Kanatenah Apartments

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[jon]

[Dave]

Oct 30, 2010 13:48:43 GMT -5 jon said:

Great stuff, Jon!

Years ago a friend of my in-laws had a home residential version of The Iron Fireman, an automatic feeding coal furnace. I don't remember the operating principles completely, but the mechanical device monitored the heat and coal usage and using an augur fed coal from an adjacent hopper on to the grate of the furnace. It must have also rotated the grate device that shakes down the ash. All the man had to do was fill up the hopper once a day and I think he said he could turn down the heat and leave the house for 2 or 3 days.

That compares to my Dad shaking down the furnace in the morning and shoveling on coal, then again after work and a third time before going to bed.

www.windsweptpress.com/images/iron fireman 2.jpg[/img]

[fiona]

Jon: The date on the news articals you posted was 3/3/1931. Is this in fact the actual date if the first Kanatenah fire? If so, the numerical connection between the fire at the GF: 3/3/1896, is to uncanny for words. The info I told you about was gathered from the archives of the OCHS Research Library and is stored there in scrapbook no. 89 A. The articals I photocopied there are simply pasted onto the scrapbook's page and do not have an actual day date, however, when I was reading them I thought the reporter was placing the fire in the month of February 1931. Now I realize my assumption was wrong. I cannot photograph the pics and post them, because they are too light, but I can transpose some of the articals. As always, excellent job on further research. We are definately on to something BIG here.

[fiona]

From an archived scrapbook at the Oneida County Historical Society Research Library: This artical is only dated by hand: 1931

13 COMPANIES RESPOND TO 3 ALARM FIRE.

Thirteen companies responded to the three alarm fire at the Kanatenah Apartments this morning. All but five of the cities companies were engaged. While the Kanatenah blaze was at it's height, about 4 AM, a woman telephoned an alarm of fire, saying smoke was coming from the Adams Brothers and Company Ropewalk on Oneida Street, south of Walker Street. Investigation showed that the call was a false alarm as the smoke noticed was coming from the Kanatenah. This left but two companies, No 4 in West Utica and No 6 in East Utica, which were ready for any more alarms. Todays third alarm fire was the first such blaze since the State Theatre fire on June 27th, 1929. One of the biggest fires of recent years was the combination blast and blaze starting at the Cioccia building at 667-669 Bleecker Street Jan. 16th of this year.

[fiona]

This piece is from the same newspaper page:

MID SPARKS and ICICLES:

Elderly persons occupied several of the upper apartments in the Kanatenah and most of them were obliged to walk down the stairs during the fire today. Among them was Mrs. Margaret Heath, 75, who resided with her son, George Heath. They were given shelter at the home of Dr. William S. Brady, 1501 Genesee Street. Mr. Heath said he had no insurance on his furnishings. (my insert: The Brady home was directly south of the Olbiston on the south corner of Clinton and Genesee Streets. The home was quite ornate with gardens containing hundreds of different varieties of roses. It was a large mansion and was torn down to build the A&P Plaza around 1950. Later an Esso gas station was built on the spot of Mrs. Brady's rose garden and it is now occupied by a Citgo Station.).

TWO CANARIES WERE RESCUED FROM A FIFTH FLOOR APARTMENT at 6:30 o clock more than four hours after the fire had been discovered: They were located by Charles Jones in his parents apartment and carried under protecting cloths to the home of J. Edward Clark, next door. When the cloths were lifted the canaries started to sing and the sound of there voices cheered W.S. Jones, a blind man, who owned the birds. He was in a rocking chair and talked to the birds who answered with golden notes.

NARROW COURTS (air shafts?) separating various wings aided the flames in spreading through the windows, fanned by a high wind. All along the west side of the apartments ( the back of the building) which, when broken, gave a powerful draft the the flames.

CHIEF SULLIVAN and other fire officials declared it was most fortunate that the fire did not start in the basement or on the lower floors, as it might have cut off escapes for scores of tenants. Fire escapes are located in the rear of the building, but most of the tenants had ample time to leave by the stairways. While fighting the flames several firemen in an apartment close to the burning section by a sliding fire door, which snapped shut before they could prevent the lock from operating. It was necessary to use an ax to pry open the door.

AS THE FIRE PROGRESSED several trips in the elevator nearest the fire were risked by the firemen. Police Sergeant John Muthig reported that Deputy Fire Chief James J. Donovan was riding on the elevator when it stuck at the fifth floor. " It was an exciting moment", Sergeant Muthig said: "The door on the elevator stuck and we had break it open to let the Deputy out!"

[jon]

Oct 31, 2010 13:31:43 GMT -5 fiona said:

Jon: The date on the news articals you posted was 3/3/1931. Is this in fact the actual date if the first Kanatenah fire? If so, the numerical connection between the fire at the GF: 3/3/1896, is to uncanny for words. The info I told you about was gathered from the archives of the OCHS Research Library and is stored there in scrapbook no. 89 A. The articals I photocopied there are simply pasted onto the scrapbook's page and do not have an actual day date, however, when I was reading them I thought the reporter was placing the fire in the month of February 1931. Now I realize my assumption was wrong. I cannot photograph the pics and post them, because they are too light, but I can transpose some of the articals. As always, excellent job on further research. We are definately on to something BIG here.

March 3 1931 is the actual date on the newspaper.

Just 35 years after the Genesee Flats Fire.

[jon]

To Equip Remodeled

Apartment Building

With Fire Escapes
________________


When repairs and alteration have been completed, the Kanatenah Apartments, 1502 Genesee Street, will be equipped with fire escapes on the north and south ends, according to plans filed with the city Department of Buildings today.

Permit was issued today for repairs to the building which was badly damaged by fire several weeks ago.

According to the permit the work will be done by R. G. Lloyd Company contractors at a cost estimated at $50,000.

Under the plans the new fire escapes will be of the stair type rather than the ladder type with which the building was equipped before the fire.

OBSERVER DISPATCH APRIL 23, 1931