTF, I thought, as I got up and opened the door. There he towered, clipboard in hand, "DID YOU HAVE ANY GIRLS IN HERE TONITE???" Clearly shocked (a good Catholic boy like me?), I rattled off NO, and just like that he was off to repeat it to the next room. Before I had a second to think, the fire radio blared, "Car 23 to Car 25 (whom I knew to be the arson investigator), meet me in front of Aquinas Hall." WHOA, that woke me up, I dressed in a flash and off I flew, Aquinas being just across Huxley Ave.

There is a long history of firefighting in my family. As a child, my maternal grandfather was a lieutenant, Engine 4, in Waterbury, CT. My paternal grandparents lived in Lowell, MA, and when, as grandchildren, we weren't going to Fenway Stadium to meet Pop's friends, the DiMaggios, we went to the Elks Club, where he played a strange card game called PEE NUCKLE. Then of course, there was the local ice cream parlor down Stevens St., Brunnell's. The old fashioned kind, with stools, real milk shakes and 24 flavors of hard ice cream! So, often right after dinner we'd head down to Brunnell's for dessert. Although I loved ice cream, the best part of that trek was a visit across the street to Engine 4, an open cab American Lafrance. One time I got so excited that I left my pal, Ted E. Bear, in the front seat of the rig, which wasn't discovered till bedtime. I was upset, but assuaged that first thing in the morning, we'd go get him. And we did, and boy did he have a story to tell. They had caught a worker that nite and Ted E. had taken it in, too!

My older brother and I used to spend two weeks each year with the grandparents, going to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire, playing with cousins, the usual. But the most fun I would have would be when my grandmother would come into the den, where Pop was smoking his ever present cigar and say, "Stevie Callahan's on the phone." I knew Stevie was a big fire buff, and in a few moments, Pop would walk down to the den and say, "The (something) Mill is burning. Want to go to a fire?" YEA! and off we went. My grandfather worked for the newspaper, so he knew his way around downtown. Whenever we'd see a police car blocking the road, he'd say, "Ok, we're not going that way!" Before long the air was acrid with the lovely smell of smoke and my goodness if he hadn't gotten us behind the police line, sometimes well behind them! Where, for the next couple of hours we would take in the battle, he pointing out to me how the fire was spreading, and "Watch that roof, it's going to fall pretty soon." And that it did. He passed while I had moved on to high school.

During high school I joined a private fire department in Hopeville, CT, under a foul-mouthed, beer-swilling, cheap and wonderful Irish fire chief by the name of Joe (Fitzy) FitzPatrick. Joe was a huge buff, having worked for the Fire Insurance Corps of New York and also ran the FDNY supply store (where the fridge was always stocked with beer!). He introduced me (and many others) to the FDNY. I rode with Engine 82/Ladder 31 of da Bronx (long before Dennis Smith's book came out), Engine 232/Ladder 176 and Engine 202/Ladder 101 in Red Hook, both Brooklyn houses. I was seeing lots of fire and having lots of fun, marching in fire parades throughout the state of Connecticut and New England. I even drank some beer (now and then)! And then came college.

Being raised Catholic, my older brother now attending St. Bonaventure University, my younger brother destined for the priesthood (and to be the only Firefighter 2 certified priest in CT now!), I looked at a number of schools and narrowed it down to PC and St. Anselm's in Manchester, NH. Frankly, I don't remember touring St. Anselm's. What I do remember is my father missing the exit for PC off 95, so we were to take the next one, for downtown. We got off the exit ramp and I had an ephipany. There, to my right, was Providence Fire Headquarters and parked on the ramp were Engine 1, Engine 3 and Ladder 1, all gorgeous Macks. At that moment I made my decision, I'm going to Providence College!

Click on the "more" link to continue.

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Some of History’s Most Famous Guns

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Not Individual, But Influential Models

POPULAR MECHANICS MAGAZINE has published a list of what they consider to be the 11 Most Important Guns in History.  Included in their listing that was prepared by David Hambling, is the Gatling gun:

And of course, the first true firearm that was developed in China in the 13th Century, the bronze "hand cannon":

Each of the entries is pictured along with a brief history of that particular firearm.  While we all probably agree with the choices, most of you will most likely be able to add one or two more that you think should be included.  Let's hear it.  Personally, I would add the pocket Derringer to the list.

Read the article and see the list of 11 in Popular Mechanics HERE.

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The Great Chicago Fire – October 8, 1871

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The Great Chicago Fire.

A turning point for the city and its fire department.

October 8, 1871 dawned warm and dry….just like most of the days that preceded it. Chicago and the rest of the mid-west had been suffering through a long drought and a hot wind blew into town from the Great Plains. It would set the stage for disaster, not just for Chicago but many other towns across the region.

The Chicago Fire Department was dog tired that morning. In preceding weeks, they had fought numerous other fires, some that on any ordinary day would have been the talk of the town and even considered historic by the Old Salts. By the end of this day however, those fires would be mostly forgotten.

The fire started at about 9 pm, in a barn at DeKoven Street and Jefferson Street. Popular legend tells us that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern, but the author of that story later admitted having fabricated the story to sell papers. Some claimed later that a large meteor seen breaking up in the sky over the area was the cause of this fire as well as the numerous other large blazes that day. Science has mostly debunked that theory too. One local even admitted in his will that he may have started the fire while playing Craps.  The true cause was never determined.

This is from an article written by James Yackish:

The Chicago Fire Department was extremely overworked by the time Sunday night came around because the week prior had many devastating fires. Chicago is divided into three divisions by its river. The South Division is in between the lake and the southern branch of the river. This is where most of the wealthy people of Chicago live. The North Division is between the north branch of the river and the lake. The West Division was to the west of the river branches and was occupied by industries and residential living. So the Department had a lot of space to cover with many barriers in their way.

On September 30, 1871 the Burlington Warehouse burned down leaving a loss of $600,000. A succession of small fires followed that week. October 7,1871 a planning mill on Canal Street set fire. It grew four blocks before firemen could get it under control. The fire left a loss of $750,000. Firemen themselves had taken a toll. Many pieces of apparatus were destroyed or put out of commission. The firemen were also worn out after 16 hours of combating the flames.

The firemen had been fighting fires nonstop all week and were extremely worn out. The fatigue led to stupid mistakes and slow reactions. The firemen hoped that the width of Harrison Street would stop the beast. The people knew that if it jumped Harrison, "nothing can stop it except last nights burned district." The fire raged through the heart of the city, taking with it many historical buildings and the whole entire business district. Many new buildings were completely destroyed. The Crosby Opera House was only lit up for the first time an hour or two before the fire consumed it. The Fire Department was definitely in for the fight of their life. The fire was way to big for them to control. Finally by the third day of fire a rain started to fall helping to extinguish the great beast. The firemen where obviously undermanned, overworked and under equipped. However, even a healthy, well-equipped department would have struggled with the fire.

Of course, we all know what happened over the next three days in Chicago. The fire was not completely contained until a cold front's arrival on the 10th brought with it much needed heavy rain. Final death toll was officially 125 because that's the number of bodies recovered; however, this is considered far too low for the occupancy rate of the area. A final assumed death toll is around 300. The intense heat, high enough to cause fire-proof buildings to shed their bricks and mortar, likely incinerated hundreds of people into ash.

The Chicago River, heavily polluted by nearby industry, was covered that day with an oil slick and grease. It too ignited and burned. This is usually thought of as an "Only in Cleveland" tradition.

This is from Wikipedia:

Once the fire had ended, the smoldering remains were still too hot for a survey of the damage to be completed for days. Eventually the city determined that the fire destroyed an area about four miles (6 km) long and averaging 3/4 mile (1 km) wide, encompassing more than 2,000 acres (810 ha). Destroyed were more than 73 miles (117 km) of roads, 120 miles (190 km) of sidewalk, 2,000 lampposts, 17,500 buildings, and $222 million in property—about a third of the city's valuation. Of the 300,000 inhabitants, 100,000 were left homeless. Between two and three million books were destroyed from private library collections.[8]

The fire was said by The Chicago Daily Tribune to have been so fierce that it surpassed the damage done by the Fire of Moscow (1812).  Some buildings did survive the fire, such as the then-new Chicago Water Tower, one of five public buildings and a bungalow that survived within the disaster zone. The O'Leary home and the Holy Family Church, their parish church, were both saved by shifts in the wind.

What has generally been ignored and forgotten was that there were several other historic fires that day.

250 miles to the north, the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, burned to the ground along with 12 nearby villages and 1.5 MILLION acres of forest. Death toll was estimated between 1200 and 2500 people. This fire was virtually ignored by the press due to the Chicago fire, and it still stands today as the worst fire death toll in American history.

To the east of Peshtigo, the town of Holland, Michigan burned and to the north, the town of Manistee burned in what became known as the Great Michigan Fire. Manistee was a lumbering town, supplying wood that might very well have contributed to the Chicago fire!

East of Chicago, Port Huron, Michigan also burned this day along with a significant portion of Michigan's thumb. Over the next 2 days, Urbana, Illinois and Windsor, Ontario also burned.

In an interesting side note, the town of Singapore, Michigan, contributed heavily towards the lumber needed to rebuild Chicago and surrounding towns, so much so that the area was completely deforested and it returned to the sand dunes once common across the region, and had to be abandoned.

There are no known photographs of the fires, just hand drawn illustrations. One famed Civil War newspaper Illustrator, Alfred Waud, who was in St. Louis when he heard of the fire, jumped on a train and made his way into the inferno at its height, supplying many of the images seen today.

Pencil, chalk and paint illustration by Alfred Waud

West DeKovan and South Jefferson Street, now home to the Chicago Fire Department Training Center, and the Great Chicago Fire Memorial sculpture which stands directly on the site of the O'Leary barn.  (The Flame sculpture seen in the plaza in the center of this Google Street View image)

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Museum-Quality Steamer For Sale

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When Only the Best Will Do….

AN 1894 SILSBY HORSE DRAWN STEAMER that began life as Philadelphia Engine 42 is being offered for sale by auction by RM Auctions, an international quality-vehicle auction firm based in Ontario, Canada.

RM Auctions photo

This pumper has undergone a "meticulous" 15-year restoration and can be honestly described as "museum quality."  The description of the steamer in the auction posting includes:

Philadelphia’s Engine Company 42 was organized on December 7, 1894. Its first piece of apparatus was this Fourth Size Silsby steamer, American Fire Engine Company number 2272. "Fourth Size" refers to its pumping capacity of 500 gallons per minute, First Size being the greatest, at about 900 gpm. In 1909, the Silsby pumper was returned to the manufacturer’s successor company, American LaFrance, where it was rebuilt with a new Fox water-tube boiler.

Pumper 2272 was decommissioned in 1922, when Engine Company 42 was motorized. It was purchased by a private owner and remained in his collection for 57 years, operated occasionally and as late as the 1960s. When acquired in 1979 by the current owner, it was unrestored and in the configuration of the 1909 American LaFrance rebuild, complete but for the Dietz brass lanterns. A 15-year painstaking restoration followed. The engine and pump were disassembled, renewed, and rebuilt. Mechanically, the unit is in excellent condition.

Since restoration, this pumper has been meticulously maintained as a display piece, never fired up nor operated. The boiler has not been tested or certified. There is, however, no impediment to a new owner having it recommissioned for pumper service by a qualified steam technician. To aid in potential future use, the owners have located a diagram of the boiler and created a booklet containing further information about the boiler, as well as general information and history that will enhance the knowledge of its new owners.

The steamer is scheduled to be sold this Thursday, October 11.  The estimated selling price is $250,000 to $350,000.  (Firegeezer knows of a couple of VFD's that keep that much in the safe who could bid on this one.)

For more info and photos, go to the RM Auctions webpage HERE.

Firegeezer adds:  If the price is too steep for you, don't forget that you still have time to bid on the Toyota Mini-Land Cruiser Firetruck HERE.

Hat tip:  Mark Donovan

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Postscript Sultana – Conclusion

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Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

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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.

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

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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

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Postscript Sultana – Part Four

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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.

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

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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

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Postscript Sultana – Part Three

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Postscript Sultana

 

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

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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.

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

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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

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Postscript Sultana – Part Two

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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.

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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

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Postscript Sultana

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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

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Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Five

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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

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Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Four

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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.

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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

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Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Three

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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

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Who (Or What) Really Dunnit? – Part Two

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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

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