Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | Nicholas Barth |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
| Rank | Pipeman |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 31 to 35 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 5/4/1867 |
| Cause of Death | Struck by object |
| Nature of Death | Trauma |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations , Hose operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 5/4/1867 22:40 |
| Incident Location | Store/Office |
| Incident Attribute | Structural collapses , Fires |
Incident Summary
On May 4, 1867, three Chicago Fire Department firefighters died in the line of duty while fighting a commercial fire on South Water Street. Pipeman Jacob Held and Pipeman Nicholas Barth, both assigned to the steam fire engine “J.B. Rice” (Engine 10), and Pipeman John Geiss assigned to the steam fire engine “Long John” (Engine 1), were killed in a structural collapse.
Firefighters responded to the fire at around 10:40PM on May 3, and successfully contained the flames within the five-story brick building. By 1AM on May 4, the flames were largely extinguished and a number of fire companies returned to quarters. Around 1:30AM, firefighters from Engine 1 and Engine 10 were checking for small pockets of fire on the first and second floors of the building when the eastern outer wall collapsed. The wall collapse caused the first and second floors to fall into the building’s basement, and six firefighters were buried in the debris. Three firefighters were rescued from the debris with serious injuries, but Barth, Held, and Geiss were killed.
Barth was survived by his widow and 5 children.
Held was survived by his widow and 6 children.
Geiss, a German immigrant, was the brother of Chicago Fire Department Pipeman Ignatz Geiss, who died in the line of duty in 1865.
Citations:
“Another Destructive Fire,” Chicago Tribune, May 4, 1867.
“The South Water Street Calamity,” Chicago Tribune, May 6, 1867.
“Liberal Donations to the Firemen,” Chicago Tribune, May 6, 1867.
“Firemen’s Funeral,” Chicago Tribune, May 7, 1867.
Firefighter and Incident Images
