Berkeley, a Look Back: City getting ready for fire season in June 1925

Berkeley was preparing for s wildfire season in several tactics the Berkeley Daily Gazette revealed a century ago on June The city had purchased a supply of firefighting equipment including shovels rakes a plentiful supply of gunny sacks and electric lanterns These would be used by city employees called to fight hills-area fires If a fire threatened the first alarm would go out from a siren at the new Grizzly Peak fire lookout and via calls to neighborhood fire wardens in the affected area This bank advertisement in a June issue of the Berkeley Daily Gazette highlighted the city s assets including what was declared to be the largest university in the world a large number of large factories and several fine home districts photo courtesy of the Berkeley Historical Society and Museum A second alarm if needed would be sounded on the siren of the California Ink Works in West Berkeley according to the Gazette and a third alarm if needed will be sounded by the new fire siren of the University of California and will call out the workmen on the university grounds and volunteer male students if college is in session This organization will be primarily for the protection of the university grounds and buildings UC Berkeley would also cache firefighting equipment at four sites on the campus and in Strawberry Canyon and continue to maintain fire trails in the hills areas The story noted that the East Bay Water Co has cleared a fire break back of Berkeley The city s assets A June Gazette advertisement by the American Bank highlighted the city s attractions Part of it is shown in the photo accompanying this article Wagon crash The first collision between a train and a horse-drawn van in years occurred this forenoon when a Berkeley Farm Creamery wagon driven by C R Brennan of Spruce Street was struck by an Ellsworth street train at Woolsey and Deakin streets Brennan was thrown from the truck and sustained a probable fracture of the right leg and body bruises the Gazette informed The impact turned the wagon utterly around throwing both horses Neither was injured Particular milk was spilled but the wagon was only slightly damaged New loans An announcement of the creation of a new financial institution in Berkeley in the June Gazette also evidenced the era s close ties between city administration and the business society The business was the proposed Assurance Bond Building and Loan Association that was described as concentrating on financing new residential construction and home loans in the city The association will undoubtedly play an pivotal part in the progress of Berkeley s home districts the Gazette noted Related Articles Currently in History June former White House counsel begins testifying on Watergate disgrace London s secret tunnels that helped inspire James Bond will open to the residents complete with a bar In the modern day in History June Sally Ride completes historic space shuttle mission What to know about the Supreme Court ruling years ago that legalized same-sex marriage in the US Grandma was wrong food myths debunked Prominent among inhabitants leaders announced to be financially interested in the project were the city manager city attorney police chief fire chief city librarian and city engineer plus one councilmember and one school board member One can imagine the conflict-of-interest issues such a relationship would raise in contemporary times but in the Gazette the assets and involvement of city authorities was noted matter-of-factly Taxes All property on which - taxes are unpaid will automatically come into the possession of the city on Saturday June according to the announcement at present of Miss Pauline Young city treasurer and tax collector the Gazette warned readers June Major earthquake The Gazette s June front page was filled with early reports of a major earthquake that day which laid in ruins the city of Santa Barbara Looking back at history records it appears it was a - to -magnitude quake that killed and destroyed Santa Barbara s downtown Masses and commercial buildings collapsed or were irreparably damaged one of the towers on the Santa Barbara Mission partially fell and a nearby dam also failed flooding part of the city Bay Area native and Berkeley area historian Steven Finacom holds this column s copyright