Race to the Bottom

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

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

The timeless parallels of Triangle and Kader exceed the record keeping of deaths, injuries and destruction. Certainly Triangle held the 'record' as the worst (fatalities) industrial fire accident through decades until the Kader incident. But the parallels far exceed fatalities, flames and rubble. They exceed the record books and the lunch room discussions of technique or international comparisons.

Triangle, as noted earlier, raised the consciousness of the nation, our nation, as to worker safety and the fledgling subject of corporate responsibility. Regardless of the nefarious dealings of Blanck and Harris, the partners in Triangle, and their ability to scam the system (or buy it off), the repercussions due to the Triangle Fire continued for decades and it became the mantra of all concerned with public and with employee safety. The American Society of Safety Engineers was founded as a result on October 14, 1911. The Women's Trade Organizations, the ILGWU and other unions used Triangle heavily as justification for organizing. NFPA undertook the writing and rewriting of codes and directives. Legislatures reacted quickly regardless of their collective bipartisan incompetence. Enforcement of these issues was clearly ratcheted up over the ensuing years, not only in New York but nationally as well. We have had other horrific fires. We have had large portions of entire cities go up in flame and we have had large loss of life. But no other fire, regardless of it's type, origin or consequence has had the collective impact on our society than the collective impact of Triangle.

And then, 82 years hence, there is Kader in Thailand. Eerily similar to Triangle in origin, substance, loss of life and aftermath. Yet the national conscious, the world conscious, in either the US or Thailand, was hardly tweaked. Thailand has laws. Many are modeled precisely to follow NFPA guidelines from our own country. Yet firm inspection, citation or possible closure in the face of violation was barely scratched just as it was barely scratched in 1911 in New York.

At this point you are likely to still be wondering where the title of this article came from. The Race To The Bottom. Four words strung together can mean many things but this time, they are specific. As countries and economies change over time the regulatory and socio-economic changes and legislations governing those changes tend to, and in fact do increase. As these burdens, if you will, of added legislative requirements and social welfare changes are implemented the cost of doing business within the boundaries of that country or political unit also increase.

We, now in our modern time, are rightly or wrongly heavily involved in a world economy.And the costs and underlying requirement of doing business are impacted by the aforementioned changes and legislation (rules, codes, policies, inspections, permits, wages, etc. etc. etc.) imposed on business operating within those same boundaries.

"Back in the Day' the sweatshop operators could, for a time, get away with basically slave labor conditions. After all, the US as well as Europe were not that far removed in 1911, for instance, from a society of slavery itself. As unscrupulous operators ignored or bent the rules for profit, disaster often followed. As the socio-economic changes developed here, countries and political subdivisions without those changes looked pretty inviting to the barons of the times.

This has caused the Race To The Bottom. The bottom rung of operating costs and the attendant legislative requirements leading to or impacting those costs. This phenomena, if you will, largely is what has led to the exportation of much of the US labor market to the underdeveloped (read unimpacted) geographies and certainly if not underdeveloped or unimpacted then those geographies which readily lend themselves to graft, bribery and corruption to circumvent those socio-economic changes and rule implementations.

The Kader facility in total was only owned by Thai citizens to the extent of .4% of it's stock holding. The balance was owned by Hong Kong, US and European investors. The social responsibility didn't exist. And as or if Thailand tightens the screws, the next country of choice, Bangladesh perhaps, becomes the next rung down on the cost of doing business ladder in the world economy, and so on.

This article makes no attempt to become a political dissertation in any way. The author exacts no specific condemnation on any country or society. It is alleged though, that China for instance, has made some effort to impose fire and worker safety regulations on it's manufacturing base. The same manufacturing base that is undermining the economies of countless nations, ours included. And, it is also alleged for instance, that Walmart, one of the worlds largest buyers from Chinese manufacturing, is lobbying heavily to curtail those same regulations. This is the same Walmart that claims it didn't know tens of millions of dollars were paid to bribe the Mexican officials for store locations. Being the skeptic that I am, I challenge any Walmart employee to spend tens of millions of dollars without Walmart knowing where its going.

That's it. The Race To The Bottom continues as it has for decades. It sadly may continue for decades more until true corporate responsibility is legitimately imposed from within, not by regulation. And it will continue for as long as we have bi-partisan incompetence in our political subdivisions, here and abroad. And, still sadly, all this may continue for as long as 'we' find it desireable to save a buck on some cheaply made crap at the local discount mavens cave. Yes it may continue. And too, the Triangles and the Kaders will continue as well. Oh, the location may change. The numbers may change. But the Race To The Bottom won't. The race to build substandard facilities, temporary facilities really, will continue. Until the political heat gets too hot or too expensive or the bribes don't work. Then the scoundrels will fold up the temporary operation and move on.

It sadly makes the terrible, deadly lessons learned all the more terrible and deadly. But wait! I did say this story wouldn't turn in to a commentary or opinion piece, didn't I? Well, steam has to vent somewhere, sometime. Maybe George Santayana was right after all.

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Race to the Bottom

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

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

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The workers and security personnel labored quickly and diligently to snuff the blaze but they were no match for the rapidly spreading conditions. At 4:21 pm the local police fire brigade was called. The same local authorities report calls also received at 4:30 and 4:31. This triggered the Thai version of mutual aid and the fire companies from Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom Province also responded. The first apparatus arrived at 4:40 and firefighters found Building One totally engulfed with the top floors untenable and already beginning to collapse.

Royal Thai Police and Fire Brigade, Danthai Group

There are conflicting reports as to exactly how many employees were on the site or in which building when all this began. When the fire began, it was reported that there were 1146 workers in Building One alone. Thirty Six on the first floor, 10 on the second, 500 on the third and 600 on the fourth. There were a reported 405 workers in Building Two with 60 on the first floor, 5 on the second, 300 on the third and 40 on the fourth. Building three, still under renewal from the February fire was uncounted. Each of these buildings carried a full fuel load, varying, but composed of polyester, cotton and plastics.

Kader Toy Co. victims  (Bangkok Police Fire Brigade photo)

Building One collapsed completely at 5:14 pm. High winds made the struggle worse as the fire brigades fought on. Building Two collapsed at 5:30 pm and Building Three followed at 6:05pm. Building Four was saved along with other accessory structures. Some 50 pieces of fire apparatus were engaged in the effort and declared the inferno under control at 7:45 pm.

No firefighters were killed in this fire attack. Only 1 was injured. The Bangkok Police Fire Brigade reports officially that 188 souls perished in the blaze while another 469 were seriously injured jumping from the second, third and fourth floors.

Representative diorama from ILGWU archives

The walkways which connected the buildings were either fully locked or used as storage areas. Despite the increasing smoke, it was reported that security personnel ordered the workers to stay on their assigned stations. As the fire continued to spread rapidly in Building One, the fire blocked the one stairwell at the south end of the building so most of the workers rushed the north stairwell. That left 1100 frantic people trying to exit through one stairwell.

Hugh Williamson photo

Post fire efforts to determine the true cause of the fire were largely inconclusive due to the total destruction of the point of origin areas. It was at first thought and reported to have been electrical in origin but that was later discounted in favor of a cigarette butt as the culprit. The large loss of life and injury counts were and are attributable to insufficient, inadequate and blocked exits and stairwells, lack of a fire supression system, a non working alarm system in Building One, the height and type of building construction, the lack of any fire proofing, the excessive number of workers allowed in the facility and lack of any fire separation walls throughout the structure(s).

Spontaneous Employees Memorial
(Wall Street Journal)

The similarity which exists between Triangle and Kader cannot and should not be discounted both from a historical and modern day lessons perspective. The parallels are quite astounding when one thoroughly investigates even the information currently in accessible reach. Triangle reached it's severity level in less than 30 minutes. NYFD performed well and quelled the Triangle blaze in short order. Still record setting deaths were involved. Kader, not in a metropolitan area, still was under control in less than three hours. And, yes, still new records of death and injury.

So, what makes these two fires, which occurred in similar industries yet some 82 years apart and over 8,000 miles distant, so similar? What includes them as examples of the Race To The Bottom? We'll discuss that next.

Tomorrow, Part Four – Conclusion

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Race to the Bottom

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Two of Four
(Part One is HERE)

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 was significant not only for the horror and devastation caused to 146 young people and certainly their families, but Triangle has been matched in many respects in terms of sadness and loss. Triangle became the 1911 poster child of what were concerted efforts to not only improve fire safety, but working conditions and wages as well. The event was in many respects the genesis of, or better stated, the flux of, union efforts already under way at that point in history. The employees of Triangle had gone out on strike only a year prior to the disaster. That strike and the fire itself led to codes and regulations but these were largely ignored, side stepped or bought off altogether for many years following.

The parallels to the Triangle Fire continue, essentially unabated. "What's that?" you say. I know and I don't ignore that we have some of the most progressive and well thought fire codes and regulations known world wide to mankind. It would be too easy for me to turn this article into a commentary or opinion piece but that is not what this article is. This article is rightly titled, "The Race To The Bottom" and we will get to the bottom of that as the article continues.

(Bangkok Police Fire Brigade photo)

As the Race To The Bottom continues, you, gentle reader, are asked to fast forward with me to 1993. Monday May 10, 1993, at approximately 4:00 pm while concluding a normal workday shift, a small fire was discovered by an employee of the Kader Toy Company factory. The Kader factory was a facility of Kader Industrial Co. Ltd., a multinational company. This particular plant was located in the Sam Phran District of Nakhon Pathom Province just outside of Bangkok, Thailand near the site of the famous World War II railroad bridge over the River Kwai.

Thai Tourist Board

The company was first registered to do business in Thailand on January 27, 1989 but that registration was suspended after a fire on August 16, 1989 destroyed the then-new plant. The 1989 fire was blamed on the combustion of polyester fiber used to make dolls. Following the reconstruction of the facility, Kader was allowed to continue to conduct business in Thailand.

In May of 1993, the Kader facility was under contract to Mattel, Tyco and Kenner to produce items to their specifications. Bart Simpson was just reaching full tilt success in the US and this was one product on the assembly line on May 10th. The US and European toy companies mentioned would fax their orders and specifications to Kader in Thailand and expect products made to their exacting specifications. These also multinational firms didn't inspect the property or inquire or care under what conditions their orders were filled, just that they were.

The Kader facility was made up of four buildings and were numbered accordingly. Actually, they were all parts of the same large structure and were fully connected. Building One largely contained sewing machines, dolls of wool, handicraft and raw materials. A separate Building Two was largely toy assembly and plastics while Building Three was finished storage, more sewing and fabric storage. Building Four, while connected, was not connected in the same fashion and was largely office and storage.

International Labour Organization images

The buildings were all four story constructed of concrete slabs supported by a structural steel frame which was not fireproofed. The buildings were equipped with fire alarms, portable extinguishers and hose stations on the outside walls and stairwells. There was no sprinkler system.

After the certificate of registration was reissued following the 1989 fire, Kader experienced several more fires at the same facility. The latest one, in February of 1993 destroyed much of Building 3 and started in the middle of the night in waste cotton and polyester materials. At that time the Ministry of Industry issued a warning that the plant needed safety officers, safety equipment and emergency planning. It was ignored.

(Bangkok Police Fire Brigade photo)

Since the Kader facility was just beyond the jurisdiction of Bangkok, security officers and workers tried to put out the small fire as they had tried so many times before. Oh, how they tried.

Tomorrow, Part Three

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Race to the Bottom

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part One of Four

American philosopher, George Santayana, wrote in "Life Of Reason I", that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The words have been hacked and changed and twisted over the years since, but the intent and validity of the observation stand the test of time. And rightly so. Life and history itself are most certainly a learning process, whether the life is our own or another’s. And, whether the history is ours personally or that of our society collectively.

This writer has long had a fascination with historical events which should have or might have influenced the future much in keeping with Santayana's musings. That fascination increases enormously especially when there is evidence that given historical events haven't influenced or positively changed anything. So much for that.

The Asch Bldg.

This spring marks the anniversaries of two events in fire history which are or should be alarmingly similar in many, many respects. A few weeks ago, March 25th marked the 101st anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Most in the fire service have heard of this event insofar as it marked the milestone of being the largest industrial accidental loss of life by fire in our nation’s, and the world’s, history. There are varying definitions of the record holder of these dubious claims. We're not here to debate levels of severity. Suffice to say that the Triangle Shirtwaist fire was a horrific event in the history of modern mankind.

A typical garment district sweatshop.

Triangle Shirtwaist was a sweatshop garment operation in New York City which manufactured various clothing items using the labor of mostly young immigrant women. The business was located in the Asch Building (now called the Brown Building) at 23 Washington Place. The factory occupied the eigth, ninth and tenth floors of the 10 story building in Greenwich Village. The owners were Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. These two employed up to 500 immigrant women between the ages of 14 and 48 who worked on average some 9 hours each day plus Saturday for earnings of somewhere between $7 and $9 weekly.

On Saturday March 25, 1911 as the work day was ending, smoke was noticed as a fire flared up in a scrap bin under a cutter’s table in the northeast corner on the eighth floor. Blanck and Harris were at the factory at that time and had even invited their children to the factory that afternoon. The scrap bin the fire ignited in had not been emptied of accumulated cuttings for over two months. Smoking was banned in the factory but it was widely reported that employees were known to smoke anyway and even exhaled the smoke through their lapels to disguise or conceal it. 129 young women and 17 men died as a result of the Triangle Fire.

Triangle Shirtwaist on fire.  (New York Times)

Fire exits, though mandated by City code even then, were not adequate and were in fact missing altogether in certain locations. The fire escape which was installed on the building bent under the heat and collapsed. It was later discovered to have been installed with substandard fastners and workmanship. The only fire supression of any kind in the building was the presence of a total of 27 buckets of water. Nine on each of the three floors. The employees were accustomed to and only knew of one way to exit the building, that being one of two freight elevators. One wasn't in operating condition. Exits had been locked and chained shut to keep the employees from leaving their sewing machines, sealing their fate.

New York Times archive

While the owners and their kids were escaping the holocaust using the roof and adjoining buildings, 50 of the employees were being incinerated on the three floors and 60 were driven to their death by jumping 90 to 100 feet to the street below. Of the 146 dead, 129 were immigrant women from 14 to 48.  Of the total dead, 6 could not be identified until modern science caught up with history in 2011 and they were duly recognized and memorialized. There is closure for you.

Max Blanck and Isaac Harris were charged with multiple offenses resulting in death. A long trial worthy of Perry Mason resulted in an acquital of both men. A civil trial resulted in a 'victory' for the victims survivors. That 'victory' afforded a judgment of $75.00 per head. Blanck and Harris profited heavily from the disaster. They were able to induce an insurance settlement of $400.00 per death and a settlement which exceeded the material losses by some $60,000. Blanck and Harris had much experience in fires. At two other locations operated by these nefarious crooks, early morning fires were commonplace. Especially at the close of the garment selling season. The partners found fires profitably took care of carryover inventory and then some.

Max Blanck and Isaac Harris  (ILGWU Archives)

Triangle Shirtwaist Company reopened in 1913 in a different location in the city. Within twelve months of it's reopening, Max Blanck was arrested by fire inspectors when a surprise inspection found another exit door chained shut. He was fined twenty dollars and given an apology from the judge for disturbing him.

Now, don't be mistaken. There was some good which resulted from this devastating event. After the fact, of course. Fire Chief John Kenlon identified some 245 factories in the City which were sitting ducks for the same type of devastation in New York. From the date of the fire until 1913 alone, 64 laws were passed including building access, fireproofing requirements, alarm systems, auto sprinklers, fire extinguishers not to mention comfort issues of rest rooms, eating space and hours of work. This, at the time, put New York on the map in the effort to improve not only employee safety, but the general public safety as well. The development of NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code can be directly attributed to the Triangle fire.

As for George Santayana, though. Well, it seems to me from my meager vantage point, that George was correct. And history proves him right once again. In fact, not once again, but rather 'many times', again!

We'll continue with "Race To The Bottom" Part Two tomorrow.

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Lessons Learned …. Or Not?

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Lesson Four of Four – The Ultimate Sacrifice

(Begin this series with Lesson One HERE.
Lesson Two is HERE, Lesson Three is HERE.)

The following events are from first hand, eye-witness reports of an unidentified writer for Scientific American. This unnamed reporter was actually in the building at 1:30 pm July 10, 1893.  Media coverage of the following was extensive and editorial flourish was common in those days (as it is now). Much inaccurate reporting did and does exist on this event. The Chicago Daily Tribune report seems to be the most consistent reportage available which largely coincides with these eyewitness reports.

An alarm sounded at 1:30 pm when a small fire was reported at the top of the previously mentioned flue stack in the Cold Storage Building. The alarm was responded to by the Columbian Exposition fire detail as well as from a station of the Chicago Fire Department, which was only a few blocks away. These same companies had handled the previous two fires which developed in the flue tower. As in the previous calls, 12 firemen climbed onto the roof of the building and proceeded to climb the staircase from the ice rink on the fifth floor to the gallery area of the central tower. From that point, since there was no acccess provided further up, they nailed boards to the walls to create foot rails and climbed to the narrow roof of the gallery. Just after reaching the ledge, there was a sudden outburst of flame followed by a small puff of white smoke below them. The fire spread extremely rapidly cutting off any exit for these twelve firefighters. A few of the twelve were able to slide down ropes used to drag hose up to the level but the ropes and hoses themselves were quickly consumed by flame and burned through. One by one, the remaining firefighters were forced to jump the 60 feet from the gallery to the main roof but all were killed or seriously injured in the jumps.

It is estimated that 50,000 spectators witnessed this fire action and the deaths of these fire fighters, cheering them on at first, then falling silent as the horror became evident. A total of 14 fire fighters were killed in the fire of the Great White City, together with 3 civilians who perished. Twelve of those lost were Chicago Fire fighters and two were of the Columbian Exposition detail.

The Great White City experiment in fanfare went on through it's October closing which as noted, was marred by the assassination of the mayor of Chicago. The remaining buildings of the Exposition were also destroyed by fire within six months of the close of the exposition. The loss of the rest of those buildings is historically blamed on arson by union activists/rioters of the great Pullman strike in 1894. One building would survive, that which later became the famed Museum of Science & Industry.

Palace of Fine Arts

Now known as the Museum of Science and Industry

Fire fighting efforts were greatly affected by the very building methods and material used throughout the fair. Though it is reported that 21 Engine companies of the Chicago Fire Department ultimately responded to this event, they largely were assigned to prevent the spread of the fire to the remaining Expo. The 'staff' material, while quick and initially pliable for cost effective construction, was impervious to water. It burned from within. The water couldn't and didn't touch it. The planning allowed for a boiler flue to terminate three feet below a combustible surround. No ladders were stationed by any fire service which were appropriate for the structures on the site. Even though, by 1893 Chicago had three fire towers in service, none are known to have been in service at this conflagration and it's doubtful the towers they had would have helped much at 191 feet. Inspections were nonexistent at the time and ignored following minor earlier fires.

It would seem, at least over the period of 1871 to this in 1893, whatever was learned in Chicago was sumarily ignored. Ignored to the loss of 14 brave, ill equipped fire fighters. Oh, Mrs. O' Leary and her reputation were somewhat salvaged in 1999. Her barn was razed in 1956 and the Chicago Fire Academy was built in it's place. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I'll leave that to your judgment as I remember these 12 Chicago Firefighters who gave it all in the Fire of the Great White City of 1893. Sadly, history doesn't afford us the names of the other two firefighters lost as well.

References:
Chicago Fire Department History
Fire Museum of Greater Chicago
First Responder Institute
Chicago Tribune
James Watkins Collection
Personal notes of T. Parquette

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Lessons Learned …. Or Not?

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Lesson Three of Four – Building a Disaster

(Begin this series with Lesson One HERE.
Lesson Two is HERE.)

Chicago had come a long way since 1871. Or, so it seemed. But in truth, Chicago was still a seedy, crime ridden, smelly city by anyone's standards. Crime was widespread and it was commonplace to notice dead horses laying in the streets, sometimes for days. Garbage was often thrown out windows and the expo itself was plagued with con men and pickpockets. Hookers roamed with impunity. There was even a prolific serial killer on the loose and he was operating a hotel not far from the expo.

H. H. Holmes – the serial killer

Mayor Harrison

The architects and planners of the Columbian Exposition mandated that every building be painted white. This was to streamline construction by making the painting simpler and faster and to focus on the archtecture itself rather than the colors. Oh, yes …. spray painting was actually invented for the express purpose of expediting the painting of this grand experiment in model cities within a city.

All of the buildings in the Columbia Exposition were constructed of 2×6 wooden studs and faced with a product at the time called 'staff'. Staff was similar to lathe and plaster as it was made of wooden lath covered with a mixture of plaster of paris and a fabric of hemp fiber. This provided a smooth outer surface which could be molded as needed and which was impervious to water. You might footnote that last sentence.

Opening Day, 1893

The fair began in May of 1893. One technology which did not receive (in the opinions of it's founders) proper due, was that of refrigeration. No exhibits or fanfare was afforded to refrigeration even though it was central to keep all of the stored foods and goodies fresh for the fair in the first place. As an afterthought, the cold storage facility intended as a support facility, was turned into a display of sorts. The Cold Storage Building was a structure designed by Franklin P. Burnham in a style of a Moorish palace with a statue of Christopher Columbus at it's entrance. The main structure was 255' x 130' containing five stories. The only windows were on the top floor. The building was designed with four towers, one at each corner rising to 115 feet. The central tower, containing the boiler flue itself rose 191 feet. The gallery around the flue tower was about 120 feet but no access was provided to the top of the flue tower.

The Cold Storage Building

The center of the building contained an 80' x 80', two-story, main machinery room to drive all the refrigeration. Behind the machinery room was a boiler room with multiple boilers totalling 700 hp and tanks to collect distilled water for clear ice. The north end of the building was comprised of ice storage chambers totalling 600,000 square feet on 4 floors. The third and fourth floors in the center and south ends of the building were fitted as offices and living quarters for staff. An ice skating rink comprised the rest of the building on the top floor. This was added in deference to the complaints of industry insiders who felt refrigeration was being shunned. The total insulation of the building was made up of double air gaps with wooden boards and more 2 x 6 studs.

A focal point of our story here, the flue tower, had already attracted much attention and criticism due to two fires which ignited in June. This resulted in the cancellation of the insurance policies on the Cold Storage Building. The focal point of the complaints and cancellation was the fact that the tower cupola surrounding the flue itself was three feet higher than the flue! It was to have been constructed of wrought iron and asbestos but that was missing and nothing but staff and 2 x 6 studs surrounded the flue. You might footnote that sentence too!

An additional complaint in the insurance inspections in late June was that the boilers themselves were undersized for the load required of them.

Tomorrow, Lesson Four (conclusion) – The Ultimate Sacrifice

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Lessons Learned …. Or Not?

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Lesson Two of Four – The Construction of the Exposition Begins

(Begin this series with Lesson One HERE.)

It was now 1890 and the fair was to begin in 1892. That gave the Chicago movers and shakers less than two years to build the fair. Congress bowed to a one year delay to 1893 but it would still be tight. Chicago assembled a glittering array of notables to choose, design and promote the fair. The original designer of New York's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmstead, was chosen to select the site and marshall the designers and architects. He did, and the game was on. Seven hundred-plus acres near Jackson Park in Chicago became the target site. It would follow the theme of Venice and be surrounded by water. Countries and companies alike would be major exhibitors and develop exhibits so grand, they would be unforgettable and inspiring. And inspiring, it was. The country was on the verge of the largest recession/depression it had seen prior to 1929. Things weren't great. But this fair would inspire economic recovery.

Chicago Tribune archives

Every state in the Union, as well as 46 countries, had a building . Walt Disney's father was among the workers building the "White City" and Walt himself would later credit this fair with his inspiration for the Epcot Center at Disney World. The Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz also got it's inspiration here. No one, no country was to be outdone. The Spanish sailed replica's of Columbus' ships to Chicago. The Liberty Bell was moved by train to be displayed at the Columbian Exposition.

Chicago Tribune archives

The French built a grand outdoor fountain and filled it with perfume. Germany brought along the Krupp cannon.

The Krupp Cannon  (James Watkins Collection)

One single building was the largest. The Manufacturers Building covered 540,000 square feet. A true monument to American industry and commerce it boasted lighting by 10,000 electric light bulbs and used three times the electricity of the entire City of Chicago. The Exposition in total sported over 120,000 lights.

James Watkins Collection

Thomas Edison had bid on the right to supply power to the Expo but was beaten by Nikola Tesla. Edison championed DC power and Tesla, considered the father of AC power, won out. This didn't stop Edison as he dropped $500,000 on a display of his goodies including a kinetoscope featuring the earliest known motion pictures. George Ferris designed and built the world's largest and first Ferris wheel. The wheel stood 264 feet high and featured 36 cars which each carried 60 passengers. One car was devoted to a live orchestra as the wheel spun around. The axle for the Ferris wheel was at the time, the largest piece of steel ever machined, anywhere. After the Columbian Expo, this Ferris Wheel was moved to St. Louis in 1904 for the St. Louis World Fair. It required 120 rail cars to move it.

The Ferris Wheel under construction (above)
and completed (below)  James Watkins Collection

New products were announced and displayed throughout the expo. Names the country had never heard before, but certainly know now, were featured and announced. Names like Vaseline, Aunt Jemima pancakes, Shredded Wheat, Cracker Jack, Juicy Fruit Gum, Hershey bars, Chili Con Carne. The simple 'hamburger' got it's start right here, too.

But the Grand Exposition, the Columbian Exposition, would hold a darker side. A much darker side than all of the fanfare might suggest.

Tomorrow, Part Two Lesson Three – Building a Disaster

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Lessons Learned …. Or Not?

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Lesson One of Four – Burnable Chicago

 Part One, Lesson One – This story has to start somewhere so Part One, Lesson One seems reasonable. But, the chapters and the lessons began far earlier than what will be presented to you here.

Most of us, in or out of the fire service, have grown up with at the very least, anecdotal references to the "Great Chicago Fire" which began October 8, 1871. It seems that Mrs. O'Leary's cow carried the blame for this historic event for something over 128 years, when an investigation by the Chicago City Council in 1999 absolved the cow and Mrs. O'Leary from blame but couldn't come to any conclusion as to who or whom were to blame. There are two other people 'of interest' but that is another story for another day. Not this one.

History seems to agree that Chicago's great fire of 1871 was largely a conflagration for two primary reasons which had nothing really to do with an old lady's barn burning down, or whoever struck the match. Chicago was a city of over 300,000 population on that date and had been built largely of primary fuel for a fire. Wood and shingles combined with wood heating and unsafe heating appliances were a primary factor. A 25-to-40 MPH wind that evening aided the fire. And, to the city and it's planners discredit, a system of, well, Mickey Mouse alarm bells and a severely underequipped and understaffed fire service all fed the success of the Great Chicago Fire.

If there was a more revealing set of post fire scene conditions available to city planners, government agencies and, yes, the fire service as an educational tool of what not to do, Chicago must have been high on the list. $200 million (1871 dollars) in damage, thousands of structures lost, 125 bodies recovered though safe estimates float around 300 likely dead, and of those statistics, interestingly, there were no fire fighters lost, of record. Although several succumbed later to injuries received in the fire. An incontrovertible fact, regardless of the statistical data available, the anecdotal 'evidence' available, or the often twisted lore which collects over some 141 years since this tragedy is that it was, it had to be, it surely presented, a lesson. But then, maybe not!

That said of the Great Chicago Fire, we fast forward to 1889, a mere 24 years following the end of the Civil War and 18 years past the aforementioned fire. National interest was high in celebrating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus. What better way than to create and theme a World's Fair Exposition as the Columbian Exposition and start it on the Columbus anniversary? St. Louis, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., all threw their collective civic hats in the ring and started jockeying for their cities to be the hosts. Money was a major motivating factor, of course. The competition and the discourse became so heated between these cities that the U.S. Congress was going to have to make the decision. One of the representatives of the New York contingent was so outspoken against Chicago that he continually referred to the Chicago backers and their offers in negotiation as 'the windy offers from out west'. Hence, we have Chicago, the Windy City.

It really came down to New York vs. Chicago. The Big Apple's J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt and William Waldorf Astor threw in a $15 million dollar pledge thinking Chicago hicks couldn't meet that price. But Chicago's Marshall Field, Phillip Armour, Gustavus Swift and Cyrus McCormick matched it and added significant city and state pledges of support as well. Congress was finally convinced to give it to Chicago when Chicago banker Lyman Gage coughed up an additional $5 million within 24 hours to top New York's offer.

 Tomorrow, Part One Lesson Two – The Construction of the Exposition Begins

(Part One Lesson Two is HERE)

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Truth IS Stranger
(Than Fiction)

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Four, Conclusion – The Roundup Continues
(This article begins with Part One HERE
Continue with Part Two HERE.  Part Three is HERE.) 

It was 1986 and it seemed like the jig was up. Wig, Cooney and some of their kids were on the hot spot as were several others including the police chief of Kermit. In West Virginia in the 70's and 80's, the last place on earth a crook wanted to be sent was the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville (now closed). It was a hell hole and constantly on the nation's top ten list of most violent prisons. But the enterprising law enforcement team that engineered the cleansing of Kermit used that to their advantage, especially with Wig. Plea bargain on Federal charges, accept the sentence or we can charge you under West Virginia statutes and you likely wind up in Moundsville. Wig chose the former as did many others. A country club Federal prison farm certainly beat the idea of Moundsville. Part of that plea deal was information the investigators wanted from the Preece clan and they got it. Over the months following Wig and Cooney Preece's arrests, a total of 73 public figures in Kermit and Mingo County were arrested on various charges. They didn't get Wig on the arson for hire but they got him on conspiracy to distribute drugs and tax evasion. He was sentenced to 10 years. Cooney, the ring leader of the drug empire was sentenced to 16 years. All arrested with the exception of David Ramey, the police chief and his wife (Wig's daughter) Debbie, a town councilwoman, pled guilty and took deals. Ramey and his wife were tried and convicted. The investigation extended it's reach throughout Mingo County and beyond, right up to the Governors office in Charleston. 

Wig Preece's reach in Kermit was extensive. Aside from the Police Chief, a son was the school principal, and the then-current mayor, the past mayor and even the United Baptist pastor were married to Preece women. The final tally of Preece convictions, aside from Wig and Cooney, included nine Preece children and in-laws who were sentenced to prison terms totalling 55 years. Cooney Preece, even before she started serving her sentence as the drug kingpin, was dumbfounded by it all. Cooney repeatedly stated that, “Everybody in Mingo County knew it,” then she added, “I don't understand it. Wig and I have been paying off all the right people since 1957.”

The former Sheriff of Mingo County, a Democrat political boss, Johnny Owens, stated, “It's the way things have worked in this county for as long as I can remember.” Owens, the head mover and shaker of Mingo politics grew tired and bored as Sheriff in 1982 and decided to 'sell' his job to his successor. The price in 1982 dollars: $100,000 of which Johnny kept half and spread the rest around to assure the transition. The four year investigation brought down not only the Kermit police chief, but it's police captain, councilmen and the county director of senior citizens affairs, the county surveyor and a former county clerk right down to the former cook at the Mingo County jail convicted of bribing a candidate to not run for office. Former Sheriff Owen was convicted in state court of bribing a juror in a murder trial.

The investigation also bagged the largest big boss of the Democrats in Mingo County, Larry Hamick. Hamick, aside from being the head of the party in Mingo County was the president of the county school board and executive director of a federal anti poverty program charged with distributing excess commodities to the poor. Hamick was convicted of bribing a juror in a drug trial by offering the juror a job with the school in return for an acquittal.

Hamick also funneled over $60,000 in federal funds to his own use and stole commodity cheese and goodies and spread it around as graft rather than give it to the poor as intended. Hamicks latest claim to fame was strangling a pit bull to death. He stated he really didn't intend on killing the dog, but “Once you've got your hands around a pit bull's neck there isn't much else you can do.” Hamick was also charged with choking a female employee intent on testifying against him.

Three-term governor Arch Moore was investigated through campaign contribution records but managed to escape criminal charges. I know that shocks you.

Depending on where you are standing, 25 years have passed since the upheaval in Kermit and Bloody Mingo. The criminal investigation was considered a success. The sentences imposed were served, people came, people went and the hard scrabble life continues. Mary Virginia “Cooney” Preece passed away in June of 2009. Wig Preece is 84 now and returned to Kermit as the Fire Chief of the Kermit Volunteer Fire Department until recently. Many of the Preece clan have gone from Kermit, but just as many have stayed. The population of Kermit is about 356 now. A decided drop from the 80's. This writer repeatedly tried to contact Wig Preece, current Chief Sartin, and other city officials in Kermit but was rebuffed immediately. The only people willing to talk, even to this day, are Preece kids trying to rewrite the history of this family and its abuse of privilege.

Kermit VFD Firehouse  (Robt. Carlton)

Oh, the Preece clan doesn't deny the drug dealing and graft. They just insist there wasn't anything wrong with what they all did. Even Tomahawk Preece was outspoken about the tumble the family took.  “Hell, they never sold none to juveniles. Cooney only was taking care of her family,” he offered.

Early June of 2007 marked Wig Preece's 80th birthday celebration in Kermit. Firmly (re) ensconced back on the Fire Chief throne at the time, the only conspicuous people in town were the ones conspicuous by their absence. Wig's party was something like a who's who of Appalachian politics. West Virginia Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, Chief Magistrate Dee Sidebottom, Circuit Judge Michael Thornbury, Prosecuting Attorney Michael Sparks, Magistrate Pam Newsome, County Commissioners John Mark Hubbard, Hootie Smith, Clerk Big Jim Hatfield (yup!) were among the dozens of dignitaries raising a glass and warmly patting ol' Wig on the back. Since the birthday bash, Wig Preece has relinquished his position to Eric Sartin, who currently serves as chief with Timmy Preece still in the Asst. Chief position.

Oh, one thing though. The major fire rate in Kermit is reported at 0. Go figure. Maybe truth is stranger than fiction. They cancelled Boss Hogg and the Duke clan in 1985. One can only guess whether the episodes in Kermit are new or reruns. Or, how long they'll run at all.

Sources used for this story: 
Houston Chronicle

Barry Bearak- LA Times

Ocala Star Banner

Mingo County Prosecutors Office

Mingo County Commission

Kermit Volunteer Fire Department

City of Kermit

Williamson Daily News

Federal Court records search

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Truth IS Stranger
(Than Fiction)

A Historical Vignette
by Tom Parquette

Part Three of Four – The State Takes An Interest in Kermit
(This article begins with Part One HERE 
Continue with Part Two HERE.)

People did start complaining though. Secretly, anonymous calls were going to the state about the decadence. The business was so brisk at the trailer that the Kermit cops couldn't find a place to park in their own parking lot. A line actually stretched out onto the street with people from Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere buying the good stuff Preece was selling. When business was too good and they ran out of pot, they would hang a sign in the window, "Out of pot. Back in fifteen minutes."  And they would be.

Cooney Preece (family photo)

In fact, Cooney pretty much ran and controlled the dope operation. And she wasn't a bit worried about the illegality of it all. She had a bad habit of storing the pot in plastic garbage bags and leaving it next to the porch of the trailer. One day, the local trash hauler backed up and loaded it in the truck and went on his way. Cooney flipped out, called the police chief for a police escort and chased down the trash truck and made him come back and unload all of the trash in the street until she got her dope back. Police Chief Ramey and Preece daughter Debby were scraping by on his $800.00 per month police pay. Yes, they were scraping by so much that the townsfolk started calling them J.R. And Sue Ellen.

Kermit VFD

While Cooney was busy building the drug empire old Wig was busy with his own nefarious stuff. You see, at that time Kermit had a population of 705 citizens and something like 190 structures of which he was the responsible fire commander. Strange thing, though. The city was averaging 100 serious fire calls annually. Wig Preece controlled the response time or whether there was a response at all. Sometimes equipment wouldn't start. Sometimes the alarm got lost. Sometimes. Other times it was an effective little fire department. The investigators, the politicians and the public darn well knew it depended on Wig and the level of fire insurance involved. Some homes were burned to the ground, rebuilt and burned again! The town was starting to look like a bombed out war zone with all the skeletal building remains sitting everywhere. And, yes, every morning a thick pall of heavy smoke greeted the citizens as they awoke to another day. It got to a point in Kermit at least, where you couldn't buy fire insurance and if you thought you could, you couldn't afford the premium. Together with psychological intimidation and financial intimidation, Wig's flourishing arson for hire business added that intimidation as well. The citizens were kept in line by whichever way it took.

Google Street View two blocks from the Kermit firehouse

All the calls to Charleston and the state caused the martialing of a huge undercover operation involving state and federal officials. West Virginia state trooper Marty Allen went undercover to make buys from the Preeces operation. The FBI, IRS, DEA and state police worked in unison in the investigation. Since the Preece's were in the habit of accepting cash or merchandise as payment for the drugs, area malls were experiencing a notable increase in thefts of appliances and other commodities. The state police supplied trooper Allen with merchandise to trade and over 1-½ years they documented everything going on in Kermit. Toward the conclusion of the surveillance, IRS criminal investigator John Weaver was brought in to track the money and FBI agent Calvin Knott set up direct undercover surveillance. Knott stationed six agents in an old parked and abandoned rail car near the Preece trailer and the police station and recorded and taped up to 600 transactions per day taking place.

At one point during the undercover surveillance, Wig Preece is recorded in a conversation with agents posing as drug buyers telling them that he wanted a new boat for the fire department. He told them the make and model and color, what dealer had it and exactly how to steal it. Since Wig Preece was the Chief, his son Timmy the Assistant Chief, three other sons and three grandsons were on the department, well, it seemed only right. I guess.

Assistant US Attorney Joe Savage was in charge of the task force. Savage had moved to West Virginia so that his wife could fulfill her med school requirements by serving in an under served area. Joe Savage learned fast what Mingo County, nicknamed "Bloody Mingo", was all about. He packed up his wife and moved her out as he continued with the task force. Savage is on record as stating, "The police chief and the sheriff weren't arresting the bad guys. They were selling the drugs. The fire Chief was running an arson operation, the school board president wasn't teaching children ethics, he was bribing jurors." State Trooper Allen commented on the record that, "the (Preece) family is low life scum. And Cooney is an evil woman."

On May 30, 1986 the task force felt they had all they needed to change things in Kermit. A virtual fleet of unmarked squad cars converged on the town from both ends of highway 52 and closed it in. The telephone system leading to and serving the town was disconnected. A helicopter assisted as the Kentucky authorities closed the access across the Tug Fork River bridge leading to Lovely, Ky. Trooper Weaver commented on the record that they had enough troops to "wipe out the Sandinistas." Officers arrested Wig and Cooney Preece, five of their kids and 13 other individuals. But this was just the very beginning.

Tomorrow, Part Four (Conclusion) – The Roundup Continues

(Part Four is HERE.)

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