100 years ago: O’Fallon was all a-Titter after filling station fire

100 years ago, Sept. 10, 1925

What may have resulted in a serious fire was narrowly averted at the Titter Brothers filling station on the Lincoln Trail about 9 o’clock Saturday night when a lantern used for a rear light on an automobile ignited the gasoline as the tank of the car was being filled.

Calvert Titter, who was in charge of the station at the time, had a lucky escape from being burned. Three young fellows drove to the station and asked for gasoline. They had trouble with the lighting system and in order to continue their travels used coal oil lanterns on the front and rear of the car. Titter had removed the cap from the gasoline tank and inserted the hose from the pump when there was a flash, the rear of the auto being enveloped in flames.

Titter shut off the gasoline and with presence of mind rushed into the station for a small chemical fire extinguisher which he used effectively in extinguishing the blaze before the fire spread to the building.

The occupants of the car leaped out when the gasoline ignited and ran in different directions, returning after the flames had been subdued. No alarm was turned in.

Titter filling station was located on Highway 50 on the present site of Gator’s Frozen Custard, west of Marie Schaefer School.

75 years ago, Sept. 7, 1950

In accordance with warning given two months ago, the O’Fallon-Shiloh Valley-Caseyville Fire Department will omit the answering of fire alarms in areas not already in the district or where application has not been made to be taken into the district, the trustees of the district voted at their meeting, Friday night.

Exception to this rule, which will become the policy of the district, are charitable, religious and other institutions of that nature reasonably close to O’Fallon. Mentioned in the resolution are Glen Addie Orphans’ Home, Bethel Church, Shiloh Valley Grange Hall, Ridge Prairie Grange and other similar places.

There are five or six petitions pending now by persons living near the district’s boundaries asking to be taken into the O’Fallon-Shiloh Valley-Caseyville Fire Protection District. These applicants are people impressed with the efficiency of the department and want the excellent protection offered by the trained personnel here and by the superior equipment in O’Fallon.

The O’Fallon department now protects a district of roughly 30 square miles that extends to the Madison county line, Four Corners, parts of Caseyville Township, Shiloh Valley Township and to Lebanon Township. One of the areas that petitioned to be annexed to the O’Fallon district is part of the Emerald Mound Fire Protection District east of here.

About 75 families living in a territory bounded on the east by Silver Creek south to Scott Air Base have asked to be given O’Fallon protection.

A hearing on this annexation has been set for Sept. 25 by County Judge C. C. Dreman. This was one of the applications received after the district’s warning of two months ago. If annexed, this district, in common with others added to the local unit, will pay their fire protection tax into the O’Fallon district.

The text of the resolution ending help to outside areas which was passed by the trustees reads, “That extensions of the district not already petitioned for be closed and that a general policy of the district shall be to omit answering calls for property outside the district except as to Glen Addie Orphans’ Home, Bethel Church, Shiloh Valley Grange Hall, Ridge Prairie Grange meeting place, and other charitable or religious institutions within a reasonable distance of O’Fallon and also ‘mutual aid’ calls.”

Trustees of the district are Irwin H. Hartman, O’Fallon; Cyril Pfeiffer, Caseyville Township and Walter Seibert, Shiloh Valley Township. Elton Dressel is chief and Vernon Scheibel assistant chief of the local fire department.

50 years ago, Sept. 11, 1975

The O’Fallon Police Department is starting a campaign to make persons aware that their car doors have been left unlocked and an open invitation for burglars.

Information sheets are being left in cars that are found unlocked by the department. Keys which are found in cars are taken to the department headquarters. Owners can claim the keys there.

“We are trying to make the public aware that their cars are unlocked and they can be robbed with little trouble,” said Patrolman Norman Fitch, who had the idea of the information sheets being left in the owners’ cars.

“I’ve found cars unlocked that had bowling balls, brief cases, radios and other items laying on the seats. People should also take these things in the house at night,” Fitch said.

Making people aware that the police is watching out for car burglars is also a reason for starting the information project.

“People will know we’ve (the police) have been around if they find a sheet in their car in the morning,” Fitch said.

All members of the police department will be carrying the information sheets which will be left in an unlocked car when one is found.