WPBFD History

CHAPTER SIX The Depression Years 1930 to 1940 It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours. Harry S. Truman

finally contained the fire. By the time the apparatus ar- rived from West Palm Beach, fifty miles away, the danger had passed. The 5:45 a.m. fire started in the Hawell ten- cent store and consumed it along with Betzer Hardware, the Freidhein seed store, and the Denton grocery. Belle Glade, at the time, had no fire fighting equipment. Shortly after 11:00 on Saturday night, May 17, 1930, fire broke out in an unoccupied store in the McGinley Building on the southeast corner of Clematis Street and Poinsettia Avenue (South Dixie Highway). Fire units from all three stations responded as black clouds of smoke billowed into the night sky. The two-story building that housed Liggett's Drugstore, Newark Shoe Store, Royal Palm Studio, Lee Rental Service, a barber shop, Simon & Simon Insurance and Realtors, A. P. Pilkey Real Estate, the Musicians Benefit Association, and D. Thorn- ton Chiropractor was heavily damaged. The fire was fi- nally brought under control at 12:30 a.m., but units re- mained on the scene throughout the night before extin- guishment was completed. Master hose streams used to battle the blaze caused considerable water damage to the contents. The McGinley Building, constructed in 1915, was restored after this ravaging fire. Thirty years later, on August 2, 1960, a fire, remarkably similar to this one, would gut the same building. The depression presented a major problem for the City of West Palm Beach in maintaining municipal ser- vices. The city, which was as short of money as anyone else, had to struggle to find ways of maintaining services necessary in populated areas. City attorney, J. Mark Wil- cox, was credited with working out a solution during those frightful years. Unable to meet its payroll, West Palm Beach enacted a scrip method of payment for its employees. City officials arranged for local merchants, insurance companies, and utilities to accept the scrip is- sued to city personnel in lieu of money. The city guaran- teed future payment when money was available. Some businesses agreed to the scrip plan, but many others did not. One of the most cooperative stores was Mays Gro- cery on Northwood Avenue which accepted all scrip is- sued by the city. As money became available, Mays Gro- cery was one of the first to be notified for redemption in cash. The financial disaster affected the fire department in another way. People were not able to make mortgage payments and, to some, insurance was the only method of

1930 West Palm Beach’s population was 26,000 in 1930, but this figure included the rural areas, not just those liv- ing in the city limits. About sixty percent of those, ac- cording to statistics, earned less than $2,000 per year, the estimated bare minimum to supply a family with the basic necessities. West Palm Beach firemen fell into this cate- gory earning a maximum of $1,944 a year. Times would get worse as would firemen's salaries. An old "Fire Log" had three interesting entries for the early part of 1930. The first was on January 19 for a "plane crash" at the Royal Park Bridge. The second re- ferred to an unknown type response to Belle Glade on February 10. The third was a fire call at a Seminole In- dian camp on March 2. The Palm Beach Post of January 20, 1930, carried the headlines "THREE MEN KILLED WHEN PLANE DIVES INTO LAKE." The Ryan brougham monoplane equipped with pontoons was returning from its first round trip to the Bahama Islands. There were five men aboard as the aircraft circled over the Royal Park Bridge in preparation for landing on Lake Worth. Bystanders said that it appeared to be landing with instead of against the wind when it suddenly dived into the water. Two passen- gers, Ed Butler and Ed Stossel, were clinging to the wings as rescue boats arrived. The bodies of the pilot and a me- chanic were recovered about thirty minutes after the crash. Efforts to revive them by West Palm Beach fire- men proved futile. The body of another mechanic was not recovered. The aircraft, owned by Florida State Airways, Inc., seemed to be doomed from the beginning. After arriving in West End on the first leg of its journey, a leak devel- oped in one of its pontoons causing it to sink in eight feet of water. The craft was raised and overhauled before making the ill-fated return trip to West Palm Beach. Ed Butler, one of the survivors, suffered a severe fracture to his face just below the eyes that required unusual medical attention. Piano wire encased in rubber tubes was used to draw the fractured face back into place and he was ex- pected to recover. Details of the Belle Glade response were in a Palm Beach Times article dated February 10, 1930. A call for help was received from the rural community as four busi- nesses burned in the downtown area. Flames threatened to spread to other buildings, but a volunteer bucket brigade

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