QUACKENBUSH WAREHOUSE
General Alarm - March 12, 1938
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The greatest tragedy in department history occurred on March 11, 1938 at a 4 alarm fire at the Quackenbush warehouse. Station 474 was sounded at 1:58 PM. The flames gutted the building and long after the fire was well under control, Deputy Chief Sweeney and four men from Engine Company 5 Captain William Devenport and firemen Louis Rodesky, William Lynch, Matthew O'Neill) made the Supreme Sacrifice when the walls of the building collapsed on them. At the time the wall collapsed, the firemen were devising a means to to pull it down because they knew it was in danger of falling. The only survivors from Engine 5 were fireman Thomas Schofield who was in the alley picking up
hose and driver and engineer Ralph Miller |
Aerial view
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who was maintaining the pumps at the Ahrens Fox engine (#3401). A never to be forgotten scene took place when driver Miller had to return the apparatus to Headquarters alone. As he stepped from the Engine he was met by Chief Engineer Coyle. Miller stood at attention and announced "Number 5 returning back to quarters." The Chief bowed his head and wept. Miller cried, "I'm all alone, Chief."
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The 1931 Ahrens Fox pumper (register #3401) used by Engine Company 5 at the fire (here shown later in its career as E3)
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Truck 2 1932 Ahrens Fox on Prospect Street (Natoli Collection)
Truck 2 Ahrens Fox with raised aerial at scene
Truck Co 2 (Ahrens Fox) on Prospect Street side of building
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Truck Company 2 and men with high Eagle Helmets typical of the era
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Truck 3 aerial on Prospect Street after the collapse (Anthony Natoli collection)
Series of photos showing streams from a Van Houten Street building rooftop
Anthony Natoli Collection
Anthony Natloli collection
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Anthony Natloli collection
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PATERSON EVENING NEWS MASSIVE HEADLINE
An extra edition was published the evening of the fire
March 12, Paterson Evening News - Dayspring Collection
Courtesy Dennis Morrison
March 14 Morning Call Courtesy Dennis Morrison
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The arrow below points to the upper floors before the collapse
(Anthony Natoli Collection)
Below is the site where the wall collapsed and the firemen died: note Engine 5 helmet at the left border. The hose the firemen were using is seen in
the rubble still releasing water
the rubble still releasing water
(Anthony Natoli Collection)
March 14 newspaper photo - Courtesy Dennis Morrison
Wall that collapsed (Anthony Natoli collection)
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Anthony Natoli collection
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Below: In this scene of brick and lumbar Chief Sweeny’s horribly crushed body was taken while the recovery of his his four companions were dug from the ruins nearby. The large intact section of brick shown left center had to be moved before rescuers could reach the chief.
March 14, 1938 News photo = Courtesy Dennis Morrison
May 1938: The following 2 pages are an article from the May 1938 issue of Fire Engineering and detail what happened on the March 12.
The following photos are are courtesy of the Anthony Natoli Collection
Crowd viewing the fire - Van Houten and Prospect Streets. Rear of Ahrens Fox pumper at left
Fire at its height
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Ellison Street side of the fire
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Furman Street (alley)
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Furman Street view
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Men of Engine 9 (at right) and ? company at left on Furman Street Garage roof
Firemen on fire escape on Carpenters Hall on Van Houtent St
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View from a Main Street rooftop (old Orpheum theater in foreground
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Ambulance physician treating someone at the scene
1936 Ball Book photo showing 4 of the FF who died and 2 who survived (Schofield and Miller)
1953 Morning Call Clip describing the FF manpower of Engine 5 at Quackenbush fire
Courtesy Dennis Morrison
March 14, 1938 - Courtesy Dennis Morrison
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Courtesy Dennis Morrison
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The death of the firemen led to the creation of the Fireman's Monument first located at the Post Office Plaza in downtown Paterson and later moved to the Hillcrest Firehouse
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A Bravery in Action Medal was presented to the families of all of the killed in action firemen by the Paterson Evening News. The one at right was for Louis Rodesky (photo courtesy of his relative Harry Miller). |
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September 1, 1938 Mayor's Day Festivities
March 12, 2021 - PFD performed a Signal 5-5-5-5 Radio Remembrance of the Quackenbush LODD firefighters - this message is to be repeated yearly.
Five Firefighters Die in Collapse of Warehouse Following Fire - Quakenbush Warehouse Fire - Paterson New Jersey - March 12, 1938
The largest firefighter loss of life in the history of the Paterson New Jersey Fire Department occurred on Saturday March 12, 1938, when the collapse of a department store warehouse took the lives of five city firefighters. The building crumbled following a 4-alarm fire in the busy heart of the city. The fire department had been called to fight a fire that had started at around 2 p.m. in the warehouse and the adjoining Quackenbush Department Store. A special sale was in progress in the store and the place was filled with patrons.
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey. The 8.71 square mile city had a population of 139,656 residents in 1940 according to the US census, placing the city in the top ten most densely populated urban centers in the country. Paterson was one of the first planned industrial cities in the United States. The 77-foot-high Great Falls of the Passaic River and a system of water raceways that harnessed the falls' energy provided power for the dozens of industries that located in the area. The district originally included dozens of mill buildings and other manufacturing structures associated with the textile industry and, later, the firearms, silk, and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. In the latter half of the 19th century, silk production became the dominant industry and formed the basis of Paterson's most prosperous period, earning it the nickname "Silk City”. The downtown shopping district along Main Street had numerous shops, theaters and restaurants to serve the growing population of the city. In 1938, the city was protected by the Paterson Fire Department consisting of 240 career firefighters operating 13 engine companies and 3 truck companies from several fire stations located throughout the city.
The warehouse involved in the incident adjoined the popular Quakenbush Department Store at 192 Main Street in the heart of the downtown business district. The warehouse, located at the rear of the store, included a 3-story brick structure, which was formerly a church, and a 3-story brick building, formerly a garage. The warehouse was well stocked with furniture, bedding, and other merchandise. From the basement of the warehouse, an underground passageway led to the basement of the department store. A bridge also connected the second floors of the warehouse and store. When the fire broke out it threatened to spread to these connecting passages. The rear of the store was provided with a sprinkler system, and this helped the firefighters in keeping the flames from entering the store through rear windows. Located in the warehouse was a cabinet making shop, a refrigerator repair service, and an upholstery shop.
On Saturday afternoon March 12, 1938, a big sale was in progress and the department store was crowded with shoppers when a fire suddenly broke out in the lower level of the attached warehouse. Flames spread so rapidly in the warehouse that two furniture polishers in the building were forced to leap from the second floor. As smoke began to enter the store, customers were requested to leave. This was done without any disorder as the customers promptly left the building. The management then assembled all the employees on the main floor, made sure that all were accounted for, dismissed them, and closed the store.
When the first fire companies arrived, the warehouse fire was well advanced. The first alarm was sent at 1:58, the second at 2:01, third at 2:09, fourth at 2:12, fifth at 2:14. and a sixth at 2 :23. The alarms brought out 13 engine companies, 3 truck companies, and several chiefs including Chief of Department Thomas L. Coyle. 3 ambulances staffed with doctors remained at the scene during the incident. As the fire progressed, cracks appeared in a chimney on the Prospect Street side of the building. The Chief ordered an aerial ladder moved to avoid needless damage, and firefighters were directed to knock down the chimney with heavy hose streams and it fell inside the building.
The fire was considered under control at 5 p.m. Some of the companies were released to return to quarters as only minor fires were burning in different parts of the warehouse and these were being wetted down by streams from adjoining roofs. Early in the evening, Chief Coyle turned over the command of the three or four companies that still remained on the scene to Deputy Chief Sweeney. Water continued to be poured onto the ruins. Deputy Chief Sweeney along with Captain Davenport and the members of Engine 5 entered an alley about 8 feet wide which separated the old church property from the building formerly used as a garage. From the alley the men were trying to pour water on a fire that was still burning in the center of the brick warehouse.
At 7:50 p.m., there was a cracking sound and a section of the old church building toppled over onto the men in the alley. All were buried with the exception of one firefighter who at that moment was busy pulling hose. He ran out calling for help. Police and firefighters rushed in, and an alarm was sent out calling back the fire companies from headquarters. Ambulances were also called, and all city police squad cars responded.
Coordinated work of the rescuers soon uncovered the men. Chief Sweeney was pronounced dead when brought to a hospital, as were Firemen Lynch and O’Neill. Captain Davenport and Fireman Rodeski who were taken to another hospital were also pronounced dead on arrival. Chief Coyle returned to the scene when the emergency call went out, and he took charge of the rescue work. When he found out that five of his men were perhaps fatally injured, he collapsed. He was rushed to fire headquarters where an emergency bed was set up. The following morning his condition had improved, and he was removed to his home.
While the fire was at its height, mutual aid was rushed from the nearby municipalities of Prospect Park, Haledon, Clifton, and Little Falls. Companies were stationed in the vacated firehouses of the city to fill in if other calls came in. Among those who responded with the outside companies was Chief James L. Sweeney of Clifton, a cousin of the late Deputy Chief Sweeney. The firefighter who escaped the shower of bricks in the alley collapsed after his terrifying experience.
Of the crew of Engine Company 5 only one man remained on active duty, it was the firefighter detailed to operate the pump. A poignant scene took place when he returned to headquarters with his apparatus. Under the rules of the department, when a company returns, it must report to the superior officer. This report is usually made by the Captain or senior member of the company. But of the entire company, the pump operator was the only firefighter left to report. He went to the office of Chief Coyle, who was being revived after his break-down when he returned to the fire. Clicking his heels together while addressing the Chief, the operator said: “No. 5 reporting back to quarters.” Then he added, “I’m all alone, Chief.” And both men wept.
Paterson firefighters lost in the collapse of the warehouse:
The City of Paterson erected a Firemen's Memorial to the honor Paterson firefighters who lost their lives in the performance of their duty. The monument was placed at Post Office Plaza (Dill Plaza) near Fire Headquarters on March 12, 1941, which was then the third anniversary of the death of the five heroic firefighters who met death in the collapse of the Quackenbush warehouse. Immediately after that tragic occurrence, which saddened not only members of the fire department, but the entire populace of the city, the Morning Call local newspaper sponsored a campaign for funds to honor the memory of these men and those who bravely met similar deaths before them. Each year the members of the Paterson Fire Department honor the memory of their fallen comrades on March 12 by transmitting the signal 5-5-5-5 in a ceremony with a moment of silence in remembrance,
Commentary: Far too often we lose firefighters to a building that has already been searched and cleared of occupants and has suffered grievous damage. In many cases the structure will likely be torn down the next day. At these long duration incidents, we tend to lose focus due to fatigue, boredom, and just plain complacency. We need to instill a respect in our personnel for any building that has suffered structural damage after a fire and set up and maintain collapse zones. In this incident, firefighters had been on the scene and controlled the active fire for more than six hours before the collapse occurred.
This tragedy reminds us of several past large firefighter loss fires such as the Hotel Vendome Fire in Boston in 1972 where nine firefighters were killed when a portion of the five-story masonry building suddenly collapsed several hours after a fire had been controlled and overhaul operations were being conducted. A more recent example includes the fire in a mill building under renovation in York PA in 2018 that took the lives of two firefighters and seriously injured two more when the building collapsed more than twenty hours after the initial dispatch as firefighters entered the structure to extinguish hot spots.
The largest firefighter loss of life in the history of the Paterson New Jersey Fire Department occurred on Saturday March 12, 1938, when the collapse of a department store warehouse took the lives of five city firefighters. The building crumbled following a 4-alarm fire in the busy heart of the city. The fire department had been called to fight a fire that had started at around 2 p.m. in the warehouse and the adjoining Quackenbush Department Store. A special sale was in progress in the store and the place was filled with patrons.
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey. The 8.71 square mile city had a population of 139,656 residents in 1940 according to the US census, placing the city in the top ten most densely populated urban centers in the country. Paterson was one of the first planned industrial cities in the United States. The 77-foot-high Great Falls of the Passaic River and a system of water raceways that harnessed the falls' energy provided power for the dozens of industries that located in the area. The district originally included dozens of mill buildings and other manufacturing structures associated with the textile industry and, later, the firearms, silk, and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. In the latter half of the 19th century, silk production became the dominant industry and formed the basis of Paterson's most prosperous period, earning it the nickname "Silk City”. The downtown shopping district along Main Street had numerous shops, theaters and restaurants to serve the growing population of the city. In 1938, the city was protected by the Paterson Fire Department consisting of 240 career firefighters operating 13 engine companies and 3 truck companies from several fire stations located throughout the city.
The warehouse involved in the incident adjoined the popular Quakenbush Department Store at 192 Main Street in the heart of the downtown business district. The warehouse, located at the rear of the store, included a 3-story brick structure, which was formerly a church, and a 3-story brick building, formerly a garage. The warehouse was well stocked with furniture, bedding, and other merchandise. From the basement of the warehouse, an underground passageway led to the basement of the department store. A bridge also connected the second floors of the warehouse and store. When the fire broke out it threatened to spread to these connecting passages. The rear of the store was provided with a sprinkler system, and this helped the firefighters in keeping the flames from entering the store through rear windows. Located in the warehouse was a cabinet making shop, a refrigerator repair service, and an upholstery shop.
On Saturday afternoon March 12, 1938, a big sale was in progress and the department store was crowded with shoppers when a fire suddenly broke out in the lower level of the attached warehouse. Flames spread so rapidly in the warehouse that two furniture polishers in the building were forced to leap from the second floor. As smoke began to enter the store, customers were requested to leave. This was done without any disorder as the customers promptly left the building. The management then assembled all the employees on the main floor, made sure that all were accounted for, dismissed them, and closed the store.
When the first fire companies arrived, the warehouse fire was well advanced. The first alarm was sent at 1:58, the second at 2:01, third at 2:09, fourth at 2:12, fifth at 2:14. and a sixth at 2 :23. The alarms brought out 13 engine companies, 3 truck companies, and several chiefs including Chief of Department Thomas L. Coyle. 3 ambulances staffed with doctors remained at the scene during the incident. As the fire progressed, cracks appeared in a chimney on the Prospect Street side of the building. The Chief ordered an aerial ladder moved to avoid needless damage, and firefighters were directed to knock down the chimney with heavy hose streams and it fell inside the building.
The fire was considered under control at 5 p.m. Some of the companies were released to return to quarters as only minor fires were burning in different parts of the warehouse and these were being wetted down by streams from adjoining roofs. Early in the evening, Chief Coyle turned over the command of the three or four companies that still remained on the scene to Deputy Chief Sweeney. Water continued to be poured onto the ruins. Deputy Chief Sweeney along with Captain Davenport and the members of Engine 5 entered an alley about 8 feet wide which separated the old church property from the building formerly used as a garage. From the alley the men were trying to pour water on a fire that was still burning in the center of the brick warehouse.
At 7:50 p.m., there was a cracking sound and a section of the old church building toppled over onto the men in the alley. All were buried with the exception of one firefighter who at that moment was busy pulling hose. He ran out calling for help. Police and firefighters rushed in, and an alarm was sent out calling back the fire companies from headquarters. Ambulances were also called, and all city police squad cars responded.
Coordinated work of the rescuers soon uncovered the men. Chief Sweeney was pronounced dead when brought to a hospital, as were Firemen Lynch and O’Neill. Captain Davenport and Fireman Rodeski who were taken to another hospital were also pronounced dead on arrival. Chief Coyle returned to the scene when the emergency call went out, and he took charge of the rescue work. When he found out that five of his men were perhaps fatally injured, he collapsed. He was rushed to fire headquarters where an emergency bed was set up. The following morning his condition had improved, and he was removed to his home.
While the fire was at its height, mutual aid was rushed from the nearby municipalities of Prospect Park, Haledon, Clifton, and Little Falls. Companies were stationed in the vacated firehouses of the city to fill in if other calls came in. Among those who responded with the outside companies was Chief James L. Sweeney of Clifton, a cousin of the late Deputy Chief Sweeney. The firefighter who escaped the shower of bricks in the alley collapsed after his terrifying experience.
Of the crew of Engine Company 5 only one man remained on active duty, it was the firefighter detailed to operate the pump. A poignant scene took place when he returned to headquarters with his apparatus. Under the rules of the department, when a company returns, it must report to the superior officer. This report is usually made by the Captain or senior member of the company. But of the entire company, the pump operator was the only firefighter left to report. He went to the office of Chief Coyle, who was being revived after his break-down when he returned to the fire. Clicking his heels together while addressing the Chief, the operator said: “No. 5 reporting back to quarters.” Then he added, “I’m all alone, Chief.” And both men wept.
Paterson firefighters lost in the collapse of the warehouse:
- Deputy Chief James P. Sweeney – age 59, was a 32-year veteran of the department.
- Captain John Davenport, age 43, was a 22-year veteran of the department.
- Fireman Louis Rodeski, age 46, was a 26-year veteran of the department.
- Fireman Matthew R. O’Neill, age 45, was a 15-year veteran of the department.
- Fireman William P. Lynch, age 38, was a 10-year veteran of the department.
The City of Paterson erected a Firemen's Memorial to the honor Paterson firefighters who lost their lives in the performance of their duty. The monument was placed at Post Office Plaza (Dill Plaza) near Fire Headquarters on March 12, 1941, which was then the third anniversary of the death of the five heroic firefighters who met death in the collapse of the Quackenbush warehouse. Immediately after that tragic occurrence, which saddened not only members of the fire department, but the entire populace of the city, the Morning Call local newspaper sponsored a campaign for funds to honor the memory of these men and those who bravely met similar deaths before them. Each year the members of the Paterson Fire Department honor the memory of their fallen comrades on March 12 by transmitting the signal 5-5-5-5 in a ceremony with a moment of silence in remembrance,
Commentary: Far too often we lose firefighters to a building that has already been searched and cleared of occupants and has suffered grievous damage. In many cases the structure will likely be torn down the next day. At these long duration incidents, we tend to lose focus due to fatigue, boredom, and just plain complacency. We need to instill a respect in our personnel for any building that has suffered structural damage after a fire and set up and maintain collapse zones. In this incident, firefighters had been on the scene and controlled the active fire for more than six hours before the collapse occurred.
This tragedy reminds us of several past large firefighter loss fires such as the Hotel Vendome Fire in Boston in 1972 where nine firefighters were killed when a portion of the five-story masonry building suddenly collapsed several hours after a fire had been controlled and overhaul operations were being conducted. A more recent example includes the fire in a mill building under renovation in York PA in 2018 that took the lives of two firefighters and seriously injured two more when the building collapsed more than twenty hours after the initial dispatch as firefighters entered the structure to extinguish hot spots.
August 25, 2023: The National Fallen Firefighters Association posted a video on the Quackenbush fire Click this link: Quackenbush Warehouse Fire - Paterson Fire Department's History - National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (firehero.org)
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