From Phil Stenholm:
Another chapter in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
Pensions and White Elephants
In 1912, 52-year-old Assistant Chief Fire Marshal J. E. “Jack†Sweeting passed away on Christmas Day due to stomach cancer after 25 years of dedicated service with the Evanston Fire Department (EFD). He joined the department in 1887 when it was still a part-time, paid fire department, and was one of the first three men appointed as full-time firefighters in 1888. Sweeting rose through the ranks, becoming the first firefighter promoted to captain in 1895 and later the first to reach the rank of assistant chief in 1905. He spent his entire career at Fire Station #1, serving as the company officer of Motor Engine Co. 1 at the time of his death.
In 1913, Captain Thomas Norman, who had previously led Engine Co. 3, was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Marshal, taking over Motor Engine Co. 1 from Sweeting. Meanwhile, Captain George Hargreaves was transferred from Station #1 to Station #3. This shift marked a transition in leadership for the department.
The Evanston Firemen’s Pension Fund was officially chartered by the State of Illinois in January 1913. However, it wasn’t until January 1916 that the fund became fully funded and began issuing pensions. The first recipients were Fireman Matthew Maxwell of Engine Co. 3, who retired after 20 years of service, and Engineer William Sampson of Engine Co. 2, who received a disability pension.
Additionally, the widow and minor children of Lieutenant John Watson of Engine Co. 2, who died in January 1914 from an accidental aspirin overdose—after suffering from chronic back pain since a fall during a house fire in 1911—began receiving a survivor's pension around the same time. Unfortunately, Jack Sweeting’s widow and eight children were denied a survivors' pension because he passed away just a week before the pension fund was legally established.
In his 1913 report to the city council, EFD Chief Carl Harrison proposed the complete motorization of Fire Station #1. This would allow the seven remaining horses to be transferred to the street department, retired, or sold. Harrison recommended purchasing an automobile tractor for the aerial ladder truck, a new 50-gallon chemical engine to replace the 40-year-old Babcock model, and an automobile for the chief.
While the city council did not approve funding for the tractor or the chemical engine, they allocated $800 for an “auto-buggy†for the chief. In 1914, an Overland roadster replaced the chief’s horse-drawn buggy and Barney the horse.
Despite his enthusiasm for motorization, Harrison faced setbacks. Just a week after submitting his report, a bolt broke and damaged four of the six cylinders of the Robinson motor-engine, sending the rig into the repair shop for a month. Frustrated, Harrison told the city council that fire departments might always need horses, as automobiles were too unreliable.
Nevertheless, when the Robinson motor engine was operational, the EFD became a valuable resource for neighboring communities. During the 1910s, the department frequently assisted towns like Wilmette. One notable incident occurred on August 3, 1916, when the EFD responded to a major fire involving a bank, restaurant, and grocery store on Railroad Avenue.
October 31, 1913, turned out to be a tragic day for Wilmette. On Halloween night, a fire broke out at 514 Linden Avenue, the home of prominent civil engineer Grafton Stevens. While Mr. Stevens escaped safely, Mrs. Stevens was trapped inside. He returned to rescue her but also became trapped. Despite the efforts of both Wilmette and Evanston firefighters, the couple perished in the flames.
The Jumbo, Evanston’s iconic Motor Engine Co. 1, reached its peak moment on December 30, 1913. As the morning sun rose, the Jumbo raced up Railroad Avenue toward Winnetka, passing the Wilmette Fire Department’s horse-drawn truck en route to a fire. Responding to a call from the Winnetka Volunteer Fire Department, the EFD arrived quickly and deployed two 25-foot ladders to rescue five residents. The Jumbo’s powerful 750-GPM pump helped extinguish the fire, saving the building and lives.
The Jumbo also played a critical role in several major fires in Evanston, including the Bogart Building in 1912, Rosenberg’s department store in January 1916, and the Evanston Strand Theatre in December 1917.
The Robinson Fire Apparatus Manufacturing Company was known for producing fast and powerful custom engines, but their machines were also temperamental and prone to breakdowns. The Jumbo, in particular, was often referred to as a “white elephantâ€â€”a costly and impractical asset. Though it suffered frequent mechanical issues and spent much of its life in the repair shop, there was no denying its speed and power when it was running smoothly.
When the Robinson engine was considered by the Evanston City Council in 1911, no companies had yet produced triple-combination pumpers. However, once Seagrave, American-LaFrance, and Ahrens-Fox began manufacturing reliable and durable models, the Robinson’s shortcomings became apparent. The company eventually went out of business, leaving spare parts hard to come by. Once the company was gone, parts could only be salvaged from other Robinson rigs—assuming any were still in working condition.
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