Pelham Manor Firemen Helped Their San Francisco Brethren After the Great Earthquake in 1906

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Most were asleep when disaster struck that day.  At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of XI (Extreme) virtually destroyed the City of San Francisco.  More than 80% of the city was destroyed and about 3,000 people were killed.  It was, of course, one of the deadliest earthquakes in United States History.  

Though the earthquake caused terrible damage, the fires that followed were even more destructive.  According to one source:

"It has been estimated that up to 90% of the total destruction was the result of the subsequent fires.  Within three days, over 30 fires, caused by ruptured gas mains, destroyed approximately 25,000 buildings on 490 city blocks.  One of the largest of these fires was accidentally started in a house on Hayes Street by a woman making breakfast for her family.  This came to be known as the 'Ham and Eggs Fire.'  Some were started when firefighters, untrained in the use of dynamite, attempted to demolish buildings to create firebreaks.  The dynamited buildings themselves often caught fire.  The city's fire chief, Dennis T. Sullivan, who would have been responsible, had died from injuries sustained in the initial quake.  In all, the fires burned for four days and nights."

Source:  "1906 San Francisco Earthquake" in Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia (visited Oct. 29, 2017).

Though many San Francisco firemen suffered personal losses, including the death of their beloved Fire Chief who was killed in the initial quake, they battled fires for four days to limit the damage as best possible under brutal circumstances using rudimentary fire fighting equipment.  Their valor did not go unnoticed.

Three thousand miles away, their brethren in the Pelham Manor Fire Department felt their pain.  From such a distance in such a day of limited travel means and speeds, there was little Pelham Manor firefighters could do except offer their prayers, their condolences, and money to help their fellow firefighters in San Francisco. Thus, on Friday, May 11, 1906, Pelham Manor firefighters hosted a grand fundraiser in the old Manor Club clubhouse (predecessor to today's Manor Club building).

Pelham Manor was, of course, an affluent New York City suburb.  The Pelham Manor Fire Department was known at that time as the "Millionaire Volunteer Fire Department" because it was composed of wealthy lawyers, brokers, businessmen, captains of industry, and other professionals.   

The lovely old Manor Club clubhouse was decorated with flowers including Dogwood blossoms.  Wives and friends of members of the Department assisted with the decorations and the refreshments for the grand ballroom dance.  Eight members of the Department oversaw the fundraising event.  They were:  Robert Beach (a civil engineer), Foreman;  Witherbee Black, First Assistant and a real estate speculator who was one of the wealthiest men in Westchester County; George Breckenridge, a successful attorney and Second Assistant; John Peck, treasurer for the event; Henry Dey, clerk and long-time associate editor of The New York Evangelist; mega-millionaire Martin Condon who was President of the American Tobacco Company; and W. P. Brown and Edmund Seymour. 

According to a local news account of the grand event:  "It has probably been some time since there has gathered such a body of prominent men as the fire fighters in a ball of the kind that was held last night.  The men wore full dress suits and the ladies appeared in handsome gowns.  The sight was one of unusual beauty."

The event raised several hundred dollars (roughly $8,700 in today's dollars) for the benefit of San Francisco firefighters who had suffered in the Great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.  Pelham was continuing what even in 1906 was already a long tradition of charitable giving.  

 Old Manor Club "Manor House" Where the Fundraising Ball Was Held

on Friday, May 11, 1906.  Image Published in 1892.  Source:  Manor

Club "Memory Book."   NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"PELHAM MANOR.
-----
FIREMEN'S DANCE
-----
For the Benefit of the San Francisco Sufferers Last Night.
-----

The 'Millionaire Volunteer Fire Department,' of Pelham Manor, so-called, held a ball in the Manor club house last night, for the benefit of the San Francisco firemen.  This department is composed entirely of New York business men, lawyers, brokers, and other professional men, who live in and own handsome residences in the Manor.

The club house was handsomely decorated with dogwood blossoms and other flowers.  Several hundred dollars were realized from the benefit.  The patronesses were the wives and friends of the members of the department.  The gathering was a large one.

The officers having in charge the ball were as follows:  Robert Beach, foreman; Witherbee Black, first assistant; George Breckenridge, second assistant; John Peck, treasurer; Henry Dey, clerk; together with W. P. Brown, Martin Condon and Edmund Seymour.

Mr. Beach is a well known civil engineer with offices at 32 Broadway.  Mr. Witherbee Black, the first assistant, is a member of one of the wealthiest families in Westchester county; George Breckenridge, the second assistant foreman, is a New York lawyer, and is representing the Pelham Manor property owners in their fight against the proposed route of the New York, Boston and Westchester railroad.  Martin Condon is president of the American Tobacco company, and Edmund Seymour is a brother of Ed. Seymour, the Republican leader of the west side of New York.

It has probably been some time since there has gathered such a body of prominent men as the fire fighters in a ball of the kind that was held last night.  The men wore full dress suits and the ladies appeared in handsome gowns.  The sight was one of unusual beauty."

Source:   PELHAM MANOR-- FIREMEN'S DANCE -- For the Benefit of the San Francisco Sufferers Last Night, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], May 12, 1906, p. 5, col. 3.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."