From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment in our series on the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
Pensions and White Elephants
In 1912, 52-year-old Assistant Chief Fire Marshal J. E. “Jack†Sweeting passed away from stomach cancer on Christmas Day, after a long career with the Evanston Fire Department. He had joined the department in 1887 when it was still a part-time, paid fire department, and was one of three men appointed as full-time firefighters in 1888. Sweeting rose through the ranks, becoming the first firefighter promoted to captain in 1895 and later the first to be named assistant chief in 1905. He spent his entire career at Fire Station #1, where he served as the company officer for Motor Engine Co. 1 at the time of his death.
In 1913, Captain Thomas Norman of Engine Co. 3 was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Marshal, taking over as the company officer for Motor Engine Co. 1. Meanwhile, Captain George Hargreaves was transferred from Station #1 to Station #3. That same year, the Evanston Firemen’s Pension Fund was chartered by the State of Illinois. It wasn’t until 1916 that the fund became fully funded, allowing the first pensions to be issued. Fireman Matthew Maxwell of Engine Co. 3, who retired after 20 years of service, and Engineer William Sampson of Engine Co. 2, who received a disability pension, were among the first to benefit.
Meanwhile, the widow and children of Lieutenant John Watson of Engine Co. 2, who died in 1914 from an accidental aspirin overdose—after suffering back pain from a fall during a house fire in 1911—began receiving a survivor’s pension. However, Jack Sweeting’s widow and eight children were denied a survivors’ pension because he died just a week before the pension fund was officially 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 remaining seven horses to be 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 an automobile for the chief. While the city council refused to fund the tractor or the chemical engine, they approved $800 for an “auto-buggy†for the chief. The Overland roadster was delivered in 1914, replacing the chief’s horse-drawn buggy and his horse, Barney.
Despite Harrison’s enthusiasm for motorization, a setback occurred just a week after submitting his report: a bolt broke, damaging four of the six cylinders of the Robinson motor-engine. The rig spent a month in the shop. Frustrated, Harrison told the council that fire departments might still need horses, as automobiles were too unreliable.
Still, when the Robinson engine was operational, the Evanston Fire Department was a valuable resource for neighboring towns. In the 1910s, EFD units often responded to fires in Wilmette. One notable incident was a major blaze on Railroad Avenue on August 3, 1916, involving a bank, a restaurant, and a grocery store.
October 31, 1913, proved to be a tragic day. On Halloween night, a fire broke out at the home of prominent civil engineer Grafton Stevens in Wilmette. Mrs. Stevens was trapped inside, and her husband ran back in to save her. Both perished in the flames, despite the efforts of firefighters from both Wilmette and Evanston.
The Jumbo’s finest moment came on December 30, 1913, when Motor Engine Co. 1 raced up Railroad Avenue toward 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. Members of EFD Motor Engine Co. 1 quickly deployed two 25-foot ladders, rescuing five people, and used the Jumbo’s powerful 750-GPM pump to help put out the fire.
The Jumbo also played a critical 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.
While the Robinson Fire Apparatus Manufacturing Company built fast and powerful engines, their vehicles were known for being temperamental and prone to breakdowns. The Jumbo, in particular, was a “white elephantâ€â€”a costly and impractical investment. Despite its many mechanical issues and frequent repairs, the Jumbo was undeniably fast and powerful when it worked properly.
When the Robinson engine was considered by the Evanston City Council in 1911, no companies had yet developed reliable triple-combination pumpers. But once Seagrave, American-LaFrance, and Ahrens-Fox began producing durable and dependable fire trucks, the Robinson model couldn’t compete. The company eventually went out of business, and spare parts became scarce, requiring firefighters to scavenge from other Robinson rigs—when they could even find them.
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