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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 1960)
V 10 k MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREOOK MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, I960 Portrait of a Fire Tape Recorder By EDWARD V. MCCARTHY New York - OJPD - At 5:12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, a tape recorder in Manhattan fire alarm headquarter! ticked off the automatic signal "3-199-28" from the downtown neighborhood known to fire men as "Hell's 50 Acres." The electronic message sig nalled that a warehou e's pri vate alarm system had detect ed fire at Broadway and Grand st. A dispatcher check' ed the number off a file card and transmitted a bell signal Within seconds, Engine Com pany 3, Ladder Company 20 and a battalion chief radioed back "on the way." Lived Up To Dread In the next eight hours, lower Broadway lived up to all the dread expressed in its nickname of "Hell's 50 Acres." A force r 1 v a 1 1 1 n g the strength of an army division was deployed in battle-firemen, police, emergency -ork-ers and hospital disaster crews. Half of Manhattan Is land went on a war footing. And before the night was over the fearsome bell signal "5-5-5-5" sounded in 270 New York fire stations to report that fire men were dead in action. This was no civil defense alert or cold war flareup. It was fire, the ancient enemy of every city. As a memorial to those who die fighting fire and a reminder to those vhose carelessness can court the dis aster of uncontrolled flame, here is the story of Alarm 3-199-28-a conflagration that de stroyed or damaged six New York buildings, killed three firemen, and set off a massive investigation of New York's ability to protect itself from its biggest enemy even in the era of the A-bomb. One of 83 Calls The 5:12 p.m. signal was one of 83 calls received Nov. 18 at the Manhattan alarm headquarters In the middle of Central Park. Flashing lights, a buzzer and the recorded tape took down the electronic ' message triggered when heat melted a detector head in the basement of 463 Broadw . . a five-story masonry leftover of the last century. "Hell's 50 Acres" a dingy lower West Side hive of crowded "loft buildings" hlgh- cclllnged commercial struc tures dating back to the Inte 1800s. Small firms jam into them and fire hazards are numerous. Six firemen died in Febru ary, 1958, in a loft building fire a block away. The next month, 24 workers lost their lives in a similar blaze near by. Answering the automatic alarm from 463 Broadway, a dispatcher sent out the bell signal which started Engine 31 and Ladder Truck 20 and Battalion Chief Harold Ander aon on a routine "run." . Four minutes later, Ander son radioed back from his car "send out Box 190." The fire was too much for "one and one," Fire Department slang for one pumper and one ladder truck. This brought two more engine companies, another ladder truck and Squad Unit 8. The latter is a manpower unit which travels without pump or ladder equip ment. Six minutes after the first alarm, a diversion sent chief dispatcher Thomas Redm. "d into full action. Box 98 at Frankfurt and Gold st. 15 blocks away in "Hell's 50 Acres," rang out the newj of another fire. Redmond sent two engine companies, two ladder trucks and another squad to that lo cation and began to worry. A veteran of 39 years as a dis patcher, Redmond knew this neighborhood; he didn't like the idea of two boxes "hitting In" so close together, Ftari Justified His fears soon were Justi fied. At 5:23 p.m., Battalion Chief William T. Heldcn ra dioed and asked for a full first alarm assignment at Box 98. Five minutes later, Chief Heldcn reported he was using "all hands" on a fire sweeping up an airshaft in a five story warehouse building. At 5:29 the radio barked, "by order of Chief Heldcn, transmit a second alarm for Box 98 . . ." for the Gold st. fire. Now the pace quickened. At 5:30 p.m. came the radio mes sage, "by order of Chief An derson, transmit a 2nd alarm for Box 199 . . ." for the fire at 463 Broadway. The companies Anderson needed on Broadway wei al ready on the way to Gold st. The dispatcher made a snap decision. He sent out a third alarm, bringing in companies from Midtown Manhattan and from Brooklyn, across the East river. Fire Commissioner Edward F. Cavanngh Jr., cruising on the nearby East River Drive, heard this radio by-play. He, too, knew the neighborhood nd the dangerous potential. i y " ' ; -v v ' ' a .-. , - ; , 1 f - "A , J BLAZE CLAIMS FIREMEN Firemen are shown in action during a blaze in a loft building in New York City. Three firemen Cavanagh ordered his driver to head for Box 19D. At Box 199, things were happening fast, too fast. When Engine 31 arrived first at the scene, Lt. John A. McDermott and fireman Fran cis J, Sammon, John C. Cos ncr, Robert Barnickle and Royal Fox plunged into the smoke-filled cellar of a five story textile building. They wore masks, carried a walkie talkie and dragged a hose line with them. That 'Wild Canary' is Wild And Yellow-But No Canary The vivacious little yellow bird that so gleefully flits through the orchard, across the lawn or In the flowering shrubs of the city park and which we so often call the "wild canary" Is truly wild and surely yellow in color. But it is certainly not a ca nary. Even a casual observation of this cheerful little warbler will reveal many striking dif ferences between it and those members of blrddom known as the canaries. The genuine canary has a stout, heavy bill suitable for the crushing of seeds, while the yellow warbler, wrongly called "canary," has a sharp, slender, rather delicate bill suited to the capture and eat ing of insects. Of all the warbler family, and it is an exceedingly large one, the yellow warbler Is the most striking. As it darts in and out of t lie low bushes or Again this year l Simply Stop in at Our Office for CURRIER & IUE 1961 CALENDARS With 12 beautiful 8Vi"x 1 3Vi" Currier & Ives prints In color suitable for framing. Don Statins, insiiror tut a. All dford Offcyx 4k. Signal ' Jh,M hi tK I JL-MjUzkisJit.kltiit&i nn-'lunnniiii. were killed In the fire in an. area known as "Hell's 50 Acres." (UPI Telcphoto) As Ihc second alarm com panies were arriving, Barn ickle and Fox emerged, gasp ing. They were burned on the face and hands. They stam mered out that they could find no fire, but when they played a hose on the walls of the cellar, the water turned to steam. Conditions were so bad, they sold, all five decided to pull out. The two were rushed off to Bcllcvuc hospital, Small Worlds Around Us By Lynn M. Watkins the orchard trees, it resembles a ray of golden sunshine. Of the over 150 species of war bler in North America, this one, sumctimcs called the summer yellow-bird or golden warbler, is the most beautiful and probably the commonest. Wintering In South or Cen tral America, the yellow war bler appears in northern U. S. about the first of May, and it brings to a winter-weary pop ulace the promise that spring has come and summer cannot be far behind. Shortly after their arrival from their winter sojourn, Mr. and Mrs. Warbler will begin nesting preparations. The nest may be In a hcldge or any low bush or preferably in the flexible branches of a willow tree if one is availoble. The nest is a masterpiece of per fection, securely tied lo the Junction of two limbs or laced io a clump of flimsy willow leaves. This warbler takes consid erable pride in the place 1005 E. Main - rrtt - imsoc - " - phona SP 3-66SB Starts They thought the other three men were right behind them. They weren't. The flames, almost un checked, raced through all five floors of the structure and beams turned to charcoal and collapsed. Tremendous globes pf fire burst through the roof and lit up the sky for miles around. By now chief of department George David was at the scene. He had heard about the trapped men. where its eggs and young are to be placed. Torn strips of bark are skillfully and care fully interwoven and the lin ing is often the down from the cattail. If this material is not available, feathers, soft grasses or pieces of thread or spider web will offer a soft, cozy bed for the baby war blers. Perhaps because the nest is so attractive, it is often used by the lazy cowbird, who may sneak in while the rightful owner is away and lay a single egg In the nest. It may even happen that the cowbird baby will- grow so strong and so bold as lo push the baby war blers from their own home. The yellow warbler's eggs are usually four In number, greenish-white in color and splashed around the larger end with brown blotches. While the rather dull col ored little female yellow-bird is incubating her eggs, the brightly colored male emits his cheery "che-wce, che-wee." For some peculiar, and little understood reason' the male yellow warbler prefers to sing only In the forenoon. His is a pleasant voice, and of course his coat is as yellow as butter, marked delicately with chest nut streaks along the sides. He is all this and more, but he is no conary. (Released by The Register and Tribune Syndicate, 1960) ,w "Tirr Iwl .....JIAOINI -IIHII lll Series ' Grim, sweat -soaked and weary, Cavanagh and David directed a squad of 10 men at the corner of Broadway and Grand. With a five-story wall threatening to let go over their heads at any minute, the men used crowbars and sledge hammers to pound their way through sidewalk gratings to make an opening into the cel lar where the three firemen were trapped. Ism Northwest "Rome Beauty" First-of-the-week special LOW price on these fancy grade, all-purpose apples. Medium tart, colorful ... the finest apple ever for baking, grand for pies and sauce; a favorite for TV nibbling and lunch boxes. Get a big bagful or a box, todayl Irtti lb. IU Texas Pinks Juice Oranges Tokay Grapes Winesap Apples Extra fancy. Fresh Peanuts Wesson Salad Bleach Tide r -Cheer 51 01 PurexorGloroxBleat Fresh from Safeway's Skylark WHITE SANDWICH BREAD Mrs. Wright's Bread Cnk Dnllo NEW Skylark, brown pkft. 44. rrenCn nOIIS ,erve.So-o convenient of 6 M" For Extra Savings, We Give Valuable Gold Bond Stamps c.fi u..... t:.. wi. ouu-nsvs iiaauB Brocade Facial Soap U.IL..'. with FREE muiiiei a uaia Chinaware Soda Crackers XtVfL 2'lb' I!.! 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