From Phil Stenholm:
Another Chapter on the History of the Evanston Fire Department
The Seagrave Connection
In April 1917, Evanston voters approved a $30,000 bond issue that paved the way for the complete motorization of the fire department. Five new automobile firefighting vehicles were purchased from the Seagrave Company at a total cost of $28,800. These included a Model "E" city service ladder truck equipped with a 55-foot ground-based extension ladder, a 750-GPM triple-combination pumper, two chemical & hose 300-GPM booster pumpers, and a Model "K" front-drive, one-axle truck tractor used to motorize the previous horse-drawn American LaFrance Metropolitan steamer.
The first Seagrave vehicle to arrive was the city service truck, which quickly replaced the leased Chattanooga F.D. LaFrance/Hayes 55-foot HDA. Seagrave representative Michael Shafer accompanied the truck during its rail journey from Columbus, Ohio, arriving at the end of November 1917, and stayed in Evanston for the next two months to provide training and troubleshooting support as the new equipment was put into service.
The city service truck's first significant fire was one of Evanston's ten worst up to that point. It was a $30,000 blaze at the Evanston Strand Theater on Sherman Avenue in the early hours of December 30, 1917. While two men were seen fleeing the theater shortly before the fire was reported, arson couldn't be confirmed due to extensive fire and smoke damage. This was the second fire at the Strand in two years. The first occurred on February 13, 1916, caused by an electrical short in the orchestra pit, and was quickly extinguished with minimal damage.
The next arrivals were the three pumpers - a 750-GPM triple-combination pumper and two chemical & hose 300-GPM booster pumpers. Unfortunately, these got lost on a Chicago railroad siding during the Great Blizzard of January 1918. Once located, they underwent pump testing at Becker's Pond (now Boltwood Park) under the supervision of Seagrave's Michael Shafer and EFD Chief Albert Hofstetter. All three passed their tests, with the booster pumpers rated at 325 GPM instead of 300 GPM. They were quickly deployed: the 750-GPM pumper replaced the Robinson Jumbo as Engine No. 1 at Station #1, one of the booster pumpers became Truck No. 2 at Station #2, and the other became Truck No. 3 at Station #3.
By January 1918, except for the 1906 American LaFrance Metropolitan steamer and its three horses, all remaining horse-drawn apparatus were scrapped. The horses were either retired, sold, or reassigned to the street department. On February 21, 1918, the last three horses were retired, and the steamer was sent to Seagrave for "tractorization," being fitted with a front-drive, one-axle Model "K" tractor. The modified steamer returned in March and resumed service as Engine No. 2 at Station #2.
Initially, plans called for overhauling the Robinson Jumbo after the Seagrave equipment arrived. It was to be kept in reserve as Engine No. 3 at Fire Station #3 alongside a new Seagrave booster pumper acting as Truck No. 3. However, due to recurring mechanical issues, difficulty finding spare parts, and excessive vibration at high speeds, Chief Hofstetter decided to retire the Jumbo after just six years of service. It became the EFD's sole reserve vehicle at Station #1 as Engine No. 4. Consequently, the Seagrave booster pumper originally intended for Station #3 became Engine No. 3 and served as North Evanston's primary pumper for the next twenty years!
The Robinson Jumbo remained the only spare automobile apparatus until August 1929 when its pump and chemical tank were removed and it was reassigned to the street department as a utility truck. The street department still relied heavily on horse-drawn wagons in the 1920s, making any automobile addition valuable.
Meanwhile, the tractor-drawn steamer was retired in 1930 after the 1917 Seagrave booster pumper was sent back to Ohio for rebuilding into a 500-GPM triple-combination pumper with a 50-gallon booster tank. Although the tractor-drawn steamer was reserved until 1938, the Robinson Jumbo could be temporarily reinstated from the street department to serve as its hose truck whenever needed.
Evanston's firefighting force expanded to 41 members in 1918, including three nine-man engine companies and one thirteen-man truck company. With a 24/12 shift schedule, two-thirds of the personnel were on duty at any given time, effectively staffing each engine company with six men and the truck company with eight or nine, with one man from Truck Co. 1 serving as the chief's buggy driver.
Assistant Chief Thomas Norman retired after 22 years of service in 1918. Captain Ed Johnson was promoted to assistant chief, Lieutenant Tom McEnery became captain, and Firemen Harry Schaeffer and Ed McEnery (Tom's brother) were promoted to lieutenant. Engineer Earnest Erickson, who had driven and maintained the Robinson Jumbo since 1911, was let go after Motor Driver Arthur McNeil finally passed the civil service exam.
Frank Altenberg, hired as an engineer in 1916 after William Sampson retired, qualified as a motor driver and was assigned to Station #3. Since no firemen passed the assistant motor driver exam, Fireman John Monks was appointed temporary assistant and rotated between Stations #1 and #3.
Unlike Altenberg, none of the other steamer engineers - J.A. "Dad" Patrick, Max Kraatz, and William Richards - qualified as motor drivers. They were reassigned to Station #2, with Patrick as the engineer and Kraatz and Richards as assistants. Their responsibilities included operating the American LaFrance Metropolitan tractor-drawn steamer (Engine No. 2) and maintaining the 1895 Ahrens Metropolitan steamer relocated from Station #3 to Station #2 as Engine No. 5.
Motor Engine Co. 1 was restructured, with Truck Co. 1 under Assistant Chief Ed Johnson and Engine Co. 1 under Captain Tom McEnery operating independently at Station #1 as they had before 1912. Engine Co. 2 under Captain Carl Harms continued at Station #2, and Engine Co. 3 under Captain George Hargreaves remained at Station #3. The assistant officers were J.E. Mersch (Engine Co. 1), Harry Schaeffer (Truck Co. 1), Ed McEnery (Engine Co. 2), and Pat Gayner (Engine Co. 3).
With automobile apparatus now stationed at all three firehouses and two separate companies operating at Station #1, alarm responses changed. Truck Co. 1 began responding citywide following the first-due engine company, whether Engine Co. 1, Engine Co. 2, or Engine Co. 3. The three engine districts were established: Greenleaf to Foster (Engine Co. 1), south of Greenleaf (Engine Co. 2), and north of Foster (Engine Co. 3).
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