From Phil Stenholm:

Another chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.

Pensions and White Elephants

On Christmas Day in 1912, 52-year-old Assistant Chief Fire Marshal J. E. “Jack” Sweeting passed away from stomach cancer after 25 years of dedicated service with the Evanston Fire Department (EFD). He joined the department in 1887 when it was still a part-time, paid fire department, and was one of the three men appointed as full-time firefighters in 1888. Sweeting was also the first to be promoted to captain in 1895 and later to assistant chief in 1905. His entire career was spent at Fire Station #1, where he served as the company officer of Motor Engine Co. 1 at the time of his death.

Captain Thomas Norman, who had been the company officer of Engine Co. 3, was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Marshal in 1913 and took over as the officer for Motor Engine Co. 1. At the same time, Captain George Hargreaves was transferred from Station #1 to Station #3.

The Evanston Firemen’s Pension Fund was officially chartered by the State of Illinois in January 1913. However, it wasn’t until 1916 that the fund became fully funded and began issuing pensions. The first recipients were Fireman Matthew Maxwell, who retired after 20 years of service, and Engineer William Sampson, who received a disability pension. Also around this time, the widow and minor children of Lieutenant John Watson, who had died in 1914 from an accidental aspirin overdose following a back injury sustained in a house fire in 1911, began receiving a survivor’s pension. Unfortunately, Jack Sweeting’s wife and eight children were denied a survivor’s pension because he had passed away just a week before the pension fund was legally established.

In his 1913 report to the city council, EFD Chief Carl Harrison recommended the complete motorization of Fire Station #1. This would allow the seven remaining horses to be transferred to the street department, retired, or sold. Harrison proposed purchasing an automobile tractor for the aerial ladder truck, a new 50-gallon chemical engine to replace the 40-year-old Babcock model, and a car for the chief.

The city council rejected the funding request for the tractor and the chemical engine but approved $800 for an “auto-buggy” for the chief. In 1914, an Overland roadster replaced the chief’s horse-drawn buggy and his horse, Barney.

Despite his enthusiasm for motorization, Harrison faced setbacks. Just a week after submitting his report, a bolt broke on the Robinson motor-engine, damaging four of its six cylinders and sending the rig into the shop for a month. Frustrated, Harrison told the council that fire departments might always need horses, as automobiles were too unreliable.

Still, during the 1910s, the EFD was a key source of aid for neighboring towns. One notable incident was a major fire on Railroad Avenue in Wilmette on August 3, 1916, which involved a bank, a restaurant, and a grocery store. The EFD provided crucial support.

October 31, 1913, turned out to be a tragic day. On Halloween, a fire broke out at 514 Linden Avenue in Wilmette, the home of civil engineer Grafton Stevens. Mrs. Stevens was trapped inside, and her husband ran back in to save her—both perished in the flames despite the efforts of Wilmette and Evanston firefighters.

The Jumbo’s finest moment came on December 30, 1913, when Motor Engine Co. 1 raced up Railroad Avenue to Winnetka, passing the Wilmette Fire Department’s horse-drawn truck en route. A fire at the Winnetka Merchandising Company had trapped residents above the store. Within minutes, EFD members deployed two 25-foot ladders to rescue five people, and the Jumbo’s powerful 750-GPM pump helped put out the fire.

The Jumbo also played a vital role in several major fires in Evanston, including the Bogart Building in 1912, Rosenberg’s department store in January 1916, and the Evanston Strand Theatre in December 1917.

The Robinson Fire Apparatus Manufacturing Company was known for building fast, powerful custom fire engines—but they were also temperamental and prone to breakdowns. The Jumbo was no exception. It often spent more time in the repair shop than on the road, earning it the nickname “white elephant.” Yet, when it was running smoothly, its speed and power were undeniable.

When the Robinson engine was considered in 1911, no major companies like Seagrave, American-LaFrance, or Ahrens-Fox were yet producing reliable automobile pumpers. But once these companies started delivering durable models, the fragile Robinson could not compete. The company eventually went out of business, and spare parts became nearly impossible to find, forcing crews to salvage what they could from other Robinson rigs.

Toyota Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel

supra carbon fiber steering wheel,toyota carbon steering wheel,toyota camry carbon fiber steering wheel,toyota supra carbon fiber steering wheel

TD DYNAMICS CO., LIMITED , https://www.tddynamics.com