It’s National Fire Safety Month, and the need for awareness campaign was never more apparent during the fall of 1940 across the region.
For example, as The Oneonta Star of Sept. 19 informed readers, “Five hundred fifty children marched quietly from the Junior High school Tuesday afternoon in the midst of an assembly program as smoke curled from the roof and spread throughout the building in the fire in the city school system in 17 years.
“But not until the fire apparatus came racing to the front of the building did the children realize that for the first time in their young lives was the alarm genuine and not a drill.”
A janitor had discovered the blaze after 3, and went to the auditorium at the assembly, calmly interrupting and announced, “There will be fire drill.”
As students calmly filed outside, instructors asked the janitor why a fire drill now? They got their answer.
The “drill” was orderly. The fire wasn’t. It caused extensive damage from both flames and water. It didn’t disrupt classes, as special arrangements were made to carry on. The junior high school was then located on Academy Street.
In addition to drills for safety, a wise move was for dwellers not to allow fire insurance policies to lapse. That fall many hadn’t, but some likely did.
As the Sidney Enterprise of Sept. 5 reported, “Sidney Center’s worst fire in many years practically destroyed the I.O.O.F. block on the east side of Main street Friday morning with a loss totaling $8,000, part of which is covered by insurance. The Odd Fellows lodge carried insurance in the County Cooperative Association for $1,500 on the building and $3,000 on furnishings and equipment.
“E.E. Mackey, whose grocery store, meat market, ice cream and soft drink parlor was located on the ground floor, is said to have carried insurance on his stock and equipment in two companies to the amount of $2,500.
“Fearing the spread of the flames to other buildings, fire departments from Sidney and Unadilla were called and both made record runs to the scene. Two men were injured, neither seriously, when the porch roof collapsed and they fell to the ground.
Further east in the Catskills, the Catskill Mountain News of Sept. 19 informed readers, “The Maple Grove hotel at Porterstown, a mile from Fleischmanns, was completely destroyed by fire of an unknown origin last Friday evening at about 9 o’clock. Mrs. Minnie Rapp, owner, who purchased the house some 20 years ago, was at Margaretville attending the Legion fair there. A large number of local firemen were also in Margaretville for the same purpose.
“The Maple Grove hotel is one of the best known farm boarding houses in the Fleischmanns section. Previous to the time it was acquired by Mrs. Rapp it entertained many summer guests, The house was insured for $2,000 to $2,500 on the contents.”
While these fires made their fair share of damage, the largest of all was reported in the Cobleskill Index of Oct. 31, as “Most of the business section on the main streets of Central Bridge was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin which broke out shortly before 2 a.m. Monday morning, resulting in losses at between $20,000 and $25,000.
“Firemen from Central Bridge and from surrounding towns battled the blaze during the night and succeeded in saving the telephone company office and the WGY store.
“The Austin hotel, a landmark of the village, where the fire started, was destroyed with the exception of one end occupied by a novelty shop.
“The Royal Starlet store operated by J. Walter Becker, a butcher shop operated by Monshie and Son and the drug store of Addison L. Brand, were razed.
“Rev. David Gaise, pastor of the Bethany Lutheran church, discovered the fire when he was awakened by the crying of his baby. From the parsonage he could see the flames in the Austin hotel and sounded the alarm.”
No word in the report was given about insurance, so one could only hope.
On Wednesday, local people were going places during October 1995.