HARRISON, James K.

.Honoring & Remembering Maryland Fallen Heroes.

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Baltimore City Fire Department ~ Baltimore ~ Maryland

October 13, l937

Box No. 528 sounded at 9:01 p.m. A 3-story brick loft building, southwest corner of Hanover and Perry Sts. was afire. The H.H. Hoffenberg Printers occupied the lower floor and the Gordon-Lavin Paper Box Co., the upper floors. Five alarms were sounded as the fire took hold of the building. Engine No 5 was one of the last to arrive and its members were ordered to place its hose pipe in narrow Perry St. and play into the top windows of the blazing building.

Suddenly, a loud cracking noise was heard. Lieutenant James K. Harrison and other firemen dropped the hose pipe and ran for their lives. Lieutenant Harrison was last, and within inches of safety when he stumbled over a raised sidewalk grating and fell, just as a brick wall came crashing down upon him. He was buried under 20 feet of rubble and rescue operations were started at once, with acetylene torches being used to cut away the iron fallen fire escape that blocked the rescuers. Meanwhile, a priest, Father James P. Spencer, Professor of Psychology at St. Mary's Seminary, faced the possibility of severe injury or death, as he crawled through the fallen brick and debris to administer conditional Absolution to the dead fireman. After a half-hour the body of Lt. Harrison was removed, his head crushed and his body flattened.

.Chief Engineer Howard Travers said that it was the worst experience he ever had, saying "I felt a lot of wind and heard a terrific crash behind me. It was a great loss for us, he was as bright as a steel trap and was going places in the Department."

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Lieutenant James K. Harrison was 32 years old and had served 9 years.