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Box 13 Associates was formed on May 1, 1933, by a group of businesspeople and
professionals who were interested in the operation, welfare, and public relations
of the Cincinnati Fire Department.
Early in 1933 a Cincinnati newspaper reporter, Joseph R. Doran, had
written a lengthy article on the firefighter's courage and devotion to
duty at a fire. It was undoubtedly that news article that
initiated the interest.
He wrote about the Newton Tea and Spice Company fire at 16-18
Second Street, on January 17, 1920, that killed 4
firefighters. Box 13 at Second and Walnut Streets was the
call box for the fire. . Box 13 was struck
10 blows to indicate a general alarm. The firefighters were working from the ramp
to the Suspension Bridge with hose streams. They were crushed when
the east wall of the Newton Tea and Spice Company collapsed without
warning following an explosion. In addition to the four
fatalities, fourteen other firefighters were injured when the wall
collapsed.
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