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LADDER 104 BROOKLYN ORGANIZED AS LADDER 4, BROOKLYN FIRE DEPT.
ORG.	114 S. 3rd St.	FQ Vol.	(Sep. 15, 1869)
RELOC.				(         1888)
NQTRS.	114 S. 3rd St.		(         1888)
CHANGE	To Ladder 4, FDNY	(Jan. 28, 1898)
CHANGE	To Ladder 54		(Oct.  1, 1899)
CHANGE	To Ladder 104		(Jan.  1, 1913)
RELOC.	163 S. 2nd St.	FQ E-221(Dec. 15, 1913)
RELOC.	166 Clymer St.	At E-211(Dec. 22, 1931)
NQTRS.	163 S. 2nd St.	W/ E-221(Oct. 29, 1932)
HOOK AND LADDER COMPANY NO. 4.

 

Hook and Ladder Company No. 4 of the Brooklyn Fire Department


Left to right: George Pratt, Wm. J. Stapelton, Chas Heath, Patrick Kennedy, Francis X. Wayrick, George Keighler, John McKwnner (Asst Forman), Russell Gardner, (up in the seat), Hugh Gallagher, (Foreman) and (inset).



COMPANIES OF THE FOURTH DISTRICT.

Hook and Ladder Company No. 4 has been in active service since the organization of the Paid Department. They are located in a district which is bounded on the north by Union Avenue and North Seventh Street; on the east by Hayward Strect; on the south by Rodney Street and the Wallabout Basin, and on the west by the Wallabout Basin and the water-front extending Up to North Seventh Street. In this district there are sixty-nine boxes. On a second-alarm of fire they respond to calls from ninety additional boxes. They are supplied with a first-class Hayes truck which has an 85 foot extension-ladder, and three powerful horses to draw it. The names of thc horses are " George " and " Frank," both bays, and " Mikado," a gray, who takes his name from the comic opera of that name

In the district covered by the company on a first-alarm is Batterman's dry goods and other large mercantile houses on Grand Street; Smith, Gray, & Company, clothiers; Cross & Austin's moulding mill, several large knitting mills and machine Hinds & Ketcham's paint works, Johnson's moulding mills, the Royal Baking Powder and Cleveland's Baking Powder Companies' works, Vogel's tinware factory, the large sugar house on the water-front, and the immense freight depots of the Erie, Penn sylvania and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Companies. Also Palmer's cooperage, Pratt's oil works, Central Stamping Company, Electric Light Works, Nugent's electrotyping works, several public schools, three hospitals, the Lee Avenue, Bedford, Amphion, Grand and Novelty theatres, St. Peter's and St. Paul's Roman Catholic church, the Bedford Avenue, South Third Street and Roebling Methodist churches, Dr. Wells' Presbyterian church, St. Mark's Episcopal, Dr. Harkins'' Episcopal, First Baptist and Central Baptist, All Souls Episcopal, two Lutheran churches, African M. F. church, St. John's M. E. church, F ether Hoffman's Roman Catholic, St. Vincent De Paul's, Calvary Church, St. John's Methodist and Christ Episcopal churches.


The station of Truck No. 4 is on South Third Street near Driggs Avenue. Since the organization of the company the men have had some extremely bad fires to handle, among them being Pratt's oil works, the Standard oil works at different times, Palmer's cooperage, Havemeyer's sugar house, the Commercial Street and North Seventh Street sugrar houses, the flat-house fires on Nostrand and Park Avenues, the Bushwick glass house, Young's bagging factory, Church's soda works, Agricultural Works, Clark's stables, Harbeck stores, Pierrepont stores, and in fact nearly all the big fires which have occurred since 1869.


Foreman HUGH GALLAGHER was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, on March 25, 1856; and received his education at the common schools. He came to the United States in 1872, and became a member of the Brooklyn Fire Department on Nov. 30, 1881. He was promoted to the grade of Assistant Foreman on March 1, 1887, and to the rank of Foreman on July 1, 1889. Foreman Gallagher is one of the brave men in the Department who have rescued their fellow-beings at great risk to their own life and limb, and he has sustained injuries from acciclents. On Nov. 13, 1885, he sat in the tillerman's seat when the axle of the apparatus broke. He was thrown violently to the pavement and sustained a compound fracture of the left elbow. On Decoration Day, 1886, he was riding on the extension-ladder of Truck No.4, during the parade. The buck was deco-rated with a figure of Liberty, and Mr. Gallagher's duty was to see that no overhead obstructions swept it from its place. At Berry and South Ninth Street a large branch of a tree hung so low that the truck could not pass under it without disturbing the decorations. He was attempting to pull the branch out of the way when it broke and knocked him off the ladder. He was picked up unconscious two of his ribs were broken and his back was badly contused. It was a long while before he was able to resume his duties. In Nov., 1886, at a fire at No. 10 Jackson Square, he rescued an aged German woman who lived on the third floor, who had been overcome while trying to escape. On April 30, 1892, with the assistance of Firemen Rogers and Wayrick, he rescued the Scholer family, consisting of six persons, from the third floor of a burning dwelling.


Assistant Foreman JOHN McKENNA was born in Ireland, Dec. 17, 1845, and has been a member of the Department since its organization. Mr. McKenna was advanced to the rank of Assistant Foreman on June I, I89I.


Driver DANIEL EDWARD KAIN was born in New York City, Nov. 19, 1854, and has been in the Department since Jan. 27, 1882.


PATRICK KENNEDY the tillerman, was born in Ireland, Dec.2, 1845, and was appointed a fireman, Dec. 19, 1872.


GEORGE ROGERS was born in New York City, Aug. 19, 1859, and his connection with the Department began on June 15, 1885. While a member of Engine Company No. 23, on Jan. 2, 1886, he saved a man from drowning at great risk to his own life. At a night fire on April 30, 1892, at No. 19I Broadway, he found a girl of seven years on the third floor, and carried her down the ladder and placed her in the arms of her distracted parents.


GEORGE W. PRATT was born in Massachusetts, Dec. 14, 1856, and he has been a most excellent worker since he became a member of the uniformed force, March 12, 1891.


RUSSELL GLASIER GARDNER was born in New York City, Oct. 9, 1853, and has been a faithful member of the Brooklyn Department since April 1, 1885.


JAMES V. RHODES was born in Williamsburg, Jan. 8, 1855, and has been in the service since Sept. 1, 1878.


GEORGE WHITEHEAD KEIGHLER was born in New York City, Dec. 29, 1842. He served three years in the United States Navy during the war, and in the Volunteer Fire Department days was a member of Neptune Engine Company No. 7. He became a member of the Paid Department on March 6, 1878.


FRANCIS XAVIER WAYRICK was born in Brooklyn on July I, 1858. He served three years and three months in the United States Navy, and was made a fireman by Commissioner Poillon on April I, 1885.


MICHAEL J. SHORT was born in Brooklyn, Oct. 15,1854, and since he was made a fireman on Jan. 30, 1882, has been a faithful and useful member of the Department.


WILLIAM JOHN STAPLETON was born in Brooklyn, Jan. 2, 1855, and on Jan. 30, 1882, was appointed a member of the uniformed force.


James SMITH was born in this city, Oct. 20, 1864. He was a plumber prior to appointment on July 1892.



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