MANOR FIRE DEPARTMENT

Part two - 1932

While it appears that the Manor Fire Department had evolved to the level that it played a major role in preventing many buildings in the very middle of Manor from going up in flames in 1930, just two years later they were not so lucky. This story from the The Austin American on Sunday, March 27, 1932 gave the details of the downtown disaster:

$75,000 Manor Fire

Business Block on Highway is Burned to Ash

"Another disastrous fire swept both sides of a block of the business district of Manor late Saturday night and Sunday morning, causing damage estimated by Mayor W. H. Wentland at about $75,000. The flames were discovered in a vacant building on the south side of the state highway, which forms the main street of town, about 9:45 p.m. by Ellsworth Hawkins. He notified City Marshal Alex Nairn, who fired his pistol three times, rang the fire bell, and opened the doors of the Acklin garage, in which the city’s fire-fighting apparatus was stored. Four hours later, all buildings on the south side of the highway in this block had been burned to the ground. About half the buildings on the north side of the highway were burning, and there was no hoping of saving them. But it seemed the fire had building out of fury, and there was no likelihood of its further spread. A company of Austin firemen were helping fight the flames. The machinery took down to Manor was of little use. But their experience was of considerable value in checking the spread of fire. 

The conflagration began in a vacant building owned by Mrs. R. A. Chadwick, now a resident of Colorado Springs. Until recently, the building was occupied by a restaurant. Next door was the Acklin garage. It was quickly enveloped in flames. Three brick buildings owned by Lonnie Anderson fell before the tongues of fire next. The _____ Henry tin shop was in one of them. The other two were used for automobile storage in connection with the Acklin garage. 

Four other vacant buildings stood in a row. Two brick stores were owned by S. A. Sellstrom. Frame buildings owned by J. C. Harris and A. C. Abrams also fell. The town jailhouse, empty, was enveloped quickly by the flames, which by this time had set fire to buildings on the north side of the highway. The vacant Jake Zimpleman and Mrs. Henry Clem-Mrs. Ernest Thurman store buildings, on the south side of the street, fell in, too. 

Across the highway, the flames worked into the J. F. Nagle frame structure, occupied by the J. W. Thurman feed store. The W. H. Jones & Son hardware store was the next victim. Then the old Lon___nnie store building, now vacant, was consumed. Ross Nunn blacksmith shop was destroyed.

The area burned is located one block west of the bank building there. The store of Mayor Wentland stands about one-half block east of the Acklin garage. The Mayor’s residence, on the north side of the highway and several other homes were threatened by the fire. Men went into the roofs to extinguish flying embers, and probably prevented several serious fires.

The fire Saturday is the third blaze in Manor recently. A few years ago, a small hospital was burned, in which about 15 persons were receiving treatment. All were rescued."

Two things happened after further investigation of the fire and the property losses.

First, the estimate of financial loss to Manor businesses and residents was increased to $100, 000.

Second, two men were arrested on suspicion of having deliberately started the fire. They owned a small cafe in Manor and it was discovered that they had apparently started the fire in an effort to eliminate competition by another man who also operated a small eating establishment similar to theirs. He told the investigating officers that two men had tried to buy his place and when he refused to sell, he had been threatened with: "If we can't buy you out, we're going to burn you out".

The case was handed over to the Grand Jury about one month later, but results of the trial are not know at this time.

MANOR FIRE DEPARTMENT

In the early days after its formation in 1872, Manor had no organized fire department. Unfortunately, there was not much that could be done when incidents such as this one recorded in the Weekly Democratic Statesman newspaper of Austin, on May 6, 1875 occurred.

On the other hand, it was probably these same kind of occurrences that led to the formation of the Manor Fire Company. Although it was not officially chartered until 1892, the Manor Fire company had been organized sometime in 1890. The Austin Statesman newspaper, on November 6th of that year, gave the details of the death of one of the members of the company.

The February 19, 1892 edition of the Austin Daily Statesman newspaper recorded the filing of the charter for the Manor Fire Company.

And so it was, that not long afterward, Manor's first official fire department was up and running and involved in more than just fire-fighting. This article from the August 11, 1892 edition of the Austin Weekly Statesman details grand events planned for the community. 

But an announcement the following day in the Brenham Daily Banner newspaper told of the postponement of festivities for one week due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The Austin Daily Statesman of March 22, 1894, in a story which referred to Manor as "THE STAR OF TRAVIS COUNTY", described it's fire department like this:

Five years later, The Austin Daily Statesman writing about "Beautiful, Prosperous, Progressive Manor" said this about the fire department:

The Sanborn Fire Insurance map for 1900 shows that the Fire Company's hand engine and hose cart were stationed at a "Hose House" in the center of the intersection of Lexington and Parsons Streets, along with a 400 gallon underground cistern and a fire alarm bell on a tower. 

The map for 1905 shows the fire equipment still in the same location but adds that there is 500 feet of 2 inch hose. It also states that the cistern is supplied by the natural flow of water from  Manor's artesian well.

By 1910 the description has been changed to "400 ft of 2 inch cotton hose in fair condition."

By 1916 it appears that quite a few improvements have been made in the capabilities of the Manor Fire Department. The map shows a slate or tin roof Fire Dept. building located approximately one-half block west of the previous location on the north side of Parsons Street. (this would be across the street from Duett's Automotive Repair shop today)

By 1925, the Fire Department had moved to an apparently larger building on the south side of Boyce Street about half-way between Lexington and Burnet streets. (this would be approximately between the present-day buildings housing Ann's Private Cuts salon and the old Post Office building)

Another upgrade to the fire-fighting equipment occurred in 1930. The February 23rd edition of The Austin American recorded the purchase of new trucks.

 

Without this level of fire-fighting ability, it appears that the entire downtown section of the city of Manor might have burned to the ground only five months later. 

A story in the Sunday edition of The Austin American on August 24, 1930 gave the details. 

"FLAMES THREATEN ENTIRE BUSINESS AREA OF TOWN" 

"Manor’s biggest building and the G. K. Anderson store, one of the principal stores, were completely destroyed by fire Saturday afternoon.
The flames threatened an entire block of business houses, but was held to the one structure. 

Loss could not be estimated accurately, but was believed in excess of $100,000.

Goods from other stores were piled out into the streets. Families stood ready to move their house-hold goods out while the fire threatened to spread beyond the business block. 

The fire caught in an upstairs room back of Dr. Roy Reed’s office in the Anderson building. Dr. Reed, while attending a patient saw the smoke and flames. He and the patient rushed out of the building, notified the Anderson merchants below of the flames. The fire was discovered about 3:20 and within 10 minutes the entire two-story brick building was covered by flames. The upper structure caved through into the Anderson store and practically nothing was saved. 

No one was injured. 

Austin fire equipment rushed to Manor, making the trip from Austin in 18 minutes. The pumpers were hooked up to the mains here, and water was sprayed on roofs of adjoining buildings to prevent sparks catching them. 

Everybody in town turned out as volunteer fire fighters, and crews of men were on the roofs to put out fires from sparks. They stuck by the job until firemen ordered them back and took it over. 

The telephone exchange here, in a building close to the burning structure continued its work through oppressive heat from the flames. 

The smoke could be seen more than 20 miles and flames could be seen as far away as Kimbro, eight miles.

As the flames smouldered at 6 o’clock the main street of Manor had the strange aspect of being piled from one end to the other with merchandise from the stores in the threatened block. Crews of over 100 men and women had rushed in and out of the buildings, carrying the goods away from the buildings which seemed certain to be burned. 

The J. F. Nagle building, occupied by A. K. Hage’s general store, was next to the Anderson building, but apparently suffered no damage. Next to this was the Manor Café, then Mayor W. H. Wentland’s drug store, H. W. Clem’s grocery store and E. L. Kouri’s stores. 

Mayor Wentland slammed the door of his drug store and took charge of the volunteer fire fighters in laying hose to the widely scattered fire hydrants, and in protecting other building as well as possible from ignition.

Through efforts of volunteers and the Austin fire fighters, the danger that threatened the principal business block was averted when the flames were held to the one building. City Mgr. Adam Johnson of Austin came with the firemen. 

Origin of the fire could not be accounted for. With its building still smouldering late Saturday, the Anderson firm had not indicated whether it will rebuild its large brick structure, and had made no announcement as to reopening of its mercantile business."

The businesses involved in that fire would have been located where these are today.

To be continued...