Arcadia Hotel Fire, 1913: “All Was Over in 10 Minutes”

Arcadia Hotel fire in Boston headline

On December 2, 1913, 28 boarders paid the ultimate price for affordable lodgings at Boston’s Arcadia Hotel. See the cover, an editorial comment, and an article on the topic from the December 10, 1913 issue of Fire and Water Engineering HERE.

You’ll also find editorial comments on yielding to fire apparatus, a workmen’s compensation proposal, and more. The year 1913 was a year of transition for fire apparatus and promise for firefighter safety. While horse-drawn fire apparatus were still around, motor fire vehicles were becoming popular, and the forerunners of firefighter respiratory and eye protection were featured in the advertisements seen HERE and HERE. As seen on the cover, water supply was a prominent editiorial topic and source of advertising, too.  

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