This page contains a chronological listing of information on Boston Fire Department activity, across all types of categories, from 1890 to 1899. The listings contained within this page will be updated on a continual basis, as new information becomes available. Information on some ‘Fires’ and ‘Line of Duty Deaths’ will be found in the Chronology. Use the link to Fires and Line of Duty Deaths to see more complete listings.
| YEAR | DATE | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | April 9 | Office space hired at 74 Tremont St for use by the Board of Fire Commissioners. |
| 1890 | May 17 | A new 55 foot Hale-patent KCFD Water Tower was placed in service to replace the 1882 Greenleaf water tower that was destroyed in the Thanksgiving Day Fire, November 28, 1899. The tower was quartered with Engine Company 4 at 5 Bulfinch St., Downtown. The price was $4,500, less a 10% discount as delivered in Boston, including a “4-way” Siamese hose connection. Water Towers saw plenty of action in Boston over the years. |
| 1890 | June 12 | Engine Company 35 was organized and placed in service as the 2nd section of Engine Company 26, at 18 Mason Street, Downtown. |
| 1890 | September 16 | Engine Company 36 was established at the quarters of Hose Co. 4, 44 Monument St, Charlestown, equipped with a new Amoskeag steam fire engine, rated at 500gpm. Captain Seth Low transferred into this company from the fireboat, Engine Co. 31. Hose Co. 4 at 44 Monument St. was disbanded.
Engine Company 37 was established at the quarters of Chemical Engine 3, at 352 Longwood Avenue, at Brookline Avenue, with Captain Hiram D. Smith in charge, transferring in from Engine Co. 4. Engine 37 was assigned an 1867 Amoskeag steam fire engine, (C/N #252), rated 590 gpm. This engine was formerly in service with Engine Co. 3. |
| 1890 | December 24 | Two multiple alarm fires, both on Albany Street in the South End, occurred within one hour. The first fire was at Paul’s Mill at Albany and Bristol Streets, 3 alarms Box 69 at 1933 hours, damage was $78,000. The second fire occurred in the G. T. McLaughlin Organ Factory on Wareham near Albany Street. Box 68 was received and transmitted at 2032 hours. The damage here was listed at well over $100,000. Chief of Department Lewis P. Webber was in command at both fires. |
| 1891 | May 18 | A double engine company, Engine 38/39, was organized and placed in service at a new firehouse at 344 Congress Street, South Boston. This was the only engine company organized as a double-engine company.
Engine Company 38 was equipped with a new 1890 Clapp & Jones steam fire engine, (C/N 549) with a pump capacity of 960 GPM. Engine Company 39 was equipped with an 1879 Amoskeag steam fire engine (C/N 534), rated at 560gpm. Engine Company 40 was organized and placed in service at the quarters of Engine Co. 11 at 260 Sumner Street, East Boston, and was assigned a new 2nd size Silsby (rotary) engine, (C/N 977), rated 700gpm. Ladder Company 17 was organized and placed in service at a new firehouse at 157 Harrison Avenue, South End, and was assigned a new 87ft aerial ladder truck built by Preston Company of Chicago, Illinois. |
| 1891 | June 10 | An order was drawn for $345.00 made out to the Christ G. Loos Co., of St. Louis, Missouri, for two dozen (24) Pompier (ladder) belts. |
| 1892 | February 23 | A plot of land was purchased for $5,000 at 36 Washington Street, near Grove Hall in Dorchester, for the site of a future firehouse. The firehouse would become the home to Combination Ladder Company 6 and later Ladder Company 23. |
| 1892 | March 10 | Combination Wagon 1 (hose wagon with chemical tanks) was organized at 4246 Washington Street, Roslindale Square. Chemical Engine Company 4 at that location was disbanded. |
| 1892 | October 27 | Chemical Engine Company 5 moved next door to a new firehouse. The company moved from 3091 to 3089 Washington Street, Egleston Square, Roxbury. |
| 1892 | Ladder Company 2 moved from 64 Marion Street, East Boston, to 60 Paris Street, East Boston. | |
| 1893 | February 10 | Engine Company 41 was organized at the quarters of Chemical Engine Co. 6 at 16 Harvard Avenue, Allston, and was assigned a new 3rd size Clapp & Jones steam fire engine, (C/N 2169), rated at 525gpm.
Engine Company 42 was organized at the quarters of Chemical Engine Co. 5 at 3089 Washington Street, Egleston Square, Roxbury, and was assigned a new 3rd size Silsby steam fire engine, (C/N 2159), rated at 550gpm. |
| 1893 | February 23 | Superintendent Samuel Abbott of the Boston Protective Department requested permission to place, on the new protective truck quartered at Ladder 4’s house, the same amount of equipment they carried on the old protective truck. Permission was granted. The work was done under the direction of Superintendent Henry Demary, Repair Shop, at expense of the Boston Protective Department. |
| 1893 | May 10 | Combination Wagon 2 was organized at the quarters of Hose Company 12 at 715 East Fourth Street, between K and L Streets, South Boston, and was assigned a wagon built by Charles T. Holloway & Company. Hose Company 12 was disbanded. |
| 1893 | November 13 | Engine Company 43 was organized at a new firehouse at 5 Boston Street, Andrew Square, South Boston. The company was assigned an 1890 Clapp & Jones steam fire engine (C/N 2170) rated at 525gpm. Hose Company 10 at 330 Dorchester Street, South Boston, was disbanded. |
| 1893 | December 18 | Water Tower Company 2 was organized at 60 Bristol Street, South End. The company was assigned a new 1893 KCFD Supply Co. 55ft. tower. The tower was raised hydraulically (water pressure). The Water Tower at 5 Bulfinch Street, Downtown, was designated Water Tower Company 1. |
| 1894 | January 11 | A new Fire Department Headquarters, at 60 Bristol Street, South End, was occupied. The first official business conducted there was on February 22. |
| 1894 | May 15 | ‘The Roxbury Conflagration‘ took place on this date. The fire started in the Walpole Street Baseball Grounds, at what is now Columbus Avenue at Cunard Street, Roxbury. Box 215 was sounded at once and a General Alarm was eventually sounded. The fire destroyed twelve (12) brick and ninety-eight (98) wood buildings, damaging thirty (30) brick and seventy-six (76) wood buildings. The fire destroyed the quarters of Hose Company 7 and Ladder Company 12 located at 1046 Tremont Street. After the fire, both companies moved to temporary quarters on Culvert Street (present-day Whittier Street). Several steam engines were heavily damaged by the fire, which was under the command of District Chief Edwin Sawyer, District 8, and Chief of Department Lewis P. Webber. |
| 1894 | July 4 | Chief of Department Lewis P. Webber reported at about 1615 hours he received a telegram from the Town of Hudson requesting assistance due to a large fire in that town. Chief Webber ordered Engine Company 10, with hose wagon and steamer to Hudson via the Fitchburg Railroad. Engine 10 returned to Boston early on July 5, with the company having used 500 feet of hose at the fire. |
| 1894 | September 17 | Engine Company 45 was organized at the quarters of Ladder Company 16 and Combination Wagon 1 at 4246 Washington Street, Roslindale. Engine 45 was assigned a Combination Wagon 1 was disbanded. |
| 1894 | October 5 | Combination Wagon 1 was again placed in service. It was located at 1884 Dorchester Avenue, Peabody Square, Dorchester. |
| 1894 | December 24 | Assistance was requested from the City of Brockton at 2245 hours. Chief of Department Lewis P. Webber ordered Captain Smith of Engine Co. 15 to respond to the Old Colony Railroad rail yards and proceed by train to Brockton. Engine 15 returned to Boston at 0700 hours the next morning. |
| 1895 | May 20 | A new modern Fire Alarm Office, located in the top floor at new Fire Headquarters building at 60 Bristol Street, South End, was placed in service on this day, having moved from the cramped location in the top floor at City Hall |
| 1895 | July 1 | A single Fire Commissioner replaced the old Board of Fire Commissioners on this day. The first man appointed Fire Commissioner was Colonel Henry Sturgis Russell. |
| 1895 | September 1 | Engine Company 44 (Fireboat) was organized at India Wharf. The company received a new fireboat, the MV Angus J. McDonald. Engine Company 31 (Fireboat) was deactivated. The 1889 fireboat MV John M. Brooks was placed out of service. |
| 1895 | December 20 | Chemical Engine Company 4 was organized at the quarters of Hose Company 5, 398 Shawmut Avenue, South End. Hose Company 5 was disbanded.
Chemical Engine Company 11 was organized at the quarters of Hose Company 8 at 16 North Grove Street, West End. Hose Company 8 was disbanded. |
| 1896 | April 6 | Hose Company 7 at the temporary firehouse on Culvert Street, Roxbury, was disbanded. |
| 1896 | May 1 | The work schedule of “A Day Off in Twelve” was replaced by “A Day Off in Eight”. |
| 1896 | September, | Ladder Company 12 moved into a newly rebuilt firehouse at 1046 Tremont Street, Roxbury. |
| 1896 | May 1 | Chemical Engine Company 12 was organized at the quarters of Ladder Company 12 at 1046 Tremont Street, Roxbury. |
| 1897 | March 4 | An explosion occurred at Tremont and Boylston Streets, causing many injuries and deaths, with neighboring buildings sustaining major damage. |
| 1897 | June 10 | Engine Company 38 at 344 Congress Street, South Boston, received a new self-propelled steam fire engine, (C/N 727), a new type apparatus, built by the Manchester Locomotive Works in Manchester, NH, and was equipped with a 1,350 GPM pump, also equipped with large steel rimmed wheels with large studs. Problems started right away when responding over trolley tracks. |
| 1897 | October 4 | Bids were opened on this day, for the new firehouse to be built at 36 Washington Street, Grove Hall, Dorchester. The bid was awarded to L .K. Marston for $21,417 less plumbing and heating. |
| 1897 | December 24 | Combination Ladder Co. 4 was organized and placed in service at the quarters of Engine Company 11 at 761 Saratoga Street, corner of Byron Street, East Boston. This was a city service ladder truck, which was also equipped with chemical tanks. |
| 1898 | January, | The horse-drawn steam engine of Engine Company 35 was replaced by a self-propelled steam engine, (C/N 736), similar to the steam engine assigned to Engine 38. |
| 1898 | January 7 | Combination Ladder 3 placed in service at the quarters of Engine Company 43 at 5 Boston Street, Andrew Square, South Boston. |
| 1898 | February 5 | The Merrimac Street Fire occurred, with the loss of 6 Line-of-Duty deaths. District Chief, John Egan, District 3; Captain James Victory, Lieutenant George Gottwald, Hoseman Patrick Disken, Hoseman John Mulhern and Hoseman William Welch, Engine Company 38/39, were killed in a collapse at the Bent Bedding Co. factory, 116 Merrimac Street, Downtown. |
| 1898 | February 11 | Combination Ladder 5 was placed in service at the quarters of Engine Company 36 at 44 Monument Street, Charlestown. |
| 1898 | May 4 | Combination Wagon Company 7 was organized and placed in service at the quarters of Hose Co. 3 at 34 Winthrop Street, Charlestown, equipped with a wagon built by The Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing Co. The chemical tanks had a capacity of 70 gallons. Hose Company 3 was disbanded. |
| 1898 | June 1 | Engine Company 30 moved from Mt. Vernon Street, West Roxbury, to a new firehouse at 1940 Centre Street, West Roxbury. |
| 1898 | July 8 | The last public alarm bell in the City Proper, at Faneuil Hall, was removed from service. |
| 1898 | September 14 | Engine Company 31 (Fireboat) was reactivated for reserve service and placed at Central Wharf. The fireboat was the 1889 MV John M. Brooks.
The Salt Water Hydrant System was placed in service. A system of dry pipes and hydrants was built, starting at Central Wharf, and extending to Post Office Square and on to Atlantic Avenue. Connections where provided at Central Wharf for the fireboats to connect to. |
| 1898 | November 8 | Combination Ladder Co. 6 was placed in service at 36 Washington Street, Grove Hall, Dorchester. They were assigned a new ladder truck manufactured by the Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois. |
| 1899 | May 9 | Engine Company 22 moved from 132 Dartmouth Street, Back Bay, to Fire Headquarters at 60 Bristol Street, South End. |
| 1899 | August 1 | The Boston Protective Department opened a new 3 story brick station located at 161 Roxbury St., at the corner of Gay St, near Elliot Square, Roxbury. Occupied by two full-time companies, they were called Company 3 and 3A. |
| 1899 | November 11 | Combination Ladder Co. 8 was organized and placed in service at the quarters of Chemical Co. 11 at 16 North Grove Street, Beacon Hill. The company was equipped with a ladder wagon built by the Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing Company, also equipped with a 70-gallon chemical tank. Chemical 11 was disbanded. |
| 1899 | December 9 | The system of street patrols, instituted in 1874 was abolished. Members had spotted many fires and other emergencies while on street patrol over the years. Others had found themselves in trouble while on street patrol, they found the warm drinking establishments a safe haven but when spotted they were in trouble. |
| 1899 | The first rubber tires on apparatus was introduced. The first engine so equipped was the steam engine of Engine 4. | |
