Monday, June 16, 2014

Fire at Ward's Where Ruth Works

April 28, 1930 - Monday
"Excitement - big fire in Ward's - our bldg. this morning - 7 firemen overcome by smoke - 3 in hospital.  Not much work done. $1,500 damage.  Mama and I had shampoo and set tonight.  Home 9:00."

Ruth also had newspaper clippings about the fire in her diary.  You can see one of them here.  It's from the Chicago Daily News.

One clipping said "150 Flee" and mentioned that "9 city firemen and one private marshal in charge of Montgomery Ward & Co. properties at Chicago Avenue and Larrabee Street were overcome."  Spontaneous combustion was thought to have caused the fire, which broke out in the basement.  The thick black smoke and fire were confined to the store room, which contained wicker baskets and stepladders. Ward's workers, mostly women from the floor above, poured out of the building as the smoke appeared.

Later the workers realized that ten firemen were so affected that they had to be treated. Seven were cared for at the emergency hospital on the fourth floor of the Ward's building. They were:  Dan Cahill, John Fligg, Thomas Hickey, Roy Hoff, Renig Landuyt, Thomas Mayer and Captain George Sweeney.  Landuyt was the Montgomery Ward Fire Marshal.

Three men, the first to enter the smokey area, were taken to Henrotin Hospital for treatment.  They were: Captain Arthur Barcal of 2952 Waveland Avenue (Commander of Company 14 and Acting Chief of the Battalion).  The other two men hospitalized were: Lieutenant Charles Brelie of 2119 N. Halsted Street and Charles Mackin of 2245 N. Rockwell Street.  Both were from Company 4.          


No comments:

Post a Comment