The Chelsea Hose Company Incident
by Joe Lowry
Memphis first attempt to add black members to the Memphis Fire Department
When John Loague ran for Mayor in 1874, he promised the black community that he would add blacks to as many government jobs as he could. So when he had the opportunity he tried to honor his statement.
In an article in the Memphis Dailey Appeal May 23, 1874, “The Question of employing Negroes as firemen; A Row Ahead”
The place, the 9th ward; (Memphis like many other large cities was divided into wards, each having a ward boss). The ward was bordered by Exchange and Market on the south, Mississippi and Wolf River on North and the city limits on the East.
In an attempt to favor the black vote for his re-election Mayor Logue tried to force the hiring of two white and three black firefighters onto the department.
The Public Ledger News Paper, June 18, 1874, stated:
Michael P Doyle white, to be in charge, Peter Mitchel, colored, Joe Lusher, colored who owned a Saloon at Auction and N. 2nd Street, Andrew Trigg, colored, a cooper who lived on N. Third between Greenlaw and Saffarans and P. Doyle, white, to be hired. The mayor sent Fire Chief Michael McFadden a message to send the “ Independent Fire Company’s Reserve Hose Wagon to the temporary Chelsea Fire House. It went with 500 ft.of hose and several small appliances and nozzles. He then told Fire Chief McFadden to hire these new firefighters. Fire Chief McFadden refuses to hire them or put them on the payroll. According to existing city ordinance, The Fire Chief has to go before the existing Fire Committee, which is in place to help the Fire Chief administratively run the business side of the department.
Mayor Loague on several occasions violated the City Ordinance’s Chapter 3, Article 2, Section 157 saying that the Fire Chief working with the Fire Committee makes the rules, hires and trains the employees and sets their salary. When the Fire Chief and the Committee met with the full council they agreed to back up the Chief. Several articles of the day were very plain about the white firefighters not wanting to work with black firefighters. They also knew that this was a political move of the time to increase the voter base.