The Unlucky 13th Harrison accepted the appointment, but due to his belief that the 13th was an unlucky day, he asked to delay his start until December 14. This meant Assistant Chief Jack Sweeting would remain in charge for one more day. Little did anyone know that this would become the darkest day in the history of the Evanston Fire Department. The Mark Manufacturing Company, located at 1900 Dempster Street, was Evanston’s largest employer in 1905, employing over 1,000 people. Founded in 1901 by Cyrus Mark and his sons, the company was a subsidiary of the Youngstown Steel & Tube Company, producing wrought-iron pipe. The plant included several buildings: the pipe mill, engine house, warehouse, and smaller structures. At 12:50 PM on December 13, 1905, the fire department received a call about a fire at the Mark Manufacturing Company. A leak in the socket room had ignited crude oil, and all 200 workers were safely evacuated. Employees used their own equipment to fight the fire while the EFD rushed to the scene. Upon arrival around 1 PM, firefighters from Station #1 faced heavy flames inside the pipe mill. Water pressure was low due to the plant's location on the outskirts of town, and the only steam engine available, "City of Evanston No. 1," could only supply two 2½-inch hose lines. With limited resources, Assistant Chief Sweeting ordered Truck Co. 1 to enter through the north side, and Engine Co. 1 to attack from the southeast corner of the building. Truck Co. 1, led by Lt. Thomas Norman, was forced back by the intense heat. Fireman Thomas Watson was overcome by smoke and gas and had to be rescued. Meanwhile, Engine Co. 1, under acting assistant officer George Stiles, managed to direct water into the fire from the southeast door. At around 1:15 PM, Stiles told rookie firefighter George McKimmons to pull up the hose line. As McKimmons stood 30 feet away at the north end of the alley, a powerful explosion rocked the building. The south wall began to collapse, and Stiles ordered the crew to evacuate. As they rounded the corner, a second, even stronger explosion occurred, and the east wall collapsed onto them. William Craig was buried under the debris, George Stiles was struck by falling debris, and Edward Johnson was injured but not trapped. McKimmons called for help, and Assistant Chief Sweeting, along with Truck Co. 1 and Engine Co. 1, rushed to the site. Within minutes, Craig was pulled free—alive but disoriented. He later died at the hospital, and Stiles was found unconscious and pronounced dead upon arrival. William Craig, 35, had recently returned to the EFD after working on a railroad. George Stiles, 32, was set to be promoted to lieutenant in early 1906. Three other firefighters were seriously injured, and the blaze continued despite freezing temperatures and a damaged steam engine. The Chicago Fire Department eventually helped contain the fire. Superstitious Carl Harrison, who had avoided the 13th, arrived later as a spectator. The fire caused $115,000 in damage—the highest loss in Evanston until 1927. No firefighters were killed in action for nearly 80 years, until 1985. George McKimmons, the rookie who started on the “unlucky 13th,†served two tours with the EFD before moving to the Chicago Fire Department. He later organized Truck Co. 44 and became a captain. His brother, Dan, also served as an Evanston firefighter for 31 years. Large Diameter Drilling Machine Large torque and large diameter full rotary drill is a kind of drilling equipment used in underground engineering construction. It has the following characteristics: Powerful rotary torque casing rotator Xuzhou Jingan Heavy Industry Manufacture Co.,Ltd. , https://www.jinganzhonggong.com
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The Unlucky 13th
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December 13, 1905, marked the first day on the job for George McKimmons, a new firefighter with the Evanston Fire Department. Just the night before, at a city council meeting, Mayor John Barker had appointed Carl Harrison, a company officer from Hose Company 3 and the son of former Chief Sam Harrison, as the new Chief Fire Marshal, replacing Norman Holmes.