is from the collection of Joyce M. Tice |
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The following Elmira Fire Department historical events were taken from papers collected by retired Elmira Fire Department Captain William Gordon Cady and sent to a cousin Ken Sullivan in January, 1998. Bill obtained them from a fellow fireman who had compiled major events in the history of the department up until 1981. The text is presented in its original form, unedited and was chronicled until early 1982. Any reference herein to the present day are as of 1982. William Cady is a lifelong resident of the Elmira area with Cady family roots in Corning, Steuben County dating back to 1828 and Gordon family roots in Wells, Bradford County, beginning in 1832. He has lived his entire life in Elmira, with the exception of a four year absence when he served with the United States Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
Submitted by Ken Sullivan
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| 1866 Certificate sent in by Richard Edgerton
Independent Hose Company No. 3 |
| 1828 | The Village of Elmira was incorporated. |
| On May 23rd--John Arnot, Elisha Briggs, and William Dunn were appointed Fire wardens for the Village. | |
| Oct. 29th--Resolution adopted: “There shall be no tossing or throwing of fireballs, or firing of any squibs, rockets or crackers in said village, and any person guilty of said violation of this ordinance or in any manner siding or abetting or assisting therein, and the parent or guardian or master of any child under his care, under 15 years of age, who shall violate the same shall pay a fine of one dollar. | |
| The owners or occupants of buildings were required to furnish “good and sufficient ladders of suitable length to reach the roof”, and in case of removal of said ladder, they would be fined. They should also provide fire buckets, one for each floor or again be fined. | |
| 1829 | The Fire Wardens of the Village shall be allowed as a compensation for their services one dollar per day for each and every day spent by them respectively in performing the duties of their office”. |
| 1830 | Other Fire Wardens were appointed - Miles Covell, John Arnot, and Abraham Riker were named. Appointment of twenty-three fireman which constituted the fire company of the Village. |
| 1833 | Opening of the Chemung Canal.The fire alarm system consisted of the ringing of first the bell of the Presbyterian Church. |
| 1834 | The Village voted to purchase an Engine for the use of the company, and ladders, firehooks and buckets. Four hundred dollars was voted by tax towards these purchases and with delivery in 1835 of a pumper, dubbed “old Gooseneck” at a cost of $250 Elmira’s first volunteer fire company was installed. Made up of 20 of the leading citizens of the Village. It was called Torrent Hose and Engine Co. #1. |
| $50 was voted to pay the services of the alarm ringer. | |
| 1835 | Delivery of the first pumper “old Gooseneck” to the Village. |
| 1841 | Water St. Fire - Destroyed both sides of the street between Baldwin and Lake Sts. 18 Buildings destroyed. The Neptune Co. pulled its Button Machine across the Chemung River in order to save buildings on the south side of the River.Lake St. Bridge, then built of wood, was consumed by fire. |
| 1844 | Lancer Co. #4 was organized in January, of this year. |
| 1846 | Ladder Co. #1 disbanded under peculiar circumstances. |
| 1847 | ”Resolved that the present Hook and Ladder Company and the two Engine Companies of the Corporation be paid $50 each. Provided that such Company be duly organized by the first day of July next.” |
| 1848 | Red Rover Fire Company #3 was organized in August with headquarters on Water St about opposite the site of today’s Chemung Canal Bank. |
| 1849 | Sept. 3rd - Eagle Tavern Fire - between Baldwin and the Chemung Canal, now State St. More than a dozen buildings burned. |
| 1851 | Fireman’s Festival at Elmira. |
| 1854 | Young America Fire Engine Company was composed of many of the “young blades” of the Village. They often challenged the other Companies to feats of skill and tests to see who could throw water the farthest. |
| 1855 | Young America Fire Engine Company received a diploma from the State Fair, and a splendid silk banner was presented by the young ladies of Elmira. |
| 1856 | Rescue Hook & Ladder Company #6 was authorized. |
| 1857 | The Smith Fire Engine became the property of the Young America Fire Engine Company and is said to have never been beaten by any machine with which they competed. |
| A bell tower of brick was built on Market St., near the site of the former Central Station.The tower was 79 feet high, with a bell weighing 1 1/2 tons mounted at the top. There was a cat-walk around the top, and a room just beneath in which resided the bell ringer. | |
| 1859 | A charter was granted to the Village by the State to organize the Elmira Fire Department. It was kept a volunteer organization but the various headquarters covered the more vulnerable spots. |
| 1861 | Hydrants were placed in the Village. |
| 1862 | Fight between members of #1 Company and Young America Fire Company. |
| The Fireman’s Lot was purchased in 1862 in Woodlawn Cemetery and donated by the board to the Fire Department. | |
| 1864 | Southern Tier Sanitary Fair. First Presbyterian Church. Fair had been a great success, building gutted. Two lives lost. |
| 1865 | The first steam engine, an Amoskeag, was assigned to the Neptune Co. The effectiveness of this machine, costing $4,000 was very evident. |
| 1866 | All of the fire companies except #5 ceased operations, a form of “strike”, because the taxpayers refused to vote monies to replace the rotted fire hose with which the machines were equipped. The citizens became alarmed when they realized their fire protection had disintegrated and voted money for a new supply. |
| 1867 | Lake St. Fire - Both sides of the Street between Water and Carroll St. 26 stores. |
| 1868 | ”Ours 4” Hose Company, so named by Mark Twain, came into being. |
| 1870 | Goodell Hose Company #5 - many of its members worked in the old Elmira Rolling Mills. |
| 1875 | Water St. Fire- from Exchange Place to Railroad Ave. Both sides of the street. $285,000 loss. 42 stores destroyed. |
| 1876 | Elmira Hose Company #1 organized. |
| 1878 | Elmira’s paid fire department came into being. |
| May 4th - Volunteer fire department disbanded. | |
| Upon the disbanding in 1878 of the volunteer fire companies, some of the men were retained by the paid department. Miles Trout, a former volunteer, became the first chief of the new department. | |
| 1879 | Elmira Fireman’s Association formed - its object being to “perpetuate the memory and history of the volunteer fire department of the city”. |
| 1884 | The Legislature passed an act authorizing the Mayor of the City of Elmira to appoint two Fire Commissioners. They, with the Mayor, constituted the Board of Fire Commissioners. |
| Oct. 1st - The City accepted a fire alarm system installed by Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Company of New York City and Boston. There were 41 alarm boxes about the city. | |
| 1887 | John H. Espey was appointed to the department as a call fireman. |
| 1888 | Advertiser Fire - $180, 000 loss. One fireman and one civilian die. J. A. Campbell became Chief of Department. |
Elmira Fire Department Pumper at the 1888 Advertiser fire. (Photo submitted by Tom Brace)
| 1889 | John H. Espey was sent to New York City with Captain McCarthy to take a six weeks course in the Pompier Life Saving School. |
| 1890 | John H. Espey was department plumber with a rank of foreman. |
| The old fire station on Market St. was razed and Fire Headquarters was built on East Market St. opposite Exchange Pl at a cost of $33,000. | |
| 1892 | Station # 2 was built at the foot of College Ave. on West Water St. This is now the site of the present Elmira Water Board. |
| The same year Station # 3 was erected at the west intersection of South Main St. and Pennsylvania Ave. | |
| 1894 | Station # 4 was built on a plot at Maxwell Place and Grand Central Ave. The land was given by the George M. Diven family. |
| 1896 | Elmira Exempt Fireman’s Association was formed. |
| 1902 | C. H. Riggs was appointed Chief of the Elmira Fire Department. |
| 1903 | A monument, erected through popular subscription, under auspices of the Elmira Exempt Fire Association, was dedicated on Oct. 14th. The statue was a lifesized figure holding aloft a lantern, and in his left arm a small child. |
| 1904 | John H. Espey was appointed Chief of the Fire Department. |
| Lycium Theatre Fire and other buildings on Lake St. burned. | |
| 1905 | There were 76 alarm boxes, 14 were knob boxes requiring nothing but the turn of a handle, known as the Tucker Keyless box, 25 were glass front boxes with a glass guard and the rest were the ordinary alarm boxes requiring a key which was kept in a convenient place. There were 467 hydrants in the City. |
| 1909 | Elmira City Hall Fire. |
| 1911 | Station # 5 was built on Roe Ave. |
| 1913 | State St. Fire - “Amusu” Theatre, Connelly Grocery, Wholesale House of New Jersey, Thompson, Elmira Sunday Telegram, Knights of Columbus rooms. All totally destroyed. |
| 1914 | Masonic Temple Fire - Lake & Market St. Very spectacular. |
| 1922 | 560 hydrants within the city limits. Departments equipment was completely motorized and fire prevention education in the schools was emphasized. |
| 1923 | Will Y. Ellett was Superintendent of Fire Alarms. |
| 1924 | Wychoff Building Fire - $200,000 loss. Thought caused by defective wiring or arson. |
| 1928 | Dec. 11 - Four people lose their life in a house fire at 310 Sutton St. |
| 1929 | Chief Espey promoted a training school for fire departments of the Elmira Zone and 32 Cities and Villages responded. |
| 1931 | Chief Espey recommended that an arson squad be established, but the city fathers were not in favor of it. |
| 1934 | The wooden Bell Tower was razed, and a campaign was started to place the bell as a fitting memorial to the firefighters in Brand Park. The campaign to raise money for this memorial never got off the ground, and later the bell disappeared. Station # 2 was closed. |
| 1937 | Chief Espey dies and Daniel Collins is appointed Chief of the Fire Department. |
| 1942 | Louis Mosher is appointed Chief of the Fire Department. |
| 1945 | Dec. 14. Three children die as the result of a fire at 1137 Woodbins Ave. in Southport which is part of the City’s coverage. |
| 1946 | June 11. Three children died in a fire caused by an oil stove explosion at their home at 242 Roberts St. They were 6 weeks, 18 months, and 30 months old. |
| 1950 | The Kindergarten class of Coldbrook Park Elementary School visits the Fire Dapartment on Pennsylvania Avenue. Joyce M. Tice, class member, recalls that the boys were allowed to slide down the pole, but not the girls. I hold a grudge, and I have never driven by there without remembering that, even since it became a parking lot. (Reason was that girls were required to wear dresses and the pole would have burned our legs)(Sorry, I stuck this in here - JMT) |
| 1952 | Jan 2. Three children and an adult die in a fire at 1647 Water St in West Elmira which is also part of the City’s coverage. |
| The City of Elmira ends coverage at Southport and they start their own Volunteer Department. | |
| 1955 | Nov. 17. Four children and a babysitter burn to death in a fire in Horseheads. The Elmira Fire Department is called in for mutual aid. |
| 1957 | May 8th. A fire at 463 Falck St takes the lives of the three Potter children. |
| 1959 | July 11th - Fire at 116 1/2 Washington St. takes the lives of the seven children of the Shusko family. This fire is the greatest fire death toll in the city’s history. |
| Louis Mosher retires and Benjamin Prall is appointed Chief of the department. | |
| 1962 | May 12th - A fire at 655 Davis St. kills a mother and her two daughters age fifteen and sixteen. The oldest daughter went back into the house after her Prom Dress and the other daughter and mother followed. |
| 1963 | Sept. 13th - Moore Business Forms Warehouse fire at Fox & Carroll Streets. $567,000 loss to the company. |
| 1964 | The new Central Fire Headquarters is built on W. Second St. This is the city’s first new fire station in 52 years. |
| 1967 | Jan. 1st - Chief Prail retires and Edward Ryan is appointed the new Chief of the Fire Department. |
| Jan 2nd - A fire at 112-114 DeWitt Ave. takes the lives of five persons. Charles Farmham and two sons Wayne, 4, and Douglas, 3, and two babysitters Helen Decker,12, and her sister Louise, 15. Mr. Farham’s wife threw the baby out the window and the baby was caught by two men at the scene. The mother either fell or jumped from the window landing on a concrete railing. | |
| Jan 6th - Cash Electric Fire, destroyed two buildings at 241-243 W. Water St. Damage $100,000 blamed on an electric overload. | |
| 1968 | Sept 22nd - - Bond Paper Co. Fire - Fire burned S. W. Flickingers warehouse and the Bond Paper warehouse to the ground. Arson was suspected. |
| 1972 | June 22nd -Flood hits the city and three of the City’s four Fire Stations are under water. 936 calls were handled by the department in a 60 hour period. |
| 1974 | Edward Hintz is appointed as Chief of the Fire Department. |
| 1978 | The new Fire Station # 3 is built on Miller St. on the Southside and the old station is razed. |
| 1979 | The Fire Department is cut one ladder Company and the department’s size is cut to 106 men. |
| 1981 | The first female firefighter is appointed to the Department on September 14. |
Published On 6/12/98
By Joyce M. Tice & Ken Sullivan
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