When the Burdick Hotel burned to the
ground in December 1909 (
The Burdick Burns And Deja Vu), the first priority for the hotel staff was
to ensure that all of the guests were evacuated. [1] While notifying
hotel patrons was a multi-pronged effort, the local press hailed Miss
Nina Harrigan as a heroine for her role. Nina was the telephone
operator for the Burdick and insisted on remaining at her post amidst
the growing crisis until she had contacted every guest by phone.
Photo (from [3]) reprinted with permission of the
Kalamazoo Public Library.
The Kalamazoo Evening Press reported a
very dramatic account of Nina's experience. I have no doubt it is
mostly fiction, but it's too amusing not to share. Nina was
“enveloped in stifling smoke. . . with flames shooting towards her
from all directions. . . Men of courage fled” while Miss Harrigan
remained at her post. “Time and again she was on the verge of
collapse” but kept her composure to finish her task. “Time and
again she was implored to desert. Each command that she leave and
save herself was repulsed. With her feet in water several inches
deep and drenched to the skin, she staid [sic] until every room had
been called and a response received. . . When her task was finished,
Miss Harrington [sic] gave a sigh of relief. Then overcome with
smoke, fatigue and worry she sank back in her chair in a
semi-conscious condition. Quickly grabbing the inert form of the
plucky young woman, a stalwart fireman rushed with her to the open
air. She was hurriedly taken into the Empire lunch room, where
restoratives were applied and as soon as sufficiently recovered, she
was sent to her home in a hack.” [2]
A more realistic scenario was presented
in the Telegraph. Miss Harrigan related that she “saw only a
little smoke at first,” at about 10:30. [3] The night clerk, who
also noticed the smoke suggested that Nina call the fire department.
[3] A bit later, Mr. Burke, the Burdick proprieter, asked Nina to
ring the rooms to notify them to pack up and come downstairs. For
nearly an hour, Miss Harrigan kept a cool head and diligently
continued phoning each occupied room until she was told it was no
longer safe for her to stay at her post. By then, she had managed to
reach all of the 160 or so guests. [3]
So impressed was the Burdick's
proprietor, Mr. Burke, that a day or two after the fire he presented
Nina with a $50 check for her efforts. [4] The hotel clerk,
Williams, received $25. [4] Mr. Burke wasn't the only one who
noticed Nina's efforts. She was almost immediately offered a
position at the switchboard of Kalamazoo's American hotel where they
“desired someone who would 'stick to the job,' no matter what
happened.” [4] The American hotel wasn't the only interested
party, however. Within days of the Burdick fire, businesses from
“all parts of the country” sent Nina offers of employment. [5]
In addition, many admirers wanted the modest, “frail slip of a
girl” to be presented with a Carnegie medal for heroism. [5] At
least one admirer had something else in mind for Miss Harrigan. A
man from Green's Corners, Indiana wrote to Nina “and after telling
how much he esteems her, the love-smitten writer begs her to commence
a correspondence with a view to matrimony.” [6] As it turned out,
Nina never married and died in Kalamazoo in 1953 at the age of 67.
Four years later, Nina's bravery was
recounted in an article in the New York Herald in which it lauded
several telephone operators for their quick thinking and on some
occasions saving lives. [7]
“Loss Near $500,000; Hotel May
Rebuild: Burdick Destroyed; Whole Block Is Gutted By Flames,”
Kalamazoo [Kalamazoo, Michigan] Evening Telegraph, 9 December
1909, page 1, column 1-5, digital images, Kalamazoo Public Library
(
http://www.kpl.gov: accessed 15
January 2013), Kalamazoo Telegraph Collection.
“
City
Gutted by $725,000 Fire; Burdick Is In Ashes,”
Kalamazoo [Kalamazoo, Michigan] Evening Press, 9 December 1909,
page 1, column 4, digital images, Kalamazoo Public Library
(
http://www.kpl.gov: accessed 15
January 2013), Miscellaneous Kalamazoo Publications Collection.
“Telephone Girl Heroine of
Fire,”
Kalamazoo [Kalamazoo, Michigan] Evening Telegraph, 9
December 1909, page 6, column 3-4, digital images, Kalamazoo Public
Library (
http://www.kpl.gov:
accessed 15 January 2013), Kalamazoo Telegraph Collection.
“25 Men Work On Debris,”
Kalamazoo [Kalamazoo, Michigan] Evening Telegraph, 11
December 1909, page 3, column 6, digital images, Kalamazoo Public
Library (
http://www.kpl.gov:
accessed 15 January 2013), Kalamazoo Telegraph Collection.
“
To
Ask Carnegie Medal For Girl,” Kalamazoo [Kalamazoo,
Michigan] Evening Press, 11 December 1909, page 1, column 5,
digital images, Kalamazoo Public Library (
http://www.kpl.gov:
accessed 15 January 2013), Miscellaneous Kalamazoo Publications
Collection.
“
Heroine
Operator Gets Love Letters,” Kalamazoo [Kalamazoo,
Michigan] Evening Press, 22 December 1909, page 1, column 1,
digital images, Kalamazoo Public Library (
http://www.kpl.gov:
accessed 15 January 2013), Miscellaneous Kalamazoo Publications
Collection.
“Hello! Hello! Here Are 13
Perfect Telephone Girls,”
New York Herald, 4 January 1914,
page 7, col 1-7, digital images, Old Fulton NY Post Cards
(
http://www.fultonhistory.com:
accessed 24 February 2015).
