A LOOK BACK.

[guitarman314]

Believe it or not, I live near the 42 Pct. The closest fire alarm box to my residence is 2323. I believe the street used to be referred to as 'gasoline alley' during the way years. I recall reading here that 2323 was one of the busier boxes during those years.

The old vacant court house is still there, where St. Ann's Ave and Third Ave meet, behind that new glass building. That building is Boricua College. There are also fairly new apartment buildings there, along Third Ave running from 161 St to 163 St.

There is still an old vacant warehouse behind the Days Inn, on Brook Ave. I've seen L.19 drilling there a few times.

There are also new apartment buildings along St. Ann's Ave and Eagle Ave, between 156 St and 160 St and on 161 st, Between Courtlandt and Melrose and then from Melrose to Elton.

The St. Mary's, Jackson, McKinley and Forest houses are nearby and I'm always amazed at the number of runs I hear for these buildings. It seems like there's compactor fires everyday at one or each of these buildings.

The Morris and Morrisania houses are just a bit further up on Washington, near the quarters of E.50/L.19/BC.26, and those are some very rough places.

I've heard that the Third Ave corridor between the Cross Bronx Expwy and Claremont Pkwy was referred to as "Gasoline Alley" during the day.

  Is this it?

 

[minerva14road]

That's it. I believe the assignment is nearly the same, but 82 is 4th and the Chief is the 26.

 

[68jk09]

2323 Cauldwell & 160 defintely one of the  busiest back in the day  as well as 2743 Charlotte & 170  later ....Chief "......." who posts here was there at both as a LT & CPT.     

 

[Dover FD]

A few months back, I asked my brother, a South Bronx war years veteran, where he caught his first job.  Without hesitation, he said "151 and Union." That was over 40 years ago and a lot has changed. Where was your first job?

 

[*******]

At its busiest time the assignment for 2323 was 50-1,50-2,73,19,42,B55,D6. The box, blocks, were mostly 6 story tenements and H types with a few 2 story frames, very heavily populated. Dispatcher would just come on the air and say "50 start out for gasoline alley."  One July month, probably 1971, we (50) had 17 jobs, all hands or higher at that one box, 2323. They (whoever they were) used to break our balls and every night around 0300 2323 would come in, a 9-2. Remember one summer night we arrived at the 0300 9-2 and all of a sudden one of the rigs started to lean on their siren. We all joined in with our sirens and air horns for about a whole minute. We must have woken up every one within a block of the box, that was the last night we got the 0300 box, they got the message. That was the box where one day after a job and we were putting the line back an older Hispanic man was standing there. I said to him "why are you letting them burn you out like this?" He looked at me, smiled, and said "we are going to get new Garden type apartments." I understand he was right, but so many years later that he never saw them.

 

[guitarman314]

A few months back, I asked my brother, a South Bronx war years veteran, where he caught his first job.  Without hesitation, he said "151 and Union." That was over 40 years ago and a lot has changed. Where was your first job?

  Union & 151 (2255) around 1968-69 was one of the biggest South Bronx fires I ever buffed. Super Pumper Tender was unhitched, driven over piles of rubble and used to demolish what was left of a whole city block of tenements and frames. A school was later built on that site. I recall only one Tower Ladder (14), numerous Stangs and 4 or 5 Ladderpipes. All the aerials were ALF (42, 29, 48, 31, 17 & 28).

 

[minerva14road]

At its busiest time the assignment for 2323 was 50-1,50-2,73,19,42,B55,D6. The box, blocks, were mostly 6 story tenements and H types with a few 2 story frames, very heavily populated. Dispatcher would just come on the air and say "50 start out for gasoline alley."  One July month, probably 1971, we (50) had 17 jobs, all hands or higher at that one box, 2323. They (whoever they were) used to break our balls and every night around 0300 2323 would come in, a 9-2. Remember one summer night we arrived at the 0300 9-2 and all of a sudden one of the rigs started to lean on their siren. We all joined in with our sirens and air horns for about a whole minute. We must have woken up every one within a block of the box, that was the last night we got the 0300 box, they got the message. That was the box where one day after a job and we were putting the line back an older Hispanic man was standing there. I said to him "why are you letting them burn you out like this?" He looked at me, smiled, and said "we are going to get new Garden type apartments." I understand he was right, but so many years later that he never saw them.

Those garden apartments, in my opinion, are very poorly built. Extreme lightweight construction and a danger to the people who live there and firefighters alike. Sometimes I think they'll collapse when the wind blows hard enough.

In the area of 2323, there are only a few of the old buildings left. Between 156 and 158, there a 4 - 3 story brick PD types, one of which is a vacant. Next to those are two 5 story brick tenements. Then on Trinity between 160 and 161, there is one H-Type. Everything else is either project or those garden types.

I recently was on Boston Rd, in the area of 2743. It's interesting to see Charlotte, 170, Seabury and Louis Nine now and to have seen the pictures of then and heard the stories about those times. It must have been something else to have experienced that area, to have worked during it all.

 

[Disp51]

I recently found these two department orders, one from 1938, and the other 1943. I found it an interesting historical view into the department, particularly the salaries and pensions. Also, the 1943 order shows the effects of the war, with the military leaves, and the hiring of temporary replacement firemen. 

 

[grumpy grizzly]

A whole different ball game in those days, huh! Thanx for a very interesting post!

 

[grumpy grizzly]

I hit the post from 3rd alarm in 1968. Fantastic numbers for everything. But Chicago had 138 stations with 131 companies and Boston had 43 houses with 77 companies. As of this date CFD has 100 houses. Now Boston is 34 houses with 34 engines and 20 ladder companies. Chicago is 98 houses, 96 engine companies and 61 trucks (CFD lingo). There is one single truck house, T-24). Cannot explain the discrepancies in house vs companies. CFD is -1. Thank you Kevin White for cutting so many companies. Wanted to be POTUS, thank God he did not make it.

 

[memory master]

2 Mack (post office type) 2 seat cabs w/no provision up front for the FFs who hade to ride the side (1 marked LAD*52)....these were replacement tractors attached to various manufacture Aerials that had their original tractor damaged or destroyed....only a few were purchased in the early '70s ...they were not too good & were shortlived in the FDNY........ www.ebay.com/itm/FDNY-Mack-MB-ladders/121160932982?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D673241947365173460%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D121160934671%26

85 Truck had one and I believe 152 had one for a while also.

 

[mack]

L 85  1960s:

 

[johnd248]

Something makes me think L 115 in Long Island City had one.

 

[mac8146]

L-52 had a Mack MB pulling what became the last in service wooden ladder, cant find photo of it taken at rock when L-52 gave up the last wooden aerial for a hand me down metal aerial ladder. (Seagrave or American LaFrance)

 

[lucky]

L 140 had a 1969 mack/1953 pirsh ladder

 

[memory master]

Where oh where do I know that name from on the 1943 order, Sidney Boonin???? :-\

 

[XPFD3]

The aerial in the L.85 photo looks like a Pirsch.  Not much ladder when you got to the top when fully extended.

 

[memory master]

Where oh where do I know that name from on the 1943 order, Sidney Boonin???? :-\

Was he the Capt. of L144 in the early 60's?

 

[memory master]

Where oh where do I know that name from on the 1943 order, Sidney Boonin???? :-\

Was he the Capt. of L144 in the early 60's?

Nope, forget that. It was a different Sidney.

 

[guitarman314]

2 Mack (post office type) 2 seat cabs w/no provision up front for the FFs who hade to ride the side (1 marked LAD*52)....these were replacement tractors attached to various manufacture Aerials that had their original tractor damaged or destroyed....only a few were purchased in the early '70s ...they were not too good & were shortlived in the FDNY........ www.ebay.com/itm/FDNY-Mack-MB-ladders/121160932982?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D673241947365173460%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D121160934671%26

85 Truck had one and I believe 152 had one for a while also.

There were 10 assigned to: (1)1948 Pirsch: L85; (1)1948 ALF: L39, (3)1953 Pirsch: 140, 152 & 162; (1)1953 ALF: L5; (2)1955 FWD (75 ft. wood): 52 & 125; (1)1960 Maxim: L115 . Last one became the Hi-Ex Foam Unit.