CPD Officer Sonny Kim Tribute

End of Watch - Police Officer Sonny Kim - 19 June 2015

     2015 has been a tragic year for the public safety services in Cincinnati.  Having just sustained the loss of FAO Daryl Gordon in a fire on 26 March 2015, we are now faced with the tragic loss of Police Officer Sonny Kim.  Kim was a father, husband, friend, and mentor to many.  He was truly one of Cincinnati's finest and his absence will be long felt.  We pay tribute to the sacrifice made by Officer Kim and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

     Sadly 2015 is not the only year in recent history in which both the fire department and police departments of the City of Cincinnati sustained a loss in the same year.  The last time this occurred was in 1967.  On August 6th of that year Police Sergeant Albert Weller succumbed to a heart attack while attempting to bring order to a riotous crowd on board a riverboat at the public landing.  Just over a month later, on September 10th, Firefighter John Bickers was struck and killed by a drunk driver while directing traffic as the engine backed into quarters after returning from a false alarm of fire.  1961 also saw the loss of police and fire personnel in the line of duty.  On 11 March, Police Patrolman Donald Martin walked up on a group of men working to steal a car battery from a auto dealership.  After a struggle, Martin was shot multiple times and ultimately died from his injuries.  The murderers escaped and the case would not be solved for 44 years.  Three months later, 13 June 1961, Fire Marshal Robert Riegler collapsed and died shortly after arrival at the scene of a fire having been overcome by smoke.

CFD Ladder 19 and Ladder 29 (out of frame) show support for fallen CPD Officer Kim with the Honor Tower outside the Cintas Center

Photo: K.Weller

     To learn more about these and other tragic losses sustained by the CFD and CPD please visit the following sites which pay tribute to our fallen public servants:

The Roll of Honor of the Cincinnati Fire Department

Greater Cincinnati Police Officer Line of Duty Deaths

Produced by The Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum

Donations to support the family of Officer Sonny Kim can be made at any location of the Greater Cincinnati Police Federal Credit Union

Photo Credit: J.Peter

3 Alarm Fire - Walnut Hills Car Barn - 1949

Extra Alarm Spotlight - Walnut Hills Car Barn Fire - 25 July 1949

Cincinnati Enquirer - 26 Jul 1949

     Around 4am Patrolman Emerson Lucas called in on the radio to report a fire in the street railway car barn at 1611 Hewitt Avenue in Walnut Hills.  E23 was the first fire company to arrive on scene.  When companies pulled up the entire structure was fully involved despite a three minute response time.  Fire Marshal William Flamm arrived and put in the call for a 3rd Alarm.  When the fire was dispatched Marshal George rushed to his buggy along with driver Joseph Ellison of Ladder 16.  They pulled out of the firehouse and sped to the scene when without warning their brakes "dragged" as they turned onto Madison from Erie.  The vehicle flipped and both men were lucky to escape without injury.  To firefighters working the blaze suffered minor hand lacerations.

Engine 23 and Ladder 9 (Renumber Ladder 23) were the first companies to arrive

at the scene of the Car Barn Fire

Courtesy: Cincinnati Fire Museum

Firefighter Joseph Ellison who was driving Marshal George's Buggy when it flipped in the intersection of 

Erie and Madison while en route to the Car Barn Fire.  They were responding from E46s Quarters on Hyde Park Square

Robb Family Collection

     The fire was brought under control in 30 minutes.  17 streetcars were lost in the fire.  The building was in the process of being emptied of streetcars so that it could be remodeled to house gasoline buses.  23 streetcars had been moved from the structure only days earlier.  Chief Houston noted he felt the fire was arson given the fact that the entire structure was involved in fire upon arrival of fire companies.  Arson investigators looked into reports of a couple leaving one of the 17 streetcars hours prior to the fire.  Other reports suggested children might have been responsible.  

Aftermath of the Car Barn Fire 

Cincinnati Enquirer - 26 Jul 1949

Extra Alarm Fire Blueprint produced by the Cincinnati Fire Department - The blueprint shows the position of apparatus on scene

as well as the location of their hose lines.  The fire area is indicated with red lines.

JPeter Collection

Current view of the location where the Walnut Hills Car Barn was located.  

The structure was situated where the parking lot on the left side of the image is now.  

Google Street View

Explosion of the "Uncle Joe Ross"

Steam Engine Explosion Kills John Winterbottom

05 December 1855

      Cincinnati was a major production center of steam fire engines and the Cincinnati Fire Department was a national leader in adopting this technology to confront the problems of fire in the city.  Cincinnati became the first fire department in the country to use steam fire engines pulled by horse and operated by a professional paid fire department.  This unique combination of three key elements established a new standard for quality in the fire service.  The Cincinnati model would not be surpassed for more than 60 years when mechanized apparatus started to replace horse drawn steamers.  Other cities saw the success of Cincinnati's new professional department and wanted to bring the steam fire engines to their communities.  When considering what engines to purchase, representatives of these cities often made the trip to Cincinnati to see demonstrations of their engines in action.  Such was the case on December 5th, 1855.  The famous first steamer in Cincinnati's fleet, "The Uncle Joe Ross," was brought out for a demonstration before a committee of men from Chicago. 

     Alexander Latta, the inventor of the engine, was on hand as engineer John Winterbottom brought the engine up to pressure.  As the steam pressure reached its highest point a hose burst and people tried to warn Winterbottom to stop the engine.  Others had made warning regarding how high the pressure was getting and the amount of water in the engine.  Finally Winterbottom shut the engine off but just as it stopped it exploded in a blast that tossed the engineer into the air.  Windows were blown out of neighboring buildings.  Winterbottom had been killed and Latta injured.  

B.Houston Collection

A newspaper image of the blast that killed Winterbottom

     New reports indicate a subsequent investigation led by Miles Greenwood found that the explosion was the result of an error made by Winterbottom and not an inherent problem with the engine.  

     None of the newspaper sources found to this point identify John Winterbottom as a firefighter.  He is described by all sources as an engineer.  Certainly A.B.Latta, as a manufacturer of steam fire engines, would employ his own engineers.  Fortunately the old History of the Cincinnati Fire Department, published by the Fireman's Protective Association in 1895, provides some additional detail.  The history records that, "In the year 1855 three firemen were killed, one by the explosion of one of the steam engines during a trial before a committee from the City Council of Chicago."  This resource is the best evidence of Winterbottoms status as a firefighter. (pg.121)

Boston Daily Advertiser - Explosion of a Steam Fire Engine - December 10, 1855

Story of the explosion as told by the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette and Reprinted in Boston

Daily National Intelligencer - Explosion of a Steam Fire Engine

The story as it was presented by the National Intelligencer in Washington D.C.

     Update (9/24/2015):  J.Winterbottom is listed as a member of Steam Engine Fire Co.14 located on the North side of 5th between Smith and Mound Streets.  He is shown living on 5th Street opposite the engine house.  This provides solid evidence of Winterbottoms status as a member of the fire department.  See the image of the company roster below:

CFD Annual Report for 1855 (Covers the period of 01 April 1854 to 01 April 1855)

     John Winterbottom has been added to the Cincinnati Fire Department's Roll of Honor listing members who gave their life while in the service of the fire department:

John Winterbottom

Engineer - "Uncle Joe Ross" Steamer

Died 05 December 1855

Steam Engine Explosion

Spring Grove Cemetery - Internment Card

     

Destructive Fire Sweeps Hyde Park Square Apartments

10 Blow Fire - 16 January 1927 - Al'aise Apartments (Hyde Park)

     

Cincinnati Commercial Tribune 17 Jan 1927

     A loud crack tore through her dreams.  Young Lois Riley sprang from bed to a nightmare.  Her apartment was on fire and the heat was already intense enough to split the bathtub causing the loud snap that jerked her from her sleep.  Arthur Wells was just getting out of bed on a frigid Sunday morning when he heard Lois scream two floors below.  Arthur was the janitor at the Al'aise Apartment Building on Hyde Park Square.  He  also made his home on the fourth floor of the building.  He tossed his clothes on and moved for the steps.  As he reached the 2nd floor it became apparent there was a fire in the building.  Smoke started to spread through the apartments.  Her calls for help woke the rest of the Riley family who were assisted from the building by Mr. Wells.  When they reached the bottom of the steps, Arthur ran to the firehouse at the end of the square yelling for help.  Firemen from Engine 46 were on scene in a matter of minutes.  Acting Marshal Hall recognized the threat posed by the fire and called for a ten blow response.  Firemen immediately whet to action evacuating the building.  It was a Sunday morning and the first floor shops had not opened for business.  Occupants were startled by the noise, smoke, and calls of "fire."  Everyone was rushed into the freezing cold wearing only their night clothes.  One resident, Mrs. Holden had to be carried down the steps by policemen who were at work helping the firemen.  Many of the residents managed to grab some small article of value as they left their apartments.  Soon after the policemen reached the ground level with Mrs. Holden the stairway they were using collapsed.  All the residents escaped the building uninjured.

Cincinnati Fire Museum Collection

The Al'aise Apartment Building following the blaze

that destroyed 18 apartments inside.

      On the street more fire engines and ladder trucks were arriving on the scene.  Fire hose was stretched into the building and an attack made on the fire.  Ice began to cover the outside of the building.  Fire lines started to freeze to the ladders from which they were deployed.  The firemen themselves were locked inside their frozen rubber fire coats.  Chief Barney Houston arrived on scene to take command.  As he made his way up an ice covered stairway he fell backward.  A sharp pain in his back necessitated his removal to General Hospital via police patrol.  The Salvage Corps under the command of Captain Conway had arrived on scene and started forcing entry into the stores on the first floor.  Businesses included The Middlekamp Pharmacy, Kroger Grocery, Nagele Dry Cleaners, The "L" Shoe Store, The Charles F. Lahke Hardware Store, The Busy Bee Sandwich Shop, and a Beauty Shop.  Tarpaulins were deployed to protect the stock, most of which was saved.  Albert Toeffer and Frank Filusth, members of Engine 16 were working a hose line on the 4th floor when they saw the roof begin to sag.  They quickly abandoned their position as the roof came crashing through the attic.  Despite the frigid cold the firemen managed to save the building but nearly all of the apartments and their contents were destroyed.

Stelter Collection

Engine 46 located just one block from the Al'aise Apartment Building

    The fire was thought to have started in the basement of the Middlekamp Drug Store.  Three elevator shafts in the building coupled with a strong draft generated in the shafts by a stiff north wind facilitated the rapid spread of the fire throughout the building.  The residents who managed to escape found shelter from the cold in the firehouse and the residence of the Rev. Maxwell Long of the Episcopal Church of the Little Redeemer on Edwards Road.  Members of the church had been preparing a Sunday communion breakfast when word of the fire reached them.  The congregation went to work bringing the victims inside.  Other members of the church went into the street and distributed the breakfast they had prepared to the firemen and police officers who were unable to step away from the job at hand.

The Cincinnati Fire Museum

Ice covered store fronts following the 

Al'aise Apartment Building fire on Hyde Park Square

     Thankfully the Al'aise Apartment Building was saved and it remains to this day one of the most prominent buildings on Cincinnati's beautiful Hyde Park Square.  Next time you are enjoying some Graeters Ice Cream on the Square look over at the Al'aise and remember that cold Sunday in 1927 when it was almost lost.

Google Street View - Google Maps

The Al'aise Apartment Building as it appears today

Intersection of Erie & Edwards, Cincinnati, Ohio

     Drop by The Cincinnati Fire Museum to learn more about the history of the Cincinnati Fire Department and learn important fire safety and prevention lessons for your family:

The Cincinnati Fire Museum

315 W.Court Street

Cincinnati, OH 45202

(513)621-5553

www.cincyfiremuseum.com

The Cincinnati Fire Museum

Damage inside the Al'aise Apartment Building

The Cincinnati Fire Museum

Roof Collapse - Al'aise Apartment Building

   

FAO Daryl Gordon - LODD 26 March 2015

FAO Daryl Gordon

LODD Box 8371  26 March 2015

Today the Cincinnati Fire Department experienced a tragedy in the loss of 

Fire Apparatus Operator Daryl Gordon.  FAO Gordon was involved in search and rescue activities

at a 4 Alarm fire in the Kings Tower Apartments in Madisonville.

Thoughts and prayers are extended to Daryl and his friends and family.

Shoes too big to fill that cannot be replaced.

Photo: Adam Lacefield

Daryl's shoes as he left them

The following information has been added to the Cincinnati Fire Department Roll of Honor:

Daryl Gordon

Fire Apparatus Operator - District 1

Died 26 March 2015

Fell into open elevator shaft while engaged in search and rescue

operations at a 4 alarm fire at 6020 Dahlgren Street

Support Great History and Fire Safety Education

Support Great History & Fire Safety Education for Children!!!

Fire companies in service at Engine Co.45s

quarters - This firehouse is now home to the Cincinnati Fire Museum

     Greetings Greater Cincinnati Firefighters, fire buffs, and history lovers alike!  One of the primary sources for the material I use to conduct my research is the Cincinnati Fire Museum and its archive.  The museum has been in the business of preserving the history of the the fire service in the Cincinnati region for decades now.  More importantly the fire museum has reached thousands of children with its vital message of fire safety.  If you love this history please consider taking the time to support the museum in one of several ways....one of which it totally FREE.

The Cincinnati Fire Museum

Former Home of Engine Co.45

How can you support the mission of the Cincinnati Fire Museum:

#1 - Totally FREE - Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards:

Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com and click Create An Account. Follow

the prompts to register a new account. You are asked to enter an email address

and to create a password.

Once registered, go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com, sign in, and click

Enroll Now.

When the "Find Your Organization Screen" go to Cincinnati Fire Museum with and organization number 80344 and click

ENROLL. 

It only takes a couple of minutes and it is a totally FREE way to support the 

Fire Museum

#2 - Join the Museum!!!

Follow the like to establish membership in this great organization:

Join the Cincinnati Fire Museum

#3 - Donate to the Museum

To make a simple donation to the museum click on the link below:

Donate to the Fire Museum

Members of Engine Co.45 & Water Tower Co.01

Superstition or Premonition - A Dream of Death Becomes Reality

A Premonition of the Death of Henry Miller

     On February 1st 1904 the phone rang at Engine 29s quarters.  Substitute firefighter Moller was calling from the Winton Place firehouse.  He was concerned about a dream he'd had overnight and wanted to pass along a message to Pipeman Henry Miller.  Moller told Miller that he had seen him killed in his dream along with Captain Davies.  Moller was clearly concerned that his dream was more than just a tired delusion, he was fearful it might be a premonition of a disaster soon to take place.  The day passed without such a disaster.

     It was that night that an alarm from Box 46 called firefighters to the scene of a blaze at the Henry Nurre Picture Frame Manufacturing Factory at 1409 Plum Street.  A 10 Blow was quickly put in and soon most of the department was rushing to the scene.  Engine 29 was tearing toward the blaze with Miller and Davis on board.  As they sped to the fire the men joked about the dream Moller had warned them about earlier that day.

     Upon arrival the men found a 5 story brick factory situated along the canal.  Fire had been at work on the structure long enough to bring the roof down.  The tall masonry walls stood without bracing as the fire continued to rage within.  Engine 29 arrived on scene and the company took up a position on the south side of the factory.  Captain Davis, Lieutenant Bickel and Henry Miller were operating a stream from a "Y" shaped ledge of ground near a 15' hole at the foot of the factory.  It was extremely cold and the men were quickly suffering the effects of the spray of icy water from their hose.  Other lines were being operated from Plum Street.  Water access had been made easy by virtue of the proximity of the building to the canal.  Once holes were punched in the ice the water was easily drafted into the engines to supply the hose.

     Suddenly the warning of "collapse" was shouted across the fire ground.  Patrolman Shaeffer recognized the precarious position of the crew of Engine 29 and he yelled to them to run.  The men held fast.  They did not want to drop their hose without first having it shut down but they were undermanned.  A recent department directive required a man be taken from the companies and placed on watch in theaters during shows.   With only 3 men they did not have a fourth to send to the engineer to shut the line down.  The men called to a bystander to deliver the message but it was too late.  Shaeffer watched as the bricks crashed down around the men.  Once the shower of debris stopped men rushed in to find the crew.  Lieutenant Bickel was found along the gutter of the building.  Captain Davis and Henry Miller had been tossed into the hole under the ledge they had been working from.  The men were quickly pulled from the hole and delivered to the hospital.

Headline - 2/2/1904

Cincinnati Enquirer

     Fire, building collapse, ice, and cold were not the only hazards braved by the responders on scene at the Nurre Blaze.  In an effort to make the scene more secure an electrician with the power company moved to cut the power lines to the building.  A mass of lines fell to the street near patrolman Hubner.  The officer was shocked and tossed into the canal unconscious.  Fortunately for Hubner the ice held and he was dragged from the ice.  He was lucky to survive the incident.

     Captain James Conway and the Salvage Corps also had a close call.  They had been working in a 3 story tenement across the alley.  They were helping panicked residents to remove and protect their belongings when the call of collapse was heard.  The men rushed to exit the structure but stopped before stepping into the street just in time to avoid the shower of rubble from above.

Headline - 2/3/1904

Cincinnati Enquirer

     Things had developed quickly on the fire ground.  The collapse that caught Engine 29 occurred in the first 30 minutes of operating time at the scene.  Miller and Davis had been carried to the hospital.  Their families were notified as quickly as possible of the situation.  Mary Miller, Henry's wife, received word of the collapse and she frightfully rushed to the hospital.  As she arrived Henry died of his injuries.  He had sustained a skull fracture and had been crushed by the falling debris.  He died at 12:25am on February 2nd.

     Miller was 40 years old and in addition to his wife he left behind a 3 year old daughter.  The family resided at 1079 West Liberty Street.  A substitute detail was assigned to Engine 29s quarters so the regular members could participate in the funeral a couple of days later.  The men were decorating the hose wagon that would carry Millers body from his home to the services when smoke was seen coming from a residence at 1071 West Liberty.  The firemen prepared for the funeral procession were at the ready and they broke from their positions to extinguish what was found to be a burning box of waste.  The subs from Engine 29 arrived and took over.  Soon the procession was making its way past the Gifts house.  A bell from the Gifts tolled a final time in honor of Miller as he was carried to the German Protestant Cemetery on Vine Street.

University of Cincinnati Rare Books

Birth and Death Index Card

   
     Superstitions of one kind or another are not uncommon among firefighters.  Indeed many people occasionally put stock in superstitious beliefs.  People sometimes experience dreams that seem to carry some meaning in our conscious lives.  Such was the reason for the concerns of Moller.  Perhaps is was simple coincidence that he called to tell Miller of his dream just hours before Miller was killed.  Fortunately for Captain Davis the premonition was only partly accurate.

     This tragic story of superstition, premonition, death, and sacrifice had been lost to history.  The following will be added to the Roll of Honor in recognition of the heavy price paid by Miller and his family in service to the CFD and the City of Cincinnati:

Henry G. Miller

Pipeman - Engine Co.29

Died 02 February 1904

Crushed in wall collapse at fire scene 

Henry G. Miller Headstone

Vine Street Hill Cemetery (German Protestant Cemetery)