George W. McCoy, January 31st, 1937
On Tuesday morning, January 26, 1897, at 6:45 am, a fire broke out in the basement of the Hanscom Brothers Bakery, located at 1309 Market Street. The strong wind and near-zero temperature compounded the difficulty in fighting this disastrous fire. The fire eventually reached seven alarms and consumed 59 buildings and damaged the Wanamaker Clock Tower and City Hall. Because of the damage to the Wanamaker Building, which was across the street from the bakery, this fire has become known as the “Wanamaker Fire.”
The second alarm was sounded at 7:01 am, and Engine 15 with Foreman McCoy in charge responded. As the fire progressed, Engine 15 was assigned to attack the fire in the Wanamaker clock tower. During this attack, a large icicle fell from the top of one of the buildings, striking Foreman McCoy in the back of the neck. He was stunned and thrown to the ground. The men who saw the incident thought he had been killed. He recovered in a few moments and resumed his duties. The next day he felt stiff all over, and attributed it to the exposure from the fire the day before. As time went on, the stiffness worsened until he could hardly move his fingers. As his condition continued to worsen, he stayed on duty. On Sunday, January 31, his condition had progressed to a point that he was ordered to go home. That afternoon, Foreman McCoy lay down on the couch to read the newspaper and went into convulsions. He died a few minutes later.
George W. McCoy, January 31st, 1937
On Tuesday morning, January 26, 1897, at 6:45 am, a fire broke out in the basement of the Hanscom Brothers Bakery, located at 1309 Market Street. The strong wind and near-zero temperature compounded the difficulty in fighting this disastrous fire. The fire eventually reached seven alarms and consumed 59 buildings and damaged the Wanamaker Clock Tower and City Hall. Because of the damage to the Wanamaker Building, which was across the street from the bakery, this fire has become known as the “Wanamaker Fire.”
The second alarm was sounded at 7:01 am, and Engine 15 with Foreman McCoy in charge responded. As the fire progressed, Engine 15 was assigned to attack the fire in the Wanamaker clock tower. During this attack, a large icicle fell from the top of one of the buildings, striking Foreman McCoy in the back of the neck. He was stunned and thrown to the ground. The men who saw the incident thought he had been killed. He recovered in a few moments and resumed his duties. The next day he felt stiff all over, and attributed it to the exposure from the fire the day before. As time went on, the stiffness worsened until he could hardly move his fingers. As his condition continued to worsen, he stayed on duty. On Sunday, January 31, his condition had progressed to a point that he was ordered to go home. That afternoon, Foreman McCoy lay down on the couch to read the newspaper and went into convulsions. He died a few minutes later.