Chapter 1- In The Begining

CHAPTER 1

IN THE BEGINNING

Many volumes have been written about the unique birth of the city of Oak Ridge. It came into being overnight. It was born in secrecy by the government of The United States of America for the sole purpose of developing a method of separating enriched uranium for the atomic bomb. Small farming communities were razed and temporary housing units were constructed. Three large clandestine manufacturing complexes appeared in remote locations, hidden from view by the surrounding hills just outside the city proper. Under the direction of the U. S. Army, contracting companies with names like, STONE & WEBSTER, ROANE- ANDERSON CO., and MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., and many others, built and managed the City of Oak Ridge for the federal government. Corporate names, Babcock and Wilcox, Tennessee Eastman Corp. and Carbide and Carbon Corp. began to appear outside the large manufacturing plants. Clinton Engineering Works and The Manhattan Project were sometimes heard mentioned in secretive hushed tones. Site designations such as K-25, Y-12, and X-10 among many others appeared on signs just outside the mammoth complexes. When completed these industrial areas were surrounded by chain link fences topped with barbed wire. The perimeter was patrolled by security guards on horseback in the remote areas and in vehicles and foot patrols in more accessible locations. This was also true of the city proper. In order to be able to gain admittance into the city you must submit a pass to one of the armed guards at gates located on all roads leading into the area. These gates were identified by the names of former communities. Names like Elza and Gallahar. So in order to get to your work location in the plants, you must enter at a guarded gate that surrounded the city and then present a badge with your photograph to another guard at the gate located at the plant entrances. Security slogans and reminders were posted everywhere, on bulletin boards, billboards and anywhere else the message could be conveyed. No one was allowed to converse about anything they might hear or see on the work site. You never knew who was watching and listening. It was not uncommon to see guards escorting someone to one of the gates at the entrance to the city. If you left possessions behind, you must have someone inside deliver them to you. Drinking alcoholic beverages was also prohibited and if caught under the influence you would be terminated.

In order to provide transportation for the thousands of people employed in Oak Ridge that lived in communities surrounding it, the federal government used civilian contractors to deliver them to the plants in buses. These buses were crude rough riding vehicles that resembled old school buses painted the infamous army olive drab color. One of these contractors was Gene Fox. He operated out of Lake City. His buses traveled routes from as far away as Claiborne, Scott and Union Counties. Some came from southeastern Kentucky. This was necessary because housing was not available in the city. The population of the city was 75,000. The workforce that commuted from outside swelled the numbers to many thousands more. The family of Gene Fox owns a number of automobile dealerships in Oak Ridge and Clinton today. Gene died in a tragic auto accident near Nashville many years ago.

A great percentage of the male work force in the 18 to 30 year age bracket was being inducted into the military. The country was just beginning to emerge from a shattering economic depression. Needless to say, education was not a priority in a farming or coal mining environment. An eighth grade education was considered sufficient. A twelfth grade education was more than adequate. A college education was only for the wealthy.

Wood frame structures, large and small, were being erected both in the city proper and in the plant areas. Many of the buildings in the city were army barracks type buildings designated as office buildings, dormitories, cafeterias, neighborhood shopping centers, laundries, and whatever else was needed for a city of more than seventy-five thousand population at its peak time. Many of the larger buildings were constructed of unprotected heavy wood frame. The smaller buildings were ordinary wood frame. The dwelling units ranged from small moveable trailers to larger four family frame units, all considered temporary units. The larger structures were sold to the tenants years later and most have been remodeled into more attractive, comfortable homes. Many dormitory type buildings consisting of small sleeping rooms with common baths and laundries have either been razed or have burned over the years. I personally have had the unpleasant experience of being on duty when at least a half dozen of these dorms have burned. One I remember vividly because a lady occupant lost her life in the fire.

Lots of brush and scrap building materials were being cleared and burned during the early construction days. Now you know all this activity certainly made it imperative to provide quality fire protection. Where could young experienced firefighters be recruited? The word went out to the surrounding communities. They responded. They came from farms and coal mines, hosiery mills and milk dairies, and employees from Cas Walker Food Markets. Some worked in saw mills and funeral homes. One man's father worked for the railroad. He saw the ad Firemen Needed at Oak Ridge. He responded and it was rumored that he worked for a number of days before he discovered that he was not employed by the railroad company. To give him justice, at that time fire engines had not arrived. Many of these people were born between the years 1905 through 1923. Some came in hopes of avoiding the military draft, hoping the job status would receive a critical rating. Some ex-convicts were employed until a security investigation revealed their background. Then of course, they were immediately escorted to the nearest gate and released. As stated earlier, some took one look at the long wooden extension ladders and life net at the training tower and decided they would rather work on a construction crew. A few volunteered for or were drafted into the military. Of those, a few returned to resume their employment. One who comes to mind is Howard Farmer. Howard was assigned to an Infantry Division in the European Theater. He saw heavy action in the German Invasion. He doesn't talk much about war experiences but some who have worked with him know he had some pretty hairy experiences.

Fire, police protection, and security services were needed from day one. These departments began hiring early on. Even before buildings could be constructed to house these departments men showed up ready to go to work. The earliest known fire house was an abandoned farm house and shed located near Elza Gate at the east entrance of the fenced city. The guard/police people were located in an old building nearby. It has been told that an old tree stump was used as a fire hydrant for training purposes before the water system was installed.

Of the original crew that was still in the department in 1968, Edward C. Dail was the earliest known employee. The date Ed was employed for the ORFD was Feb. 22, 1943. He came from Magnet Hosiery Mills in Clinton, Tn. and was a member of the Tennessee National Guard. It was said that his guard experience and early hiring status played a large role in securing for him the position of Deputy Chief. A rumor states he had the early employees marching up and down the unpaved road. This must have greatly impressed the army officers who were in charge of activities in those first days. He continued to impress people throughout his illustrious career in the ORFD.

Training these men who came from such diverse backgrounds became the number one priority. Most had a formal education that terminated before finishing high school. Complicated subjects such as hydraulics calculations and physics of combustion would be difficult to comprehend by a majority of the men. If you had any truck driving experience, you became an operator. Early company officers secured their positions by their ability to communicate. If they could convince the chief officer that they were officer material, they were promoted. A few were retirees from big cities like Knoxville. Sucking-up skills gave a distinct advantage.

Many of the operators and assistant operators quickly became very adept in making visual observations and in using their other senses to aid them in knowing when the discharge pressures were correct and also in trouble shooting. Feel the degree of hardness in the discharge lines to calculate an acceptable reading on the discharge gauges. Observe the nozzle men when possible to determine correct nozzle pressure. If his boots were still touching the ground, you had an acceptable pressure. If he was airborne, lower the pump discharge pressure 5 psi for every 10 feet of altitude he had obtained. Do this slowly to avoid bumping the ground too hard while descending. If steam was appearing from behind the pump panel or rising from loose couplings in the discharge lines, your pump was probably running a little hot and corrective action needed to be taken when time allowed. If your nozzle man was directing a stream onto the asbestos shingles of an exterior wall and the shingles were rising no less than 100' into the atmosphere, you had an acceptable discharge pressure. All joking aside, many of these men became unbelievably adept in operating pumps correctly and rapidly spotting problems as they arose. The officers parlayed, threatened, and if necessary sucked-up to the chief officers to get these better operators assigned to their companies.

Lets talk some about nozzle men. To please your company officer you soon learned to be sure he never saw the bottom of his coffee cup. Firehouse cleaning details and errands were carried out without having to be reminded. If you desired to remain on his company you became a good cook and prepared the dishes he enjoyed most. This duty could also curtail many morning training sessions and errand running as the lunch was the main meal in the earlier days. The chief officers usually ate lunch with the companies.

Allow me to relate to you a story about one of the early cooks. Dane Disney, a fellow from Lake City, was assigned to a pumper company at Station 2 in the earlier days. He owned a small grocery store operated by his wife when he was on duty. He requested and was allowed to be the cook on his shift. Remember Station 2 was headquarters and there was so many people assigned to this station that they were running over the top of each other during the daytime hours. Seven men were assigned to each of two truck companies and two men were assigned to the squad truck. Chief officers, inspectors, dispatchers, Gamewell alarm technicians, uniform and supply personnel, an apparatus mechanic, an extinguisher maintenance man, a deputy chief and his driver were among those usually present for the luncheon meal.

Please remember we are looking through a memory dimmed window into the past some fifty-four years ago. This was a totally different world. Most food items were rationed because the war was in progress. Few commercial buildings had been erected at this time. Construction crews were everywhere. Fire Station No. 2 was a popular gathering place for everyone. It was in the center of all this activity. It was a place to go to rest in the shade, get a cool drink of water, and hear many good stories.

Now Dane was an opportunist. He quickly recognized that if he played his cards right he could pick up a few quick dollars while all these people were concentrated in this small area. Since he had access to rationed food items from his grocery store and using those items to trade with some of his farmer customers for fresh pork, beef and cooking lard he had all the necessary ingredients for a gold mine. After receiving permission to cook he carried large rolls of bologna and luncheon meats, cheese, bread and other items for preparing sandwiches from his grocery store to Station 2. He soon promoted a small but lucrative deli business selling sandwiches, cold drinks and snack cakes to many of the construction workers, surrounding office personnel and numerous others who traveled in and out of the firehouse regularly. Preparing lunch for the chief officers allowed Dane to remain in the kitchen while the others responded to alarms during the morning hours.

As you young rookies read this please do not put down even one of these pioneers who used their ingenuity and resourcefulness, their ability to hold on and persevere and the knack to take a little and make it go far. In the long haul they would probably put most of us latter days saints to shame. We would not dare laugh at them but enjoy to the fullest these whimsical stories that have been told and retold for these many years.

Now back to the nozzle men. Your value to the fire company was often measured with your ability to endure inhalation of dark carbon filled smoke. SMOKE EATERS they were called. The early breathing apparatus consisted of two types. The Chem-Ox mask which converted exhaled carbon dioxide into breathable air by passing it through a catalyst inside a metal container which was strapped to your chest. This unit was heavy and cumbersome and was always creating problems getting hung on something. If you wore it for a long period of time it caused backaches. But the real problem was that if the canister was accidentally punctured and water entered, a chemical reaction occurred and resulted in a thermal explosion. You could be injured by flying metal shrapnel or be seriously burned by the resulting heat created by the chemical reaction. Another type available was the small filter type mask which contained charcoal and some other ingredients. The problem with this mask was that it would quickly become so stopped up with carbon particles that you could not breathe. Also it would not filter many of the gases encountered from incomplete combustion including carbon monoxide. Only sissies would even think of donning gas masks, as they were referred to. To be able-bodied enough to drag a discharge line equipped with a straight stream nozzle into a heavy smoke filled building and hurriedly direct it to the seat of a free burning fire and knock down the fire and still have the endurance to make a hasty exit from the building unassisted meant you had the macho qualities that pleased the captain. He greatly desired to retain this man on his company. And if by chance he was a talented chef, the Captain would spill blood to keep him as a member of his company.

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