Going once . . . going twice . . . and sold . . . to the Janis  Investment Company for $129.  Thus ends the history of another Los Angeles colorful early fire stations.

Early Los Angeles 
Fire Department

      Built in 1903-04 in the West Los Angeles tract of the City, Engine 15 started operation out of this magnificent structure at 3403 McClintock Street on Feb. 22, 1904, five years before Chief Augustine came on the job.  History of the Fire Department and the flashy firemen of this era live in the minds of Angelenos even today. Conversations with old-timers and fire department records disclosed some stories and facts that may be of interest to "Rookie" firemen.

    Property had been acquired on January 3, 1899, and by 1900 Hose 4 had begun protecting West Los Angeles from the ravages of fire.  By 1903 it was realized these quarters were inadequate, so back there in the "good old days" when our reputation as checker-playing firemen was being established, the City Council appropriated $5511.00 to build this new two-story frame and brick fire station to be known as Engine 15 and
Hose 4.
 

In those days the Mayor also served as President of the Board of Fire Commissioners.  M. P. Snyder was serving his third term as both.  He had been appointed Mayor on January 4, 1897, serving until January 3, 1905, except for a two-year term by Fred Eaton.  The position of Fire Chief was an appointed one also.  And W. S. Moore, Thomas Strohm, and D. A. Moriarty had passed these duties back and forth since the establishment of the Paid Fire Department in 1886.  Full dress regalia of these early Fire Chiefs resembled that of a well decorated French General, for the position was one of high esteem and civic pride.

    Thomas Strohm was our Chief Engineer at the time of Engine 15's construction. His pay was $250 per month.  Seven Captains (First Class) better known nowadays as Battalion Chiefs, drew $125, while nine Captains (Second Class) received $115 a month.  First Class Engineers and Second Class Engineers received $120 and $110 respectively.  Total personnel of the department was 166 and their combined salaries were $141,386.67.  All 78 of the hosemen and laddermen drew the fabulous salary of $60 to $80 a month.

ALARMS

    Annual reports were detailed accounts of personnel, horses and fires.  Interesting to note is the fact that although only 727 fires occurred during the year, the leading cause of fire, then and now (1953), is the disposal of rubbish.  With the exception of the sparks from locomotives, black-smith forge, a fire caused by a wool picker, gasoline and coal oil lamp and stove fires, fire causes were much the same.

    Every fire alarm box was listed along with a photograph showing how to call from a box.  And of the 818 alarms received 384 were by box,  276 by telephone and 111 by both means.  The busiest company in the City was Truck "B," one of the three existing truck companies.  They responded to 194 alarms, while Engine 5, the runner-up, made it to 192.  During the year there were ten second and one third alarm fires.  Twelve fires caused over $10,000 damage. About 12% of all alarms received turned out to be false as compared to 6.6% today.  This probably only proves that people would rather see the horses run than hear our rumbling modern apparatus.
 

 
ENGINE 15'S FIRST YEAR

    Each engine company kept an account of expenses incurred during the year, and was allotted one full page in the annual report to relate these facts.  The following is the account of Engine 15 after its first year of operation:

Captain John G. Todd loved everything about the Fire Service, so when he retired from the job as a Battalion Chief in ---- he lived as close to it as he could.  But progress took the color out of the department he so well remembered, and just recently it took the department away from him.  But you can still find "Gesus" Todd living next door to old Engine 8 on Hoover Street.
 

HORSES

    Annual reports were complete documents in the days of the "suspender-clad" firemen.  In addition to a detailed account of each company's activities, all horses' names were listed along with pertinent informant on each.  For instance, Sam was the chubbiest of the 97 fire horses.  He weighed in at 1510 pounds, was 13 years old and stood 17.0 hands tall.  Don was the baby.  He was only 4 years old, 16.1 hands tall and tipped the scales at 1200 pounds.  And an old chestnut named Babe was 21 years old and still pulling her share of the load.  Naming the hundred or so fire horses must have been quite a job. But they came up with some colorful ones like:  Babe, Paddy, Rowdy, Yukon, Pepper, Dexter, Hans, and Chief.  (Hmmmmm?????)

    $12,336.04 of the year's budget of $192,496.28 went for hay, barley and bran for the old fire horses.  But income to the city from the sale of "old horses, junk, etc." added $309.56 to the Treasury.

    That much of the grandeur and color of the olde fire masheenes passed with the horse era is evidenced by statements from old-timers who lived, loved and worked in both departments.  Transportation to and from the job was mostly by trolley car, although several firemen had bicycles and pedaled clear across town twice a day---three hours were permitted for meals.  The platoon system was unheard of and firemen worked straight through the week with only 24 hours off every sixth day. One grand old fireman commented that his youngster, now an up-and-coming member of our mechanized department, hardly even knew him for he lived too far away to make the trip home for meals each day, and saw his family only on his days off.

    Care of the horses was of much more concern to the firemen than care of themselves. After every run, the horses were walked up and down the street until they were finally cooled off enough to be curried and brushed.  Many are the nights when wet and weary drivers, before thinking of themselves, cared for their animals.

    The way the horses raced out of their stalls and into position at the sound of an alarm--and to change one from the wagon to the pump meant trouble, for they knew where they belonged and weren't about to be changed--the silent adoration of everyone--the friendly hello from the passerby--the floor or "horse watch"--the annual charity baseball game for the windows and orphans--all have passed--all but two of the first fifteen fire barns have been rebuilt into modern fire stations.  Everything is gone from that nostalgic era of the early Los Angeles Fire Department--all but the memories of a few . . . the spirit of camaraderie . . . and our reputation as the City's checker champs.