From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
Pensions and White Elephants
In 1912, Assistant Chief Fire Marshal J. E. “Jack†Sweeting, a 52-year-old veteran of the Evanston Fire Department, passed away from stomach cancer on Christmas Day after serving for 25 years. He joined the department in 1887 when it was still a part-time fire department, and he was one of the first 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). He spent his entire career at Fire Station #1, where he served as the company officer of Motor Engine Co. 1 at the time of his death.
In 1913, Captain Thomas Norman, who had previously been the company officer of Engine Co. 3, was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Marshal and took over Motor Engine Co. 1. Meanwhile, George Hargreaves was transferred from Station #1 to Station #3.
The Evanston Firemen’s Pension Fund was officially chartered with the State of Illinois in January 1913. The first pensions were issued in 1916 once the fund was fully funded. Fireman Mathew Maxwell, who retired after 20 years of service, and Engineer William Sampson, who received a disability pension, were the first to benefit. Also, the widow and children of Lt. John Watson, who died in 1914 from an accidental aspirin overdose following an injury in 1911, began receiving a survivor’s pension around that time. However, Jack Sweeting’s widow and eight children were denied a survivors’ pension because he died just a week before the pension fund became legally active.
In his 1913 report to the city council, EFD Chief Carl Harrison recommended fully motorizing Fire Station #1, which would allow the remaining seven horses to be transferred or sold. He suggested purchasing an automobile tractor for the aerial ladder truck, a new chemical engine, and a car for the chief. While the city approved $800 for an “auto-buggy†for the chief, they declined funding for the more critical upgrades. An Overland roadster replaced the chief’s horse-drawn buggy and his horse, Barney, in 1914.
Despite his enthusiasm for motorization, Harrison faced setbacks. Just weeks after submitting his report, a bolt broke, damaging four cylinders of the Robinson motor-engine and sending it into the shop for a month. Frustrated, he told the council that fire departments might still need horses due to the unreliability of early automobiles.
Still, during the 1910s, the Evanston Fire Department was known for its quick response and support to neighboring communities. One notable event was their assistance during a major fire on Railroad Avenue in Wilmette on August 3, 1916, where they helped save several buildings, including a bank, restaurant, and grocery store.
October 31, 1913, proved to be a tragic day. On Halloween night, a fire broke out at the home of Grafton Stevens in Wilmette. Mrs. Stevens was trapped inside, and her husband ran back in to save her, but both perished in the flames despite the efforts of local firefighters.
One of the Jumbo’s most memorable moments came on December 30, 1913, when Motor Engine Co. 1 rushed to Winnetka in response to a call from the Winnetka Volunteer Fire Department. As they raced up Railroad Avenue, they passed the Wilmette Fire Department’s horse-drawn rig. At the scene, the Jumbo used two 25-foot ladders to rescue five residents and then helped put out the fire with its powerful 750-GPM pump.
The Jumbo also played a crucial role in several major fires in Evanston, including the Bogart Building in 1912, Rosenberg’s department store in 1916, and the Evanston Strand Theatre in 1917.
The Robinson Fire Apparatus Manufacturing Company was known for producing fast and powerful custom engines, but the Jumbo was notoriously unreliable. It was often called a “white elephant,†spending more time in the repair shop than on the streets. Yet, when it was running smoothly, it was undeniably fast and powerful.
When the Robinson engine was considered by the city in 1911, no other companies were yet producing reliable automobile pumpers. However, as Seagrave, American-LaFrance, and Ahrens-Fox began to produce durable models, the temperamental Robinson could not keep up. The company eventually went out of business, leaving Evanston with a fleet of aging, hard-to-maintain rigs. Spare parts became scarce, and many were salvaged from other Robinson engines—when they could be found at all.
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