Evanston Fire Department history – Part 8

On December 5, 1897, a devastating fire broke out when a lamp exploded in the engine room of the steamship *Morley*, a 1,000-ton vessel measuring 193 feet in length. The ship was stationed half a mile offshore from Evanston on Lake Michigan and had a crew of 12. A local resident living at 305 Davis Street spotted the flames and immediately alerted the Evanston Fire Department (EFD). Chief Sam Harrison quickly responded by calling for “City of Evanston No. 1” and all available hoses in town.

Once the steamer and hose carts arrived, Harrison bravely boarded a surfboat operated by the Northwestern University Life Saving Crew, dragging nearly half a mile of hose behind him. Upon reaching the burning ship, he was warned by the crew that the boilers could explode at any moment. Despite the danger, Harrison fought the fire head-on, successfully extinguishing it in one of the coal bunkers. However, as he tried to douse the second bunker, a sudden surge of flames forced him to abandon the ship. The fire continued to burn for another eight hours, drawing a large crowd to the beaches of Evanston. Fortunately, both Chief Harrison and the entire crew of the *Morley* escaped without injury.

Two years later, on August 22, 1899, a major fire damaged the home of Judge Harvey B. Hurd and destroyed several nearby buildings at Davis and Ridge streets. As a prominent figure in the community—having served as Evanston’s first Town Board President in 1864—Judge Hurd publicly criticized the EFD's response. He pointed out that the steam fire engine wasn’t dispatched to the initial alarm, and the Waterworks engineer failed to increase water pressure when it was needed.

A follow-up investigation by the Evanston City Council found that while existing procedures were followed, they needed to be updated. As a result, the steam fire engine would now respond to every fire alarm, and water pressure in the mains would be increased whenever a fire was reported, even before confirmation. This policy helped improve response times but also led to the collapse of some city water mains in 1912, prompting the eventual abandonment of direct-pressure (plug-pressure) except in extreme cases.

The Hurd fire also prompted the city council to recognize the need for more firefighters and a third station. In 1900, they allocated $10,000 to build a new fire station in North Evanston, strategically located within a quarter-mile of the C&NW RR Central Street depot. With the opening of Fire Station #3, each of the three C&NW RR depots had a fire station nearby. On January 31, 1901, a horse-drawn hose wagon, two horses, and three full-time firefighters were assigned to the new station at 2504 West Railroad Avenue, later known as Green Bay Road. A third firefighter was also added to Station #2 in South Evanston. Additionally, the chief received a horse-drawn buggy and a driver who also acted as his secretary.

This expansion brought the total number of firefighters to 19: 12 at Station #1, 3 at Station #2, 3 at Station #3, and the chief, who was either based at Station #1 or at home. By 1901, the EFD had 14 horses in service—10 at Station #1, 2 at Station #2, and 2 at Station #3. Station #1 was equipped with a variety of apparatus, including the Ahrens Metropolitan 2nd size steamer, a two-axle four-wheeled hose wagon, the old Babcock chemical engine, the Davenport H&L ladder truck (the only one in town), and the chief’s buggy. All five vehicles used a two-horse hitch. Stations #2 and #3 each had a similar setup, and the three hose wagons formed the backbone of the department from 1901 to 1907. Each carried 1,250 feet of high-quality 2½-inch hose, along with nozzles, extinguishers, and tools, still relying on direct-pressure for most operations.

To read all the installments of this history, click HERE

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