Evanston Fire Department history – part 4

In May 1882, the village trustees made a real effort to establish a paid fire department, as promised. They allocated $850 to compensate the Fire Marshal and other firefighters for their service. The Fire Marshal was to receive a part-time salary of $100 annually, while each of the nine members of the part-time fire company would earn $50 per year. Additionally, a full-time police/fire officer, who would serve as both night watchman and caretaker of fire equipment, was to be paid $600 yearly, with half covered by the police department and the other half by the fire department.

While Fire Marshal Bailey received his salary, and Austin McDonough, a former member of the Pioneer Hose Company, was appointed as the full-time police/fire officer, the nine-man fire company never fully formed. By 1885, the position of police/fire officer was eliminated, signaling the challenges of maintaining a consistent and effective volunteer force.

On May 1, 1883, after years of unfulfilled promises, Chief Bailey resigned again, and this time, the trustees accepted. By that spring, most of the original board members from 1881 had been replaced, leaving only President J. J. Parkhurst. New trustees, including Alexander Drummond—a former Evanston firefighter—recognized the urgent need for a more reliable and well-compensated fire department, modeled after the successful Pioneer and Gilbert hose companies.

On July 17, 1883, Sam Harrison, a local merchant and former officer with the C. J. Gilbert Hose Company, was appointed Fire Marshal. He was tasked with organizing a part-time, paid fire company. Just days later, on July 28, Harrison presented a 12-man team to the village board. The company was officially accepted on November 6, 1883, with each member receiving $40 per year in compensation, and the Fire Marshal still earning $100 annually.

The EFD’s first horse-drawn hose wagon, built by Evanstonian Gerhard Brienen and pulled by a horse named Dave, was put into service in October 1883. It was stationed in a remodeled paint shop at the northwest corner of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street—later the site of the city's first parking garage.

Alongside the Fire Patrol, a one-horse, four-wheeled hose wagon, and the two-horse Babcock chemical-engine (converted to horse-drawn in 1884), a hook & ladder wagon from the Davenport Fire Apparatus Company was added in 1885. This truck remained in active service for over 32 years, until it was finally scrapped in 1918. During its time, the horses used for the hook & ladder were also occasionally used by the street department to pull garbage wagons when not needed by the fire department.

Harrison’s new company became the foundation of Engine Co. 1, later known as Engine Co. 21. Harrison led the unit for several years before passing command to J. E. “Jack” Sweeting in 1895. Sweeting would later become the EFD’s first Assistant Chief Fire Marshal in 1905. He served with the department for 25 years, all within Engine Co. 1, before passing away in 1912 from stomach cancer. His tenure set a longevity record that stood until 1918.

On September 25, 1883, just months after the new department was formed, the fire company responded to a fire at the Dwight-Buell stable behind the Avenue House hotel. The building was eventually demolished in 1916 and replaced by the North Shore Hotel. At the scene, firemen discovered George Gale, a 31-year-old coachman, trapped inside. Despite their efforts, he died of smoke inhalation. The coroner ruled it a homicide due to suspected arson, though no one was ever charged.

A month later, on December 20, 1883, the EFD faced another major challenge when a fire broke out at the newly opened Evanston Township High School. Lacking familiarity with the building layout, the firefighters struggled to navigate through thick smoke. In an emergency move, Chief Harrison requested help from the Chicago Fire Department—the first such mutual aid request in EFD history. Within 19 minutes, a train carrying a steam engine and 10 men arrived, and the fire was quickly extinguished with minimal damage and no injuries.

Despite these successes, not every call ended well. On November 22, 1884, the First Congregational Church was destroyed by fire. Efforts to ventilate the building unintentionally caused a wind gust that turned a small blaze into a firestorm. Though the neighborhood was saved, the church suffered $32,000 in losses. Rookie firefighter Tim Kelleher, just starting his career, inhaled smoke that led to tuberculosis. He passed away in 1888, and while the connection between the fire and his death remains uncertain, many believed it played a role.