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Fire of 1859
During the time James R. Rutter was foreman the Neptune Company attended all fires which occurred, the first blaze of importance being the big one of 1859 which started on West Market street and swept everything before it clear out to the corner of North Main street and Public Square. This fire started on West Market street in the building owned by John W. Wood and which was occupied by a clothing store. This structure was situated next to Chahoon's hall, now occupied by Yordy's painting establishment. Chahoon's hall, which was one of the few brick buildings in the city at that time, had just been completed and the painters had but a day or two previous added the finishing touches. The building was saved after a hard fight, but not until considerable damage had been done. After the fire it was found necessary to tear down a portion of the outside walls, as the heat had been so intense that the walls were damaged to such an extent as to make them unsafe. This building undoubtedly saved West Market street from being entirely wiped out as nearly all those below it were of frame.
The fire broke out at between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning and before the firemen arrived had gained considerable headway and was not checked until the flames had reached Steele's hotel, later known as the Luzerne House where now stands the Bennett building, corner of Public Square and North Main street.
At the time this fire broke out old Neptune was lying dismantled in the paint shop of George W. Leach, on West Market street, where now stands the Wyoming Valley Traction Company's offices. The building in which Mr. Leach had his paint shop was a two-story frame structure and the shop was on the second floor. The Neptune had been taken apart a few days previously for the purpose of having it painted.
When the fire broke out the machine was apparently useless and no one counted on seeing it brought into action, but Mr. Rutter and Willliam Stevens kicked in a rear door leading to the paint shop, rushed upstairs and seizing the wheels, threw them out the window and then handed down the brake or lever, with which the pump was worked, to the people on the pavement and lowered the body of the engine with ropes. Then descending to the street, they secured wrenches, put the machine together, and attaching the hose, soon hard a stream of water playing on the flames. While Mr. Rutter and Mr. Stevens were putting the machine together the bucket brigade had formed and by the time the hose was attached they were ready to begin pouring water into the box, for this fire occurred previous to the introduction of fire hydrants and all water at that time was secured from pumps. The nearest pump to the fire at that time was on Public Square, near where the present Court House now stands.
At this fire the men did efficient service and showed exceptional good judgement. Realizing their efforts to stay the fire in the direction of the Square would be useless, they gave their whole attention to preventing its spreading any further down Market street, and with that end in view kept a constant stream pouring on Chahoon's Hall, and finally, after the hardest kind of fight, got the fire at that end under control.
During the progress of this fire an incident occurred which, looked at from this date, appears quite amusing. Shortly after old Neptune had been gotten to work, the heat from the fire became so intense that the buildings on the opposite side of the street began smoking, and later the paint shop in which the machine had been housed caught fire and blazed right merrily for a few moments. The fire men, however, turned their attention to this building and soon had the fire out, thus proving true the old saying "one good turn deserves another". This structure having first given shelter to the engine, the later returned the favor by saving the former from destruction.
As soon as the fire at the West Market street end was under control the firemen turned their attention toward preventing the destruction of Steele's hotel and thus stop the further ravages of the flames and this was saved after a stubborn fight. At this end the firemen were somewhat favored by the hotel wall which presented an unbroken front to the flames, there being no windows on that side and therefore the hotel acted somewhat in the nature of a fire wall.
The entire north side of the Square, however, was a mass of ruins, not a single building left standing, and so rapid was the progress of the flames that many of the occupants were unable to save anything except the clothes in which they escaped. The majority of the buildings destroyed were two-story frame structures and among them was the leading pharmacy of the town. The loss footed up to the thousands. The citizens were loud in their praise of the efficient work of the fire laddies and it was generally conceded that the fire would have proven far more serious had it not been for the vigorous efforts of the fire boys. James R. Rutter (Wilkes-Barre Times Newspaper Article - October 6, 1897)
