Burdick Hotel Heroine

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]

1. “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.
2. “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.
3. “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.
4. “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.
5. “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.
6. “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.
7. “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).