On Dec. 21, 1907, the St. Petersburg Times ran a front-page story on the “Largest Fire in St. Pete History.” “The alarm of fire roused the city,” the newspaper reported, “and … the gathered crowds witnessed the destruction of two splendid properties, and the almost miraculous escape of a large section of the residential part of the city.” According to bystanders, “they never saw a more gallant, determined and well-directed defense against fire than what was made by the paid men in charge, the volunteer firemen and the citizens generally.” Luckily, no one was hurt, but the Colonial Hotel and an adjacent house were consumed. The fire’s destructive potential reinforced growing demands for a better fire department.
Bucket Brigades vs. The Fiery Demon
In the decade preceding the Colonial Hotel Fire, “great” fires consumed multiple blocks in cities such as Seattle; San Francisco; Baltimore; Toronto; Paris, Texas; and nearby Jacksonville. St. Pete was smaller than those other communities, but its rapid growth had increased the risk and the fear that fire could consume the mostly wood structures. Assigned malevolent intent by the newspaper, fire came alive in headlines. Local homes were “Destroyed by Fiery Demon.” Entire city blocks were put in “great danger” when the “Fire Demon Comes Again.” When the 775-pound fire bell rang out, volunteer “firemen and citizens alike” gathered to battle the “demon” with the tools available at the time. The volunteers of Alert Hose Company No. 1 operated the available pumping equipment, and citizens formed bucket brigades to pass water down the lines. As the Colonial Hotel fire demonstrated, this method could be successful in stopping the spread of destruction, but the fear of fire’s potential was always present.
St. Pete Needs A Better Fire Department
In early 1906, the City Council began discussing efforts to “organize the necessary companies’’ to form the fire department. By then, most larger cities throughout the United States already had moved past volunteer bucket brigades and hand-pumped water carts to paid firefighters and steam-powered water pumps with horse-drawn engines. A few had even begun the transition into the motorized era. As a relatively young and relatively small community, St. Pete started small by authorizing the purchase of a fire hose and a small steam-powered water pump in 1906. Then, for more than a year, City Council haggled over additional details and budgets, engaging in a “spirited discussion” about further funding. Community members also offered their thoughts and comments. Some complained about the lack of a “decent fire company.” Others offered unique suggestions. According to one local, given the “condition the city and streets are at present, a fire engine is not wanted.” Instead, he opined, St. Pete needed a giant reservoir with sufficient pressure to send water through a hose of about 2,000 feet. City leaders ignored that suggestion, but in December of 1907, just days before the Colonial Hotel fire, they did approve funds to hire a new paid chief and three paid firefighters. They also authorized a larger steam engine pump, a team of fire horses to pull the engine, and furniture for a “sleeping room,” so someone was always on call. As 1908 dawned, St. Petersburg was poised to leave behind old methods and look to the future of firefighting under the leadership of Chief G.W. Anderson.
Chemical Crank and a Modern Fire Force
Under Anderson’s watch, the newly organized department doubled in size, added a team of horses (Dick and Dan), built Fire Station No. 1, and pushed for the purchase of its first “motor truck.” Anderson was gravely ill by the time the council approved the truck’s 1912 purchase, but the news that the new machine would bear his name on two nickelplated plaques “had a wonderful effect on his condition.” It didn’t, however, stop the inevitable. After Anderson’s death, the city recruited 15-year veteran and fire captain J.T. McNulty from Birmingham. Dubbed a “chemical crank” because of his progressive belief in using chemicals ahead of water, he quickly modernized the fire force. By the end of his first full year, their record was being described as “singularly excellent” and “the best found in any city of like size in the South.” Over the next 20 years, McNulty increased staffing and championed efforts to expand and modernize stations and equipment. When he retired with glowing accolades in 1936, the department had grown to 42 firefighters, five stations, six pump engines, two 500-gallon tank wagons, two chemical trucks, and an aerial truck. Even so, he doubted it was enough. McNulty wanted more firefighters and still better equipment. His parting warning echoed the fears of 30 years before: “We’ve been lucky — but some day St. Petersburg will have a fire that won’t soon be forgotten.” Luckily, McNulty was wrong. Thanks to the foundation he helped build, and the dedication of the men (including non-white men as of 1972) and women (beginning in 1982) of the force, the day of that “great fire” has never come.
Sources available on request
