25. Harry “Roxy” Borley (1937-1939)
Served 2 Years
Harry Borley was born on June 26, 1903. He is the son of John and Frederica (Schwitzer) Borley who lived in the hamlet of Hicksville. He lived at 174 West Cherry Street, 135 Woodbury Road, and 162 Willoughby Avenue. His brother Arthur was a member of Company 5 for 21 years. Harry was an electrician by trade but went on to open a very successful bottling company known as “Roxy Beverages”. He originally joined the Hicksville Fire Department on July 2, 1925, as a member of Protection Hook and Ladder Company 1. He was assigned badge 146.
Harry was a charter member of Emergency Company 5 in September of 1928 where he served as their 2nd Lieutenant. In 1929, when Calvin Van Wickler resigned due to his work schedule, Harry was elected 1st Lieutenant, with Gerard Braun elected as 2nd Lieutenant. Subsequently he was elected as the 2nd Captain of Emergency Co.# 5 in 1931 and 1932. His Lieutenants in 1931 were Gerald Braun and Edmund Neder.
Harry Borley ran unsuccessfully for 2nd Assistant Chief, losing to Henry Luhmann in a highly contested event 48-46 votes with Daniel Munch once again trailing 3rd with 27 votes. The very next year Harry Borley was elected as 2nd Assistant Chief, defeating a field of three opponents, Gustave Efinger, Daniel Munch and William Bosch in 1934. He was then elected 1st Assistant Chief in 1935 and 1936. The By-laws were revised to have elections in April and Harry was elected in April of 1937, as the 25th Chief succeeding Chief Henry Luhmann. His Assistant Chiefs were Charles Steinhauer and Charles Jud. He stayed in the office until March 30, 1939.
During his term, The Hicksville Fire Department Field Club Football Team won top honors on Long Island and several members of Emergency Co. # 5 were part of the team, including Val Kerbs, Gerald Braun, and Lou Millervolte.
In January of 1938, Chief Borley and Commissioner John Werthessen held a ceremony where 45 members received new veteran service awards for being members of the department. Presentations were made to William Schuckmann with 35 years of service and many others who achieved service milestones from 30, 25, 20, 10 and 5 years of service.
During his term, a Fire Prevention Poster Contest was started in cooperation with School Superintendent E.H. LeBarron. Over 30 entries were received and after the judging by the Art Department, George Simon an Eighth-Grade student won a $5 prize. The department also held its first Open House with over 500 people jamming the fire station. The event kicked off with a parade through the town with members of the Jericho and Plainview Fire Department taking part. The keynote speaker was Dr. Walter Stillger, the department’s surgeon. The closing keynote speaker was Arthur F. Bell, supervising instructor of the Firemen’s School of Instruction. The Hicksville high school’s band played several selections. The fire prevention contest is an annual tradition during Fire Prevention Month.
On January 27, 1937, Harry commanded the Department as flames blazed through wood frame structures on Broadway. Four Broadway stores were destroyed, 50 people who lived in apartments on the second floor were driven to the streets. A dentist's office was burned out and the branch office of the state motor vehicle bureau was gutted and several stores on each extremity of the fire were damaged. The fire started in the rear of the Grand 5 & 10 Cent store. It was believed that a defective furnace or stove was the cause. This store was gutted and apartments on the second floor were destroyed. All occupants of the apartments escaped safely. The Freitag building, which was originally built in 1886 and was one of the oldest buildings in the village was also destroyed. The Hicksville Sweet Shop, and the office of Seaman, Taliaferro and Eisenmann, realtors, all in this building were burned out. Occupants escaped Bahrenberg’s bakery and the apartment overhead. Guerin's dress shop and Dr. Elkind's dentist office overhead were also gutted. The Hicksville cash meat market, Bohack's store and Spiros department store suffered considerably from smoke and water. The final damage was estimated at over $150,000.
In August of 1937, a misplaced lit cigarette left a New Jersey man without the front seat of his brand-new car. Charles G. Pfeffer of Fairlawn, N.J, parked his car on Broadway and came out from a nearby store a little later to find firemen pouring chemicals on the smoking vehicle. Two fire companies answered the alarm and fought the flames which threatened to consume the entire automobile. According to the police, a lit cigarette dropped between the seat cushions was the probable cause of the fire. The front seat and back headrest were damaged by fire and chemicals used to extinguish the blaze. Patrolman Arthur Talbot and Edward Plat assisted at the scene and directed highway traffic around the burning automobile.
Chief Borley never knew what hit the Hicksville community when a hurricane struck Long Island on September 21, 1938, that came almost completely unannounced. The official weather bureau forecast for the day prior was rain and cool until less than two hours before when the full force of the storm was felt. A Manhattan news broadcast said the storm probably would hit Long Island. Travelling at over 75 MPH, the storm which arrived 10:00 AM had been off Virginia, landed at Jones Beach and continued north-northeast across Long Island. The community of Hicksville was suddenly and almost without warning in the very midst of one of the worst storms ever to hit Hicksville. All of nature’s destructive forces came in a furious onslaught against the works of man. Fires, flooding, and cloudbursts were followed by the howling 90 MPH winds. While not the hardest hit, Hicksville firemen raced to many alarms as water rose from 2 feet in some spots to 4 feet in others. Damage estimates ran as high as 26 million dollars with a unprecedented fury which uprooted huge trees and tangled electric wires. Reports noted train service was interrupted; motor traffic was disrupted and a tree six feet in diameter crashed on Duffy Avenue. The storm tore up Long Island and uprooted 6,000 trees, 600 telephone poles and local crops were leveled. While only three people died in Nassau, 59 others died in Suffolk, by the east end that was hit the hardest.
Harry’s term ended with two smaller fires, at a dwelling located at Maple Street and West John Street that caused $200 in damage and a fire in a barn that held potatoes at the farm of Michael Dwyer on Newbridge Road causing over $10,000 in damage.
During his term the department's racing team at the Lindenhurst tournament won a new mascot that they would name “Susie”. The monkey, that was won, had the children of the community calling her Susie. At the department meeting the members voted to keep the monkey. The little animal, which was as wild as a wild cat when delivered, is now reasonably tame according to members. Susie had created many visitors, putting on a considerable show on the various pieces of apparatus whenever two or three arrived to watch her. She ate regularly, and it costs 50 cents a week to feed her.
On April 20, 1937, Chief Borley accepted delivery of a new American LaFrance, that would be assigned to Volunteer Hose Company 4. This new 400 Series featured fresh, new styling with highly, rounded hood lines and a raked one-piece windshield built into the cowl. It had an open cab and ground ladder banking. The total cost was $7,500. During his term, two pieces of equipment were sold to the highest bidder. The Pierce Arrow Racing truck and the old Diamond T Ladder Truck.
Between 1937 and 1939, the department had a significant increase of membership with over 45 new members being sworn in. Among the members were four future Chiefs. Chief Borley passed away on November 16, 1987, with 67 years of service and is interred at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury.
Harry Borley shown in 1928 as a Charter Lieutenant of Emergency Company 5
