Evanston Fire Department History – Part 21

**From Phil Stenholm:** **Another Chapter on the History of the Evanston Fire Department** As the geographical landscape of Evanston transformed dramatically between 1907 and 1912, several major developments reshaped the city. One of the most significant projects during this period was the construction of the North Shore Channel sanitary canal by the Sanitary District of Chicago. This canal connected Lake Michigan at Wilmette Harbor to the north branch of the Chicago River near Foster and Sacramento. Its purpose was to flush sewage southward toward a treatment facility at Howard Street, preventing raw sewage from contaminating Lake Michigan near Evanston and Wilmette. This measure helped reduce outbreaks of typhoid fever and cholera, which had historically plagued these North Shore communities. Simultaneously, the city council mandated the elevation of most railroad tracks within Evanston's borders. Both the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NWRR) and the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway (CM&StP, or "The Milwaukee Road") were required to elevate their tracks and construct viaducts from Howard Street to the Wilmette border. However, the C&NWRR freight lines south of Church Street remained untouched since they were primarily used for switching freight cars at local industrial sites. Similarly, the Milwaukee Road tracks, which eventually became part of the CTA system, were elevated only as far north as Church Street, following an agreement that limited the railway’s operations to the downtown area. On the morning of April 26, 1912, at around 1 a.m., the Evanston Fire Department (EFD) received a call reporting a fire at the intersection of Church and Dodge Streets. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered multiple structures ablaze, including an unfinished house owned by Renaldo Roberti at 1819 Church Street. The fire quickly spread to the neighboring residence of William Marion at 1817 Church Street. Marion’s daughter, Pearl, narrowly escaped injury by jumping from a second-floor window into the arms of neighbor Emil Pavel, who had just rescued his family from their home at 1715 Dodge Avenue. Although the EFD managed to save the Pavel residence, the fire consumed four other homes: the Frank Kuzik residence at 1717 Dodge Avenue, the Lewis Titus residence at 1809 Church Street, the Ludwig Veiter residence at 1807 Church Street, and both Roberti and Marion’s homes. High winds complicated firefighting efforts, yet the department successfully contained the blaze, preventing further destruction and ensuring no injuries occurred among civilians or firefighters. It marked the first time all three EFD engines—the Robinson motor engine, the American-LaFrance Metropolitan steamer, and the Ahrens Metropolitan steamer—were deployed simultaneously at a single fire. Total damages amounted to $11,250, making it one of the worst fires in the Fifth Ward to date. The ward, predominantly inhabited by immigrants and African Americans, was Evanston's poorest and most politically marginalized district. Lacking a significant business district, high-value properties, or ties to the neighboring city of Chicago, the Fifth Ward struggled to advocate for itself within the city council. Around a month later, on May 29, 1912, the Evanston Fire Department, alongside Chicago Fire Department Engine Companies 70 and 112, tackled a prolonged blaze at the Bogart Building at 1306 Sherman Avenue. Efforts stretched deep into the afternoon as firefighters sought to extinguish the stubborn fire. Located on the first floor were the Workers Cooperative Grocery store and the North Shore Creamery, while the upper floors housed apartments. The fire gutted the entire building, resulting in $16,700 worth of damages—a figure placing it among the top ten worst fires in Evanston’s history up to that point. The summer of 1913 brought another milestone when the EFD introduced a mechanical resuscitator called the "Lung Motor" at Fire Station #1. Demonstrated at Evanston Hospital the previous October, the device proved highly effective. By year’s end, the Life Saving Devices Company of Chicago awarded the EFD a $25 prize as the nation’s top life-saving team! The department also fielded numerous mutual aid requests for the Lung Motor from neighboring North Shore suburbs and occasionally responded to similar emergencies in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Initially stationed aboard the fast Robinson auto-truck at Station #1, the Lung Motor frequently took the motor engine out of service. In May 1916, following the introduction of an automobile police ambulance replacing the older horse-drawn model east of Fire Station #1, a new joint police-fire policy emerged. A firefighter from Station #1 began accompanying two police officers on Lung Motor calls, keeping the motor engine free for fire responses. Constructed by William Erby & Sons on a White Motor Company chassis, the first Evanston police ambulance served for 11 years until it was destroyed in a collision with a bus in September 1927. Afterward, the inhalator returned to Engine Company 1. Starting in 1952, the device found a new home aboard the EFD’s rescue truck (Squad 21). By 1959, inhalators became standard equipment across all five engine companies. This evolution reflects how the EFD adapted to meet changing needs, balancing firefighting priorities with public health demands.

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