February 8th, 1904 – Fireboat Cataract spraying water on East Pratt Street Wharves preventing the spread of the Great Fire of Baltimore from jumping the Jones Falls.
110 years ago today a fire began around where the 1st Mariner Arena stands today. It burned all of downtown east to the Jones Falls. This became known as the Great Baltimore Fire. It was finally stopped the next day, in-part, by the brave men of Baltimore’s first fireboat: Cataract. I’m proud to live in the house of one of its crew, stoker James H. Hoey. Thanks dude! Much has been written about the Great Fire, so I will focus this post on Engine 16, Cataract, her builders and her crew.
Fireboat Cataract docked at Commercial Pier in Fells Point
Last year I had a chance to check out the MdHS Library. They had a copy of The Official History of the Fire Department of the City of Baltimore by Clarence H. Forrest (c) 1898. Below is a quote from the section mentioning the Cataract
Its a long quote, but there is so much information crammed in there!
James H. Hoey is listed as beginning his time on Cataract on July 1st 1891. This is the day its service begun. Its safe to say he was on the inaugural crew.
In addition to the paragraph about Engine 16’s history, I was able to find the roster, looking to have been updated sometime after the books initial publishing. I’ll probably never know how James came to join Engine 16, but I can learn more about his boss, Captain Andrew W. German. Here is information surrounding his death a few years later:
Here is a collection of photos on the Sun website: http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2014/02/great-baltimore-fire-of-1904-110-years-later/#1