Chapter Three - Florida Land Boom & Arson
In the few years immediately following the end of the Florida boom, it was clearly evident that the development of the efficient personnel and the modernization of the equipment, was to pay handsome dividends. Many people had overextended themselves in the purchase of property for which there was no resale and on which payments were coming due. All over the state there were many fires of mysterious origin the most of which strongly supported a suspicion of arson. These were generally referred to as "selling out to the Yankees", as the insurance firms were principally northern businesses.
Several such fires "happened" in Sebring. The insurance companies sent their investigators but, in most cases, the fires were carefully planned so that there was not enough evidence to make a case. One instance of this type of fire occurred in the small hours of a very foggy morning. A home on the west shore of the lake, burned to the ground. The owner bad been in the process of moving to another town and had already taken away his personal gear so "was not in town when the fire started". However, according to his story, his most valuable possessions were still in the house (but the fire must have utterly consumed them). He had "burned some trash in the fireplace and that must have caused the fire."
No charges were filed in this case although there were strong suspicions of arson but, in a way, the event was a boon to the Sebring Fire Department because it brought to town, Mr. Edw. S. Davies, special investigator for the Underwriters. His specialty was examining fires of probable incendiary origin and he spent a great deal of time explaining to Sebring Firemen what a "fire bug" thinks, how he works and what to look for at every questionable fire.
He pointed out that the owner of the home that was so successfully burned, probably got his inspiration from a fire that occurred a few weeks earlier in Sebring Highlands under somewhat similar circumstances but which had not been quite so successful. Mr. Davies also stressed the fact that it is important that the department officers should learn the true cause of EVERY fire as the repeated listing of "cause unknown" and "probably electric wiring" has a psychological effect on the mind of the potential fire bug. To the contrary, if he feels that firemen will not be satisfied with surface appearances but will probe deeply for the real cause, he will probably be afraid to take a chance.
Mr. Davies did not have long to wait to test how well the firemen had absorbed his teaching. The proof came in this manner;-.
Mr. R was deeply in debt but his home and its contents were heavily insured. Picking a night when it was logical to assume that most of the people in town would be attending a special dance party, (to which he also took his family) he sneaked home and applied the match. By an exceptional stroke of fortune, the Chief left the dance early and smelled the fire when he passed the house. Fresh from the classes of Mr. Davies, the Chief’s suspicions were aroused because the window shades were tightly drawn across every window, upstairs and down.
Therefore he waited for the trucks to arrive and lay the lines before allowing anyone to enter the building. When the door was opened, the back draft actually knocked down the first two men. On entering, the firemen found seven separate fires; 3 on the lower floor, 3 on the second floor and one in the attic. Streamers connected these locations; the beds had been soaked with kerosene and the curtains had been nailed across the windows to give the fire ample time to get a good start before it would normally be seen from the outside.
However, Mr. R had done his work too thoroughly and had failed to recognize the underlying principle that a fire must have oxygen. In his effort to delay detection, he had sealed the house too tightly and, after the initial flare up, the flames died down for the lack of supporting air. Given another few minutes, the heat would have broken a window and the fire would have gone up in one big, uncontrollable puff, but the breaks were with the firemen and the fire was held exactly as they found it. Photographs were made and later presented to a Grand Jury who brought in an indictment.
As a final result, Mr. R received no insurance, and, it was reported that he lost his home and grove when he put up his equity in making bail bond and subsequently leaving town to escape prosecution.
Luck again reacted in favor of the Firemen when they arrived at another fire in time to save all evidence that the owner had thrown gasoline into the attic but, in the process, had spilled some on his clothing and when he applied the match, his clothes also caught. After the fire, it was learned that he ran to the doctor’s office to have his serious burns treated.
Following these two, the Department was not plagued with this type of fire as were some other Florida cities. Naturally, Mr. Davies was highly pleased and took every possible opportunity to tell how proud he was of the Sebring Firemen. They, in turn, elected him as one of their first honorary members and, up to the time of his death, he attended all annual meetings and other special events.