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Fire Log
2005
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“HooDoo Box #41”
(The Death of Assistant Engineer James E. Tarbox)
by Jay Pozark
Several years ago well known author and fire historian Paul Ditzel wrote the history of Firebox #29 of the Buffalo, New York Fire Department. This was a "bad luck" box. It was known for difficult and expensive fires and more importantly for the number of firemen killed and injured while operating at this box. It seemed to be cursed or be a "Hoo Doo". Mr. Ditzel states that many communities have their own bad or hoodoo boxes. In the City of Lynn a contender for that honor is City Box #41.
City Box #41 is located at Washington St. corner of Munroe St. in the heart of downtown Lynn. Even today there remain loft buildings that remind one of a smaller more compact version of "Hells Hundred Acres" in Manhattan. Some of Lynn's most notorious fires have originated from this box. Most prominent are the Great Fire of 1889, and the Hutchinson Block fire of 1895 which killed five Lynn firemen. However there have been many other fires, great, small and deadly that came in from CB #41.
In 1890 the city was trying to rebuild after the conflagration of November 1889. Not everyone had insurance and for most people if they were not actively in business there was no money for food or shelter. This meant construction that was cheap and fast. The last thing people thought about was fire resistivity.
The fire department in 1890 was also going through a rebuilding and expansion. At the time there were five fire houses.
The headquarters was on Broad St. in a large building housing two steam fire engine, one aerial ladder, one hose and one chemical fire engine company. One of the steam fire engine companies was a relief engine company. In the City of Lynn relief companies were call companies with their own foremen, engineers, stokers and hosemen. However they responded only to second alarms and second boxes. The hose company was a separate ten man unit from the engines which each had their own hose wagons. Also located here was the office and equipment of the fire alarm system.
On Federal St.was another engine house with a steam fire engine company and a city service equipped truck company.
At the corner of Fayette and Essex Streets was located a station with one steam fire engine and another city service truck company.
On Chestnut St. near Maple St. was a wood frame engine house with one steam fire engine company resident.
On Hollingsworth St. in the Highlands was a single chemical fire engine company.
On Munroe Street a row of buildings stretched down from the corner of Washington Street towards Market Street. On the corner at 115 Munroe Street stood the building of the Lynn Laundry Co. Next came a row of four wooden buildings. At 113 Munroe Street was the Osmus Phillips Machine Needle Manufactory. The Mansfield Building at 111 Munroe Street was the home to P.B. Mansfield & Co. Hatters. Next door was the Cook Block with the real estate office of H.W. Cook and the barber shop of Andrew Gardiner at 109 Munroe Street, S.J. Weinberg Tailors & Trimmings at 107 Munroe St., 105 was the confections shop of Charles Mullen, and E.A. Doyle Jewelers at 103 Munroe St. Also doing business in this building was F.E. Burrill Machinist. At 101 Munroe St. stood the three story Russell Building. This housed George Bartol's Paints, Oils & Varnishes store on the first floor and in the cellar, the Sanborn Exercising Machine Company on the second floor, and on the third floor George S. Coville had a stitching shop. On Friday John P. Sheehan had moved all the machinery of his duck coat manufactory into the block. In the rear of these buildings were vacant lots.
On the opposite side of the narrow street down from the corner of Washington St. was the Knox Block, the Sherry Building and Hurley's Building.
On the morning of August 2nd people were at work in downtown Lynn. James Tarbox was working at his regular job in the Phillips Factory. Down the block in the cellar of Bartol's among a large stock of asphaltum and paints Frank Morris was working cleaning palette brushes. Morris smelled smoke. He looked up from his work and in the opposite corner of the cellar he saw flames. He ran up the stairs to alert the other employees. Mr. Bartol ran down to the cellar and began throwing buckets of water on the fire. Running to the corner Morris pulled the hook and sent in Box #41.
The intense fire feeding on the large amount of flammable liquids roared through the building. Mr. Bartol abandoned his bucket brigade and fled to the street. Shopkeepers left the building with no time to salvage a thing. Mr. Doyle had no time to place his stock in the fireproof safe. Mr. Coville thinking his wife and child were in the stitching room fought his way to the third floor through the choking smoke. Rapidly passing from consciousness he made it to the room to find they were not there. He staggered to the stairs. Almost gone, he crawled through the rising heat and suffocating smoke finally reaching safety.
A window in the cellar of the Russell Building burst from the pressure and the fire rolled up the building and then the street. Dense black smoke banked down in the street obscuring all but the flames licking from the lower floors. As the fire spread, the Mansfield Building seemed doomed and fear of another conflagration began to spread.
Peoples baser nature began to show. A man kicked in the window of Doyles Jewelers. The man then reached in and the contents fell to the sidewalk. The crowd came on and ran with as much as possible.
City Box #41 was received at 9:30 AM and Steam Fire Engines #4 and #5, Chemical Fire Engine #1, Hook and Ladders #3 and #1, Hose #4 and the Chief Engineers responded.
Chemical Fire Engine #1 pulled down the narrow street and stretched a line getting first water on the fire. Steam Fire Engine Co. #4 of the Broad Street house hooked to the hydrant on Munroe St. in front of the Sherry Building. Hook & Ladder Co. #3 pulled into the front of the fire buildings along with Hose Co. #4.
Arriving from the Fayette Street Engine House Hook & Ladder #1 went down Munroe Street to the front of the fire buildings. Steam Fire Engine Co. #5 put their suction on the hydrant on Munroe Street near Central Avenue.
Arriving at the fire Chief Engineer Charles H. Downing took charge. Using a technique which one hundred years later would be known as the "Incident Command System" he divided up the responsibilities of the fire ground. Setting up his post of command in front of the fire buildings, he assigned assistant chiefs to sectors of the fire ground for a better span of control. One each was assigned to front, rear, roof and inside sectors.
Streams began to play onto the fire from the engine lines on Munroe St. As the smoke banked down the men outside nearly suffocated in the street but they held their ground.
In the rear, lines were stretched directly off the hydrants. Soon there were five streams pouring water on the flames in the rear of three buildings. Two of these streams playing onto the Russell Building. The vacant lots in the rear were an advantage to the firemen. The street in front being so narrow only two steamers could be put to work. In the rear of the Pevear Building a stream was directed at the roof. The hydrant pressure being insufficient to reach, the line was redirected to set up a water curtain to cut off the fire spread. It was unsuccessful.
Three buildings were well involved and the fire had extended to a fourth. The Phillips Manufactory and the Lynn Laundry Company were now threatened. The fire had forced the shut down of the steam and horse railroads. Telegraphers passed on the news of the spreading blaze.
Directing the attempt to cut off the fire at this point was Third Assistant Chief Engineer James Tarbox. Chemical Co. #1 stretched a line to the rear of Cook's Building to protect the Mansfield Building and did good work limiting the fire spread. Ladders were thrown to the Phillips Factory and lines were stretched to work on the fire. Inside directing operations in the thick smoke Chief Tarbox was standing next to a fireman. Suddenly Chief Tarbox turned to the man and said " I must get out". Reaching the window where a ladderman stood he said" Let me pass, I have never felt so bad in my life." Tarbox passed through the window onto the top of the ladder and started down. As he neared the ground he passed out and fell the rest of the way. Nearby stood Sgt. L.W.Chase a member of the Sanitary Corps. of the 8th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Chase brought the unconscious chief to the front of Bartol's Store. Seeing the limp form in Chase's arms Fred Robinson driver of H & L #3 and John Barnicoat of Steam Engine #4 along with an unidentified man ran to assist. The group lifted Tarbox into the hosebed of Engine #4's wagon. With Chase continuing first aid the wagon galloped off. Enroute to the hospital Tarbox convulsed several times. As he was brought into the hospital the Assistant Engineer vomited. This was thought to be a good sign. Examining him doctors found only a bruise on his head and predicted he would live. But a short time later James Tarbox died without regaining consciousness.
Back at the fire scene firemen were making good progress and no second alarm was struck. Word of the fire having spread, help was volunteered. Assistant Chief DeMarris of the Boston Fire Department responded by train and reported to the scene with an offer of mutual aid. The Lawrence Fire Department sent a telegram offering its' help. With the local men getting a handle on the fire, the offers were declined. After only forty two minutes the fire was contained. Now the men advanced on their enemy. Three hoselines were advanced into the Cook and the Russell Buildings.
As the smoke cleared people began to take stock of the tragedy. Word of Engineer Tarbox's death spread. There were also other casualties. George Moore of Hook & Ladder Co. #3 was overcome by heat and smoke. Herbert Hiller was cut by flying glass.
Many of the occupants were ruined and lost nearly all they had. John Sheehan lost all of his machinery. Bartol's and Mullen's and Doyle's were a total loss. George Coville lost $300.00 worth of stock and machinery. Ironically seventeen days previously he had been burned out of his business on Fayette Street. The cause of the fire was listed as a gas explosion. Loss at Mansfield's Hatters were listed as primarily from chemicals and water from the fire fighting. An editorial in the Lynn Item raised the issue of organizing a fire protective salvage unit similar to Boston's. In the editorial it was stated that much damage from smoke and water at this fire could have been prevented. Unfortunately with the exception of some private endeavors with uneven performance this was never to be.
A funeral was held for Chief Tarbox. He had joined the department in 1873. He was promoted to Assistant Foreman of Steam Fire Engine Co. #5 in 1878 and became Engine #5's Foreman in 1884. In 1889 he was promoted to Third Assistant Chief Engineer of the Lynn Fire Department. One of his three brothers was a firemen on Chemical Fire Engine Co. #1 and he left a wife and two sons.
The day of the fire Chief Tarbox was in the thick of the fight leading his men. This was his reputation. Like all model fire officers he was known to never send another man where he would not go himself.
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