Document text
Approximately 3,000 words
52 B
TITLE
SOUTH wicsana WAITERS' PROJECT
LIFE =Tow
LIFE OF A FIREMAN
Date of First Writing
Name of Person Interviewed
Fictitious Name
Street Address
Place
Occupation
Name of Writer
Name of Reviser
February 6, 1939
Thomas C. Zobel (White)
James L. Hicks
2429 Divine Street
Columbia, S. C.
Fireman
Stiles M. Soruggs
State Office
"One am hardly be fat and a fireman," said James L. Bioko of the
Columbia Fire Department. *I have been fighting fires for nearly half
a century, and I have learned that muoh.
*I've been in the servioe forty-two years, beginning in my sixteenth
year as a volunteor. I was born in Columbia in 1881. My parents were
ESnry and Hannah (Swore) Hicks. Both are dead. My father was a cabinet-
maker for the Southern Railway. BS came to Columbia fram Newberry County
in 1880 to follow that trade in the shore here. He had lost a leg fighting
what he always called the Idamn.yankees,' and he mastered a trade after the
war.
2.
"In Columbia we lived in a rented house at 1215 Blanding Street and
paid $12 anon% rent out of an $80 pay she* from the railroad shops.
Ny father lived in that rented house all his life, and I feel sure that
he eould have bought the property with the rent money. But the next maw
kept flowing out, beoause we never had enough *ash to buy outright, and we
feared debts. I have heard my parents express regrets that they Gould not
owe a hems, and for many years my wife and I expressed the same regret.
paid $18 a month rent on that seas house until 1927.
*when I was seven, years old, in 1882, I beosme a pupil at a private
sehool taught by Mina Ellen Janney, at 1400 Blandimg Street. Ny parents
deoided they would rather pay 12 *month tuition than to send as to a free
pUblic sehool. I have never heard a. ono read Poets AMIABiaT.TA LES and get
the same melody and drama out of it that Miss Janney did. That four years
sohooling ems all I avyr had.
"I vas twelve year* old when I quit sehool anitegen.werking to ai#
my parents. I ran errands for a drug store, and for individuals, when I
got the Manse. The store ;aid me free tent* twenty (tents a trip, dem.
pending on its length. individuals paid as a quarter pretty frequently.
If the town hadn't been overrun with errand beys, I oeuld have nade a good
wage in a week.
"One day I looked at Yoy crippled old father as hems eating his break..
fast before starting for his day's work at the shops. Be looked tired, and
so did Mother, as she waited on us at the table. I ems nearing gy sixteenth
birthday,. 1 decided Ives old enough to be a great deal of help, if I Gould
get the right sort of a job. I had been to praetioally every business house
manager in Columbia and begged for a job, but still I had no regular job.
3.
"That night I didn't sleep much. I thought of many plane, and finally
decided to crash by the personnel anployer and appeal to the real owner of
a large store. After broakfast I went to my room and dressed in my Sunday
clothes. As I ran into tho kitchen to kiss Mother goodby, I said, IMumsy,
I'm on my way to look for a job, and, what is more, I'm going to get one.'
1/other was always sympathetic with me, but she had seen me fail before, and
she said: 'Son, I could be ',lad if you could zot work, but you know business
is dull and the waiting list of each employer is large.'
"I kissed her and ran out of the house. The first plaoe I tried was a
loading department store in Columbia, that of J. C. Moore. It'mas in the
building on Main Street that is now occupied by Sears, Roebuck& Company.
The floorwalker at Moore's yes also the personnel man. As usual, he grinned
and asked no, 'What's on your mind, Jmnes?' It seemed to amaze him when I
spurned his attentions and told him I was going to see W. J. C. Moore. 114
netoed my propositions saying he had strict orders to allow no ons to see
Mr. Moore, unless: Ur. Moore advised him to admit such person.
"I was playing for time, as I had no notion of failing to see lb*. Moore.
At that moment, a lady osne in and engaged tho floorwalker in a discussion.
As he turned his back to no, I ran up the stairs and knocked on the door of
Mr. Moore's private office. Instantly I heard a bass voice inside shout a
friendly teams in.' As he looked at ms in surprise, I was badly flustered,
but managed to explain, as I fingered my oap, 'Mr. Moore, I had to fight my
way to your office.' It was now my tin* for a surprise. Mr. Meer, relaxed
and said in cordial fashion, Mad, I like your pluck.' I then felt easier
and proceeded to tell him I wanted a job and why. Re liked that spirit,
too, and, with a twinkle in his eye, he said, 'I'm going to tell you a
4*
story, and if you keep yeur mini on the vain point of the tale give
you a job.'
"I agreed* Ur* Moore it along something like thiss 3C8\tessoe knew
a wealthy man who lived on a great oountry estate about twelve miles from
a. big fatty* lie had millione of dollars in the banks lived in a mansioni
had a fine modern barn, cattle ona thousand hills, and raise horses in the
barn* One day, while this gentleman and his wife and We small children
were sitting on the ponds, a haWk lit in =upper window of the barn*
'The men jumped up, declaring, "That's the sinner that's been steal..
ing our fins ohiekens:' He gat his rifle. Huihing to thoporoh, he tea
aim and fired* The powder set the hey in the barn on fire* Ho ran to the
barn to release his horses, but failed* The loft and roof fen in and killed
Nela and stook* Wisps of hay set the mansion on fire, and the nether and chil-
dren lost their lives there, while trying to rescue keepeakee*
Mow, ny lad,' MO* Moore *peke rapidly, 'what's the answer?' I ems
smelted by the tale and somewhat piniiky, and, as W. Moore shot the ques-
tion to me, I exclaimed, 'Did he kill the hank?'
"lit* Moors jumped to his feet and patted my head as he enthusiasti-
oally informed me, oldaddy boy, you wing" The hook leas the muse of the
oonflagration and its sUbsequent tragedy* You may report for work in the
morning', I think you will risco to great prominenee in businees* fix
things downstairs for you. Goodby and good ludic.' He gave me a ',armband.
shake, and I fairly ran downstairs and out of the store* Wont straight ham*
to tell Nether the good nem* She was so delighted she sorted* Father was
just as glad as Mother when he heard the news that evening, but he didn't
err about it, as Mother had, bemuse men are not as emotional as mum*
5.
"I started clerking at Lrioore's store the next morning. My salary
was ;;20 a mouth ithea I begin. And it never did get but $6 higher during
my clerking career. One day as Lr. Ucore cam through the store on the
way to his office, I askod him if I could speak to him. Ie stopped and
listened, as I told him I would like to join the volunteer fire organiser
tion. 'By all means joins' he told me, 'we may be the next victim. Re-
meMber the haWk and the blase it caused.'
"The next day I became a volunteer fireman and got my first experience
in fire fighting. That year, 1800, Oolumbia had a population of 15,365.
The town had four wards, and each ward had a unit of the volunteer depart-
ment. A fire watchman sat in a tower at jain andblending streets, day and
night, and kept on the lookout for fires.
"The vJards :Jere one, two, throe, and four. If an ordinary fire oc-
curred iu any ward its =ler was tapped. We all listened for a general
alarm, 'Which was sounded by four taps in quick suooession. The city fur
lashed us quarters for storing equipment. I always ran to our qvarters and
took part in fighting every fire. Considering the time and the evaipment we
had, we proteoted pr#erty pretty well in those days.
"In the volunteer days, my unit, responding to a fire on a foggy night,
crashed into an apple cart. Ay Arms and shins were skinned. I mention this
to show that fire fighting is always hasardous.
"In 1699, horses were added, and the survioe was improved. I MA the
driver of the horses in a reopens* to a call from Assembly Street, and we
hit a market wagon. Traffic doesn't look out for fire fighters all the time.
If it had, we would not have crashed into a big oar at the intersection of
Assembly and Gervais Streets, on April 3, 1911. The ohemioal engine I was
6.
driving was damaged in that mix-up.
"The present paid department was organised in 1903, with four oompa-
nies working as a unit. At that tine all equipment was horse drawn. I
gave up my job at the store and booamc a fireaan at 440 a month. Although
this was a better wage than I had ever drawn before, I was anxious to marl.
read we couldn't sup?ort a haae an .40. Not long after that I Was pro..
meted from the raak of a first-class firemaa to the rank of a captain of
firamen, and my wages woro now ;60 a ITionth. This wage pleased at least two
people, :Lass ratan° Glenn and myself.
"I had mat :',Jiss Glenn during my clerking days at the store, ard, for
four -,eara, filvinne3 wore the only bridges we eoulaalt cross. From the
time I first saw lass Glenn, I paid attention to her only, and she seemed
pleased. But wu both grew tired of rambling about to soda fountains, to
tho taeatree, ah(1 to church sooials, and letting it go at that. Now we
deolded to take a ohanoe on 460 a month. We were married at Bbeneser
Lutheran Church by the Rev. Dr. Freed, pastor, on January 21, 1904. We
began housekeeping ia the same home in which I was berry at 1215 Blanding
Street. There our only child, a son, Thomas L. :licks, was born.
"A fireman who responds to an alarm never knows whether he will return
to his station dead or alive. I have faced death many times in this service.
eau a firumau fighting fire within two feat of me fall to his death at
Olympia Cotton Mills. Later, at the Golubbia wurchouso, where five was bias..
ing and 4,600 bales of ootton were menaced, many of our zaan were overcome by
smoke on a cold winter night in 1920. That sort of fire is diffioult to con
ti -el.
"1 was in command of the firemen who rdsponded to an alarm at McCrory's
7.
five-and-tenp-oent store in December, 1925. The store is about three blocks
from fire headgierters. The property risk MILS S207,217, and the loss was
$143,000. We were hampered by laok of light there, as the wires had been
out. Re designed an independent light at headq4artere the next day. A
Delo° generator mounted on a trailer was perfected, and it has been used
since. It furnishes power for six flood liIhte which can make the immediate
seene almost as light as day.
"The most pathetic fire I ever saw was zt the State Hospital for the
Insane, on 7ray 29, 1918. Seventeen patients were burned to death. I yaw
that building in full blase as 10 arrived at the scene. 1,10 could do nothing
but 7otect the surro,Inding buildinqi. If the earm had came to us when the
blaze started, the inmates could have been saved.
"The wage scale has been advirleed several times since 1903. Today iv
salary is )160 a month. All first-class firemen draw S130 a month. We are
on duty 50 weeks a year, with a vaeation for tee weeks, with pay, for all
of us. Then, too, I have paid no rent for home privileres since January
20, 1937. Vrs. Hicks' 7lother died that year, and her father asked her to
oarrlo and live with him at his home on pkine Street. Mrs. Hicks and I are
new livint with reater security thae we ever have, and we are en,joying
life.
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