This from Eric Haak:
I thought I would pass along these images of the Hubbard Street fire. There are many images known of this incident, but a few of these may not have been well circulated. The first image is a common one of the front of the building before the collapse. I believe this image was taken facing north from under the railroad bridge. Image 2 shows the position of Snorkel 1 in the alley. Images 3 and 4 are of the ruins and I believe they were taken facing south from the Grand Avenue bridge.An interesting side note is image 5 which is blown up from image 3. It shows an Ahrens-Fox engine being used to supply the high pressure rig. If I am wrong about any of these descriptions, please let me know as I have always wanted to understand these images and where they were taken. I own the original negatives for all four of these images and do not know who the original photographer was.
Historic Hubbard Street fire in Chicago that killed nine firefighters, 1-28-61. Eric Haak collection
Eric Haak collection
Ruins of the Hubbard Street fire. Eric Haak collection
Ruins of the Hubbard Street fire. Eric Haak collection
Chicago FD Ahrens Fox engine and high-pressure wagon at the scene of the Hubbard Street fire. Eric Haak collection
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#1 by Phil Stenholm on February 3, 2016 - 3:54 PM
DAVID: A light-duty combination rig (ex-E113 1952 FWD 1000 GPM D-247 with overhead ladder-rack added by CFD Shops) was assigned to Engine Co. 97 February 1960 – October 1975 and a light-duty combination rig (ex-E95 1948 Mack 1000 GPM D-191 with booster & overhead ladder-rack added by the CFD Shops) was assigned to Engine Co. 88 August 1964 – December 1974, but neither rig was a true “quad,” and neither company was staffed like the combination companies that were in service with the CFD in the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s.
Quadruple-combination rigs really lost their appeal in the 1950;s, but they were very popular at one time. The Fire Department at the Century of Progress Chicago World’s Fair in 1933-34 operated with a “state-of-the-art” 1933 American LaFrance 1000-GPM quad that was nearly identical to the six ALF quads placed into service with the CFD in 1932, and there were quads in service for many years in Broadview, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Highland Park, Oak Lawn, River Forest, and Winnetka, as well.
#2 by David on February 3, 2016 - 12:32 PM
Phil, again, thank you much for all the details around the Combination companies. Looks like with the exception of Combination 97 which (if I understand it right) served until 1960 for some 31 years, most of them didn’t last very long. Reminds me a bit of the 1953 FWD and 1949 Mack engines with the ladder racks added over the roof later in the 50s, but I think these were assigned to regular Engine companies.
#3 by Phil Stenholm on February 2, 2016 - 4:20 PM
DAVID: In the years 1929-32, the CFD placed eight quad combination rigs into service. The first two were placed in service in 1929-30 to provide additional manpower and firefighting capability in outlying & isolated corners of the city, and the latter six wee placed into service in 1932 as a cost-cutting measure (combining a six-man engine company and a six-man truck company into one eight-man combination company) during the Great Depression
The first two combination rigs to be placed in service were Seagrave 750 GPM quadruple-combinations (combining a pump, water tank, hose supply, and ground-based ladders on the same rig), with one (D-161) being assigned to Engine Co. 97 in August 1929, and the other (D-162) assigned to Engine Co. 119 in September 1930.
Both Combination Co. 97 and Combination Co. 119 were staffed by eight firefighters (including both pipemen and truckmen), and in theory they could function as a de facto stand-alone fire department unto themselves. (Combination Co. 97 was even equipped with an inhalator). Because of the unusual nature of their apparatus and isolated locations, both C97 and C119 were restricted to responding to alarms only in their their own still district.
The other six combination companies wee created in response to the Great Depression, combining the twelve firefighters from an engine company and a truck company at the same firehouse into one eight-man combination company, with each pf the six combination companies operating with a 1932 American LaFrance 1000 GPM quad ((D164-D169).
The six combination companies established in April 1932 were:
1. Combination Co. 46 (Engine Co. 46 & Truck Co. 17)
2. Combination Co. 47 (Engine Co. 47 & Truck Co. 34)
3. Combination Co. 62 (Engine Co. 62 & Truck Co. 17)
4. Combination Co.121 (Engine Co. 121 & Truck Co. 45)
5. Combination Co. 125 (Engine Co. 125 & Truck Co. 43)
6. Combination Co. 127 (Engine Co. 127 & Truck Co. 40)
Combination Co. 46 was only in service for a a few months before reverting back to separate engine & truck companies at the same firehouse. The C46 rig ()D-169) was then transferred to reactivated Engine Co. 7, which was one of eight engine companies taken out of service in 1931 due to budget cuts related to the Great Depression.
Prior to being disbanded, Engine Co. 7 was supposed to have been relocated from the Drill School to a new firehouse to be built at 4911 W Belmont (with a new Truck Co. 53 also to be organized at the new house), but the move was delayed because of budget cuts. So when Engine Co. 7 was reactivated in 1933 and assigned to the new firehouse on West Belmont, Truck Co. 53 was not organized, and instead Engine Co. 7 went into service as Combination Co. 7, operating with D-169 (ex-C46).
When Engine Co. 72’s new firehouse was opened at 7982 South Chicago Avenue in 1935, E72 was reorganized as a combination company (C72), Combination Co. 47 and Combination Co. 62 were split back into an engine company and a truck company in the same firehouse, and C47’s quad (D-165) was reassigned to C72. (C62’s rig–D-166–was made a shop spare, since there weren’t any spare quad rigs at that time).
Combination 121 was split into two companies in 1941, with Truck Co. 40 (formerly located at E127 prior to the 1932 cuts) reactivated at E121, and Combination Co. 72 was reorganized as an engine company and Engine Co. 81 was reorganized as a combination company in 1946 (72 & 81 exchanged rigs).
The remaining combination companies were gradually phased out after WWII, as the quad rigs grew old and were not replaced.
Combination Co. 125 was split into Engine Co. 125 & Truck Co. 53 in 1947, Combination Co. 127 was split into Engine Co. 127 & Truck Co. 54 (with Truck 54 moving a half-mile up Central Avenue to Engine 118’s house at Midway Airport) in 1950, Engine Co. 119 was split into Engine Co. 119 & Truck Co. 55 in 1950, and Combination Co. 7 was split into Engine Co. 7 & Truck Co. 58 in 1956.
Also, Combination Co. 81 was reorganized as an engine company in 1955, and Combination Co. 97 was reorganized as a engine company in 1960.
The lone exception to the trend was Combination Co. 10 at O’Hare Field, which was placed in service (with C55’s old Seagrave quad) in 1955, continuing as a combination company (using C97’s well-preserved 1929 Seagrave rig beginning in 1960) until 1968.
#4 by Phil Stenholm on February 2, 2016 - 3:08 PM
MABAS21: In March of 1970, Truck Co. 31 was relocated from E104 (1401 S. Michigan) to a new firehouse at 7659 S. Pulaski Rd. (FORD CITY). Engine Co. 64 was supposed to be relocated to this new firehouse at the same time, but the move was delayed because it also involved Engine Co. 84 relocating to T51 (which was being held up).
So instead, Flying Manpower Squad 3 (operating a new 1969 Ford/WLF 1000/750 TCP – D-355) was temporarily moved to the new T31, pending the transfer of Engine Co. 64.
Because FMS3’s Ford WLF rig (D-355) was assigned to Engine Co. 68 when the new E68 house opened on Grand Ave in September 1970, and because FMS3 was frequently out on long runs throughout the length & breadth of Battalions 26 and 31, the old SS3-A fog pressure (D-318) was placed in service at T31 as 341-A (Truck 31-A) in September 1970, and remained in service as the second section of Truck Co. 31 for 2-1/2 years, until Engine Co. 64 was finally relocated to T31 in March 1973.
One of the Chicago afternoon newspapers (it was either the Daily News or the American, I can’t remember which) had run an expose in 1970 regarding the CFD failing to implement some of the elements of the second Maatman Report (especially as it related to fire protection at Ford City), so the CFD apparently was very sensitive about keeping at least a fog pressure rig at T31 that was dedicated to respond to alarms at Ford City (the largest shopping center in Chicago at the time) until Engine Co. 64 could be moved there.
Also, the old SS1-A (D-316) was moved to Meigs Field in July 1975 after a 1974 Ford/Pierce 300 GPM pumper-squad (G355) was placed into service as the new SS1-A , and D-316 ran as 442-A at Meigs for about six years.
#5 by David on February 2, 2016 - 1:52 PM
Phil, first of all, thank you ever so much for the detailed info on both the WW2 era auxiliary companies and especially the Fog Pressure units, that’s exactly what I was looking for.
Also I’d like to ask, as you mentioned the Combination companies, how many of these did the CFD operate? I always thought the (1928??) Alfco quad rigs were originally assigned either to Truck or Engine companies, didn’t know there were the separate Combination co’s as well.
Phil also one last thing. I know this would be a bit more off topic, but when we’re at it, one thing I’m not able to solve for quite a long time, was there any light duty shop tow truck in the CFD during the 1970s?? According to an old roster I’ve seen there should have been a 1978 Chevy/Challenger, but so far I couldn’t find any more info or photos of this rig.
Phil again, thank you much for sharing all the historical knowledge, I really appreciate this a lot.
#6 by Phil Stenholm on February 1, 2016 - 8:12 PM
David:
DEMONSTRATOR:
1. 1961 Willys/John Bean 300 gallon FOG – G-175 (6-7-2 at E45 and E77 in 1961, then was designated Fog Pressure 5 at E63 in 1962, then was Fog Pressure 2 at C10 (O”HARE) in 1963);
1962:
2. 1962 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-309 – Fog Pressure 3 at E14/T19;
3. 1962 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-310 – Fog Pressure 4 at E21 (MEIGS FIELD), then second section of SS1 at SPECIAL SERVICES in 1962, then Fog Pressure 7 at E28/T8 in 1965);
4. 1962 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-311 – Fog Pressure 1 at E77;
5. 1962 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-312 – Fog Pressue 2 at OHARE, then was second section of SS2 at E60/T37 in 1963, then Fog Pressure 8 at E103 in 1965);
1963:
6. 1963 IH/John Bean 300 gallon FOG – D-313 (Fog Pressue 5 at E95/T26); 7. 1963 IH/John Bean 300 gallon FOG – D-314 (Fog Pressure 4 at E63);
8. 1963 IH/John Bean 300 gallon FOG – D-315 ( Fog Pressure 6 at E103, moved to E80 in 1964);
1964 (SNORKEL SQUAD FOG PRESSURE):
9. 1964 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG w/mounted deluge nozzle- D-316 (second section of SS1 at SPECIAL SERVICES)
10. 1964 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG w/mounted deluge nozzle – D-317 (second section of SS2 at E60/T37);
11. 1964 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG w/mounted deluze nozzle D-318 (Fog Pressure 7 at E28/T8 in 1964, then second section of SS3 at E66 in 1965)
1966:
12. 1966 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-319 (Fog Pressure 10 at E45/T15);
13. 1966 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-320 (Fog Pressure 9 at E109/T32); 14. 1966 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-321 (Fog Pressure 12 at E9, then at E34/T54, then at E120, then was converted to Dry Chemical 6 in 1969);
15. 1966 IH/Darley 300 gallon FOG – D-322 (Fog Pressure 11 at E54/T20).
1970:
16. 1970 Dodge Adventurer 4×4 100/200 mini-pumper (Fog Pressure 2 at O’HARE FIELD).
#7 by MABAS 21 on February 2, 2016 - 6:41 AM
Phil:
Wasn’t one of the Fog Pressure Companies later reassigned as the second piece of Truck 31 prior to the establishment of Engine 64 since there was no engine company housed there initially? Thanks in advance for your knowledge!
#8 by Phil Stenholm on February 1, 2016 - 7:19 PM
DAVE: Not Bill here, but to answer your question, Engine Co. 130 was the only “extra” engine company placed into service during World War II.
The U. S. Navy assumed control of Navy Pier in August 1941, and it remained closed to the public for five years. Engine Co. 130 (operating with a 1917 Seagrave 750 GPM pumper – D-61) was organized at Navy Pier in February 1942, and was staffed by members of the U. S. Navy who were on leave from the Chicago F. D. The U. S. Navy also operated a USN firefighting rig that was garaged at Engine 130.
In addition, Auxiliary Fireboat No. 2 (one of three auxiliary fireboats placed into service by the CFD during WWI)I was assigned to Engine 130 at Navy Pier, and (like Engine Co. 130) it was staffed by U. S. Navy personnel on leave from the CFD.
The auxiliary fireboats were ex-USCG Boston Whalers staffed by a three-man crew and equipped with a 500 GPM pimp and a deluge nozzle). The other two auxiliary fireboats were placed into service at Engine 41’s old quarters at Throop Street Slip and at Engine 58’s old quarters at 9221 S. Ewing (92nd Street Bridge at the Calumet River). NOTE: Engine 41’s fireboat (the “Illinois”) was decommissioned in 1934 and Engine 58’s fireboat (the first “Joseph Medill”) was decommissioned in 1943, leaving only Engine Co. 37 (operating the 1937 fireboat “Fred A. Busse”) as the CFD’s lone fireboat until the “Victor Schlaeger” and the new “Joseph Medill” arrived in 1949, allowing Engine Co. 41 and Engine Co. 58 to be reactivated)).
Besides organizing the CFD/USN hybrid company at Navy Pier and placing the three auxiliary fireboats into service at old E41, old E58, and E130, the CFD also relocated Booster 1 (6-4-1) and Chemical 1 (6-3-1) to Chicago Municipal Airport (later known as “Midway”) a day or two after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Booster 1 was a 1934 Ford “BB” 350/200 TCP that had formerly been in service with one of the the American LaFrance quads at Combination 125, and the Shops equipped the rig with liquid foam after it was assigned to CMA (Midway).
Chemical 1 was a 1930 White Foamite/Du-Gas rig (ex-Squad 10), and was one two chemical rigs in service with the CFD in 1941. Chemical 1 was located at Engine 1 prior to being moved to CMA.
The USAAF also independently operated a “crash station” at CMA (Midway) during WWII that was not part of the CFD contingent assigned there, although the CFD and USAAF responded together to calls for service.
After WWII, Engine Co. 118 was reactivated at CMA, and Cardox Crash Truck No. 1 (6-5-1), Truck Co. 54, and Ambulance 12 were eventually assigned to Midway as well. NOTE: Engine Co. 118 was one of eight engine companies (7, 10, 15, 32, 86, 90, 105, and 118) and six truck companies (17, 27, 34, 40, 43, and 45) that were disbanded in 1931-32 in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
Meanwhile, Booster 1 was moved from Engine 118 (Midway) to Engine 108 in 1948, where it was first-due along with Engine 108 and Truck 23 to Chicago Orchard-Douglas Airport (O’Hare) prior to Combination Co. 10 being established there in 1955. Booster 1 was in service for about 30 years, eventually ending up at Meigs Field.
The only other World War II “special additions” to the CFD were two ambulances placed into service with the CFD under the auspices of Civil Defense, one at Engine 75 and one at Engine 78.
Six ambulances had been placed into service in 1928, but five were taken out of service in 1937 because of budget cuts during the Depression, leaving only Ambulance 1 in service. The two CD ambulances were replaced by regular CFD ambulances in 1945, and all five of the ambulances taken out of service in 1937 were back in service by 1947.
#9 by David on February 1, 2016 - 5:00 PM
Bill, thanks a lot for the info. Was Eng. 130 some exception or there were some other similar “extra” companies organized during WW2??
Also when speaking about the Fog Pressures, anybody knows how many types (different models) the CFD actually ran?! I know that except for the 1961 demo Jeep FC/John Bean Fog Pressure, there were also at east 2 or 3 different models of the IHC/Darley Fog Pressures, one of them equipped with the additional tool boxes for service with Snkl Squad but anybody knows exactly the delivery years/models?? Thanks a lot in advance!
#10 by Phil Stenholm on February 1, 2016 - 12:24 PM
I have a list that was provided to me by the CFD in 1968 that shows the twelve fog pressure rigs to be among the CFD’s 118 engines in service at that time.
While the CFD did not consider the fog pressures to be engine COMPANIES, they were considered engines as far as their general apparatus classification & description was concerned, which is why the fog pressure rigs had the signatures 1-5-1 through 1-6-2 (Engines 151-162),
Besides providing rapid fire-attack capability at structure fires at a time when most CFD engines did not have water tanks, the fog pressure rigs were often used to “check the box” (when a fire alarm box was pulled on a street corner) or for “ember patrol & control” during large fires, and they were often dispatched to car fires on the expressways (where water supply was problematic) and to prairie fires in areas with limited water supply and/or vehicle access.
When the two Chevrolet/E-One mini-pumpers were placed in service at O’Hare in 1979, they were assigned the signatures 1-5-1 and 1-5-3 (in other words, Engine 151 and Engine 153), with Fog Pressure 2 at O’Hare (the last remaining fog pressure) still designated 1-5-2 (Engine 152).
The fog pressures and mini-pumpers weren’t called “Engine 151” or “Engine 155” or “Engine 160” or whatever on the radio, but they were considered engines as far as equipment/apparatus classification was concerned, and their signatures reflected that classification.
When the fog pressure rigs were first placed in service, they did not have an engine signature. The very first fog pressure (the cab-forward Willys Jeep John Bean High-Pressure Fog demonstrator G-175 loaned to the CFD in 1961) was designated 6-7-2 (the cab-forward Willys Jeep high-pressure wagon known as “Jeep Pressure No. 1” was 6-7-1) , and the first batch of International/Darley fog pressures placed in service in 1962 were initially assigned the signature group 4-4-x (which was later assigned to CFD aircraft).
#11 by Bill Post on February 1, 2016 - 9:21 AM
Correction. Engine 90 wasn’t a fireboat but it was a land company that was located on Goose Island at 1016 w Division. They were in an old Wooden Building and were only in service for 32 years from December 1st 1900 until January 15th 1932. Engine 71 (when they were a fire boat from 1892 to 1922) was at one time located off of Goose Island on Weed street.
#12 by Bill Post on January 31, 2016 - 8:46 PM
David there was actually an Engine 130 that had been in service during World War 2 at Navy Pier. Phil and David I would assume that the Sub Engines were numbered in the 140 series so as not to have them mistaken for regular engine companies, something like when Chicago had recently run with BLS ambulances which began in the 80’s series instead of the 60’s so as not to confuse them with ALS ambulances.
Phil thanks for posting that interesting information on the sub engines and the Ahrens Foxs. It’s ironic that Engine Company 3 which had been located at 855 W Erie (just a few blocks northwest of the Hubbard street fire) and had been taken out of service on May 16 1956 was also using an Ahrens Fox as their last engine if I am correct.
At the time of the Hubbard Street fire there were 123 engines in service. As three of the engines were actually fire boats (Engines 37,41 and 58) the only land engine companies that were no longer in service were Engines 3, 31, and 90. When 90 was last in service it was also a fire boat.
This was also a historical time of transition for the Chicago Fire Department. At the time of the fire there were only three Snorkel companies in service and the Snorkel Squads weren’t in service yet. Snorkels 4 through 7 would be put in service later on in the year and in early 1962, and Snorkel Squad 1 wouldn’t go in service until September of 1962. That photo of the High Pressure Wagon was also interesting as at the time of this fire seven of the eight High Pressure Wagons were still in service, however by the end of 1964 all of the remaining High Pressure Wagons would be out of service.
#13 by David on January 31, 2016 - 5:02 PM
Phil, was there any reason that the sub-engines were numbered so high when the regular engine co’s ended with number 129??
#14 by Phil Stenholm on January 31, 2016 - 1:41 PM
From September 1958 to June 1961, there were three “substitute”: engines (staffed by an engineer and ad hoc crew from the Drill School/Fire Acedemy) in service to pump water onto fire ruins, mainly along the route of the new expressways being built at that time, but also at other fires as well.
The “sub-engines” (designated as Engines 141, 142, and 143) were 1928 Ahrens-Fox and Seagrave pumpers that had gone out of front-line service in the 1950’s,
Engine 142 was a 1928 Ahrens-Fox 1000 GPM (D-158 – ex-Engine 4) and was assigned to Engine 14’s house at 509 W. Chicago Ave. (FWIW, D-158 was the last of the twelve 1928-29 Ahrens-Fox and Seagrave engines to be taken out of front-line service, in March 1957).
So Engine 142 (D-158) is probably the Ahrens-Fox engine supplying water to the High-Pressure wagon in Photos #3 & #5.