ENGINE 47 (CONTINUED)
ENGINE 47 HISTORY
FIRES
Company Statistics from the Fire Department Annual Report
The Fire Department's Annual Report published data on fires, fire fighting, and fire prevention in New York City. It included lists of equipment and officers, information about place, time, cause, and estimated cost of fires, new or revised orders, the roll of honor for the year, and some maps. Until 1916 it also published fire statistics by company, and listed the most notable fires of the year. Notable fires that might have involved Engine 47 are listed below with selected newspaper stories that specifically mentioned Engine 47.
Selected News stories
"Captain Murphy was recorded on the Roll of Merit at Fire Headquarters for having, on May 6, 1885, at great personal risk, aided, at 228 West One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Street, in the rescue of Edward Hellenkamp, his wife, son, and daughter. The record was a double one, as at first Capt. Murphy was recorded with others and then specifically mentioned for conspicuous bravery at the request of Mr. Hellenkamp."
"West Side is itself a Great City." New York Times 1895. This three-page article promoting the west side as a model community profiled Engine 47 and mentioned all twelve men in the company.
"Fire Panic at a Concert." New York Times March 5 1900, p.1. "Work as they might, the firemen could not get the fire out until 7:30. ...but the electric-light plant was found intact, and the usual evening concert began at 8 o'clock, the audience swelled by hundreds of bicyclists who had been attracted to the scene by the fire."
New York Times story about a tragic fire on 112th Street. "Mother Absent; Baby Burned. Little Brother of Mary Baker is Believed to have Set Her Afire." In 1903, carelessness with matches caused 592 fires and children playing with fire or matches started 292 fires. (Annual Report, 1903, p.125).
Firemen were overcome with smoke in this account of a fire in a toy store at 162 W. 125th Street. Most of the serious fires at this time were in older neighborhoods north and east of Morningside Heights. In this fire, Captain John Livingstone, Engine 47 was overcome and taken to J. Hood Wright Hospital. New York Times, January 23, 1907.
Newspaper article describing the arrest of a fireman's son for setting fires near his home on Eighth Avenue and 150th, "to see the engine horses gallop." His father William Donnelly was a fireman at Engine Company No. 47. New York Tribune, September 10, 1908.
This article about four city fires, begins with an account of a fire at 502 West 113th Street. New York Tribune, December 23, 1912.
Columbia Spectator article (October 12, 1914) describes the University Hall fire on October 10, 1914: A delay was caused by a locked gate on Amsterdam; the water pressure was so low that third and fourth alarms were turned in, bringing 24 fire companies to the fire; "The engines from north of 120th Street were unable to climb the high hill and street cars were pressed into service to service to help haul them up."
EXCELLENT ENGINE 47 HISTORY WEBSITE
https://mhdh.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/engine_company_no_47
ENGINE 47 HISTORY
FIRES
Company Statistics from the Fire Department Annual Report
The Fire Department's Annual Report published data on fires, fire fighting, and fire prevention in New York City. It included lists of equipment and officers, information about place, time, cause, and estimated cost of fires, new or revised orders, the roll of honor for the year, and some maps. Until 1916 it also published fire statistics by company, and listed the most notable fires of the year. Notable fires that might have involved Engine 47 are listed below with selected newspaper stories that specifically mentioned Engine 47.
Year | Engine Company No. 47: Men & Officers | Engine Company No. 47 Alarms responded to | Engine Company No. 47 Fires performed duty at | Total Fires in Manhattan (and part of the Bronx) | Notable fires or News Stories |
| 1884 | 12 | 39 | 7 | 2,406 | |
| 1885 | 12 | 56 | 7 | 2,479 | |
| 1886 | 12 | 57 | 9 | 2,415 | |
| 1887 | 12 | 49 | 7 | 2,929 | |
| 1888 | 12 | 46 | 14 | 3,217 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: Convent of the Sacred Heart Fire, August 1888 |
| 1889 | 12 | 35 | 13 | 2,836 | |
| 1890 | 12 | 67 | 16 | 3,479 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: Lion Brewery Stables, August 17, 1890 |
| 1891 | 12 | 83 | 21 | 3,938 | Engine Company 47 moves to new quarters on 113th Street, April 1, 1891 |
| 1892 | 12 | 86 | 28 | 4,011 | |
| 1893 | 12 | 89 | 23 | 4,151 | Sadly, the first news story after Engine No. 47 moved to Morningside Heights recorded the death of Captain Lawrence Murphy who died of a heart attack returning from a fire. Lawrence Murphy, the Captain of Engine Company 47 died suddenly of heart attack on October 31, 1893. He lived at 304 W 125th Street and left a wife and two children. The Times reported: "Captain Murphy was recorded on the Roll of Merit at Fire Headquarters for having, on May 6, 1885, at great personal risk, aided, at 228 West One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Street, in the rescue of Edward Hellenkamp, his wife, son, and daughter. The record was a double one, as at first Capt. Murphy was recorded with others and then specifically mentioned for conspicuous bravery at the request of Mr. Hellenkamp." "Brave Fireman's Sudden Death." New York Times November 1, 1893 p. 7. [Figure 1] |
| 1894 | 12 | 61 | 18 | 3,983 | |
| 1895 | 12 | 96 | 26 | 3,963 | News: Engine Co. 47 was featured in the three page spread, "West Side is Itself a Great City." New York Times, March 10, 1895 p. 20-23. "...The West End, like all other parts of the city, is under the jurisdiction of Chief Hugh Bonner of the Fire Department and Deputy Chief Purroy. They do not "run" to every fire. But a second or third alarm finds one or the other responding to it. The larger part of the West End is within the district of Acting Chief John J. Cooney, who is in command of the Twelfth Battalion. Other chiefs of battalions who go to fires in the West End are Chief William Duane of the Tenth Battalion and Chief Peter Short of the Eleventh Battalion. The night man is Battalion Chief Benjamin A Gicquel. There are three engines and one hook and ladder company in the territory. Engine Company No. 47 is situated on One Hundred and Thirteenth Street, near Amsterdam Avenue. The captain is Lewis L. Siegermann, who joined the force Feb. 8, 1871, was made Assistant Foreman in 1874, and was given charge of a company March 1, 1887. Lieut. Henry Schuck was appointed to the force Sept. 18, 1865, and Nov. 22, 1865 was promoted to Assistant Foreman. He is the oldest fireman in the service of the city. Lieut. William Hennessey became a private Jan. 18, 1882, and was promoted May 20, 1884. The company includes Engineers William Rush and Henry Hood, and Fireman James Robinson, Thomas McGrath, Henry McBride, John Murray, William Corcoran, and William Taylor." (p.23) [Figure 2] |
| 1896 | 12 | 106 | 23 | 3,890 | |
| 1897 | 12 | 103 | 20 | 4,046 | |
| 1898 | 12 | 123 | 22 | 6,442 | |
| 1899 | 12 | 143 | 39 | 8,053 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: March 3: 249 W 124th Street; April 22nd: 228 W. 123rd Street |
| 1900 | 12 | 150 | 36 | 8,405 | News: "Fire Panic at a Concert." New York Times March 5 1900, p.1. [Figure 3]. |
| 1901 | 12 | 170 | 27 | 8,424 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: July 2nd, 1901: 330 W 95th Street |
| 1902 | 12 | 185 | 40 | 8,700 | Role of Merit, "March 11, by Firemen first grade William King and Arthur Carroll, of Engine Company 47 -- Upon the arrival of Engine Company 47 at the fire in the five-story brick tenement house, No. 3135 Broadway, between One Hundred and Twenty-fourth and one Hundred and Twenty-fifth streets, at 2:30 p.m. March 11, the members of the company stretched in a line of hose and were about descending to the cellar when the Foreman was notified by a citizen that the janitress was in the cellar and unable to get out. He immediately hurried in with his line and company, and began a vigorous search for the woman. The fire had meanwhile reached the kitchen, where Fireman Carroll and King descried the prostate form of a man. Crawling on their stomachs they reached him and dragged him into the corridor, and carried him to the sidewalk, whence he was removed in an ambulance to J. Hood Wright Hospital. It was subsequently ascertained that his name was Martin Reilly, his age 48, and that he was endeavoring to extinguish the flames in the apartment of his niece, the janitress (who escaped unharmed), when he was rendered insensible. This rescue was affected at great prersonal risk, as the room in which Reilly lay unconscious was partly afire and heavily charged with heat and smoke." Annual Report (1902) p. 100-101. Also notable fire:August 28th 1902: 315 W. 121st Street |
| 1903 | 18 | 200 | 35 | 10,046 | "Mother Absent; Baby Burned." New York Times (January 24, 1903):. 16 [Figure 4] |
| 1904 | 17 | 230 | 39 | 11,146 | |
| 1905 | 18 | 276 | 40 | 11,524 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: May 23rd: 201 W 127th Street, September 3rd: 310 W 118th Street |
| 1906 | 18 | 305 | 54 | 12,181 | |
| 1907 | 17 | 316 | 60 | 12,547 | "Their Comrades' Fate Didn't Deter Firemen." New York Times January 23, 1907 [Figure 5] "Engine Horses Slide to Fire." New York Tribune, October 28, 1907. |
| 1908 | 16 | 257 | 44 | 13,039 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: December 12th: 550 W 126th St (station 847) News: "Fireman's Son Made Work for Him: Eight Year Old Lad Says He Set Fires to See Engine Horses Gallop." New York Tribune Sept 10th, 1908. [Figure 6] |
| 1909 | 16 | 221 | 42 | 12,437 | |
| 1910 | 16 | 265 | 54 | 14,405 | |
| 1911 | 15 | 341 | 73 | 14,574 | |
| 1912 | 14 | 330 | 53 | 15,633 | News: "Thrilling Rescues at Four Fires." New York Tribune, December 23, 1912. [Figure 7] |
| 1913 | 17 | 281 | 44 | 12,958 | |
| 1914 | | | | 16,245 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: October 10: University Hall burns (station 810). News: "University Hall a Gaping Shell of Black Ruins" Columbia Spectator, October 12, 1914. [Figure 8] |
| 1915 | 15 | 238 | 45 | 13.416 | |
| 1916 | 17 | 264 | 40 | 13,677 | Notable fires from the Annual Report: January 12th: 265 W 129th St (Station 810); January 18th: 305 W 116th St (Station 812); January 27th: 1960 Amsterdam; Subway 108th & Central Park West |
Selected News stories
"Captain Murphy was recorded on the Roll of Merit at Fire Headquarters for having, on May 6, 1885, at great personal risk, aided, at 228 West One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Street, in the rescue of Edward Hellenkamp, his wife, son, and daughter. The record was a double one, as at first Capt. Murphy was recorded with others and then specifically mentioned for conspicuous bravery at the request of Mr. Hellenkamp."
"West Side is itself a Great City." New York Times 1895. This three-page article promoting the west side as a model community profiled Engine 47 and mentioned all twelve men in the company.
"Fire Panic at a Concert." New York Times March 5 1900, p.1. "Work as they might, the firemen could not get the fire out until 7:30. ...but the electric-light plant was found intact, and the usual evening concert began at 8 o'clock, the audience swelled by hundreds of bicyclists who had been attracted to the scene by the fire."
New York Times story about a tragic fire on 112th Street. "Mother Absent; Baby Burned. Little Brother of Mary Baker is Believed to have Set Her Afire." In 1903, carelessness with matches caused 592 fires and children playing with fire or matches started 292 fires. (Annual Report, 1903, p.125).
Firemen were overcome with smoke in this account of a fire in a toy store at 162 W. 125th Street. Most of the serious fires at this time were in older neighborhoods north and east of Morningside Heights. In this fire, Captain John Livingstone, Engine 47 was overcome and taken to J. Hood Wright Hospital. New York Times, January 23, 1907.
Newspaper article describing the arrest of a fireman's son for setting fires near his home on Eighth Avenue and 150th, "to see the engine horses gallop." His father William Donnelly was a fireman at Engine Company No. 47. New York Tribune, September 10, 1908.
This article about four city fires, begins with an account of a fire at 502 West 113th Street. New York Tribune, December 23, 1912.
Columbia Spectator article (October 12, 1914) describes the University Hall fire on October 10, 1914: A delay was caused by a locked gate on Amsterdam; the water pressure was so low that third and fourth alarms were turned in, bringing 24 fire companies to the fire; "The engines from north of 120th Street were unable to climb the high hill and street cars were pressed into service to service to help haul them up."
EXCELLENT ENGINE 47 HISTORY WEBSITE
https://mhdh.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/engine_company_no_47
