WPBFD History

nited gasoline fumes and fire quickly spread to the inte- rior of the auto. The report also contained the following items: In the past year several members of the fire department have donated skin for grafting pur- poses. The following members donated skin to Mrs. Powers who was burned while on a fishing trip to Jupiter, Fla.; G. F. Glenn, W. F. Brouillette, J. K. Black, J. D. Gattis, J. M. Sloan, A. P. Sadler. On June 22, 1929, members of the fire depart- ment had a graded blood test made by Doctor Kappler, City Bacteriologist, to facilitate selec- tion of the correct type of blood required in case of an emergency where a blood transfusion is necessary and where delay may prove fatal. This record is kept at Central Fire Station and the correct grade can be selected without further test. As the 1920s waned, many were convinced that pros- perous times would never end. Had they looked beneath the surface, signs of trouble might have been detected long before. Several indicators of the national economy had been in decline since 1927. Only wild speculation in the stock market gave the appearance of good times. On September 3, 1929, the market reached its highest level in history, but stock prices then began a steady decline. By October 24 the decline steepened and on October 29, Black Tuesday, the bottom fell out. Stocks were dumped for whatever price they would bring. By December 1, the market had dropped $26,000,000,000 in value. Whatever hopes Chief Sadler had for upgrading the fire department would have to wait. He would struggle dur- ing the next fifteen years just to maintain what resources he had in 1929. Sadler proved capable even when it seemed everything was against him.

method of resusitation was used for one hour and thirty minutes but without success. Dr. Hodges was the attending physician. April 2, 1929 - Called to 817 Division Ave. where we found Tessie Thurston suffering from electric shock. It was not necessary to use the H -H Inhalator in this case. The patient was re- vived and talking after about forty minutes, in which time her breathing was stimulated, when necessary, by the use of ammonia. May 18, 1929 - Called by the police depart- ment to 322-6th Street to help get crazed man down from roof. Reached roof with the aid of the aerial ladder and man was caught and turned over to the police. July 12, 1929 - Called to aid in the search for the bodies of L. E. F. Sheppard and R. H. Val- lette who had fallen or jumped from a boat an- chored in Lake Worth and drowned. The acci- dent occurred about 11:40 p.m. and call for fire department was not received until 2:00 a.m. Used J. R. Larrabee's boat V-1713 in search which extended from Royal Palm Beach Bridge to Southern Boulevard Bridge. Drag was made and bottom of lake was dragged in search of the bodies. Sheppard's body was found floating at the end of the old city dock by H. B. Sparr who towed it ashore by rowboat. The search was continued but Vallette's body was not found until Saturday afternoon on the West shore of Lake Worth near Good Samaritan Hospital. The boom in south Florida had gone bust and the national economy was failing. A sign of the times was reflected in the many suicide reports documented in the fire department records for 1929. The City of West Palm Beach recorded the highest property evaluation in its his- tory, but it had peaked. The $89,033,000 boom time value would not be surpassed for another thirty years. Recovery would be a long process and deeply affect all city functions. Sadler's 1928-29 annual report was better than the previous year, with only $25,624.05 in fire losses, the lowest reported in the last six years. The department an- swered 277 alarms. Fires accounted for 250 alarms, Lungmotor calls 8, false alarms 14, and special calls 5. The busiest months continued to be during the winter sea- son (November through April). There were 15 fires car- ried as incendiary and 65 fires were caused by smoking. One fire cause was listed as a "still exploded." Again there were no fire deaths recorded. The only severe burn occurred on February 3, 1929, when Mrs. L. Conners' car caught fire while being refueled at a filling station. She was sitting in the auto when a match lit near the tank ig-

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