The Steam FIRE ENGINE
and the old-time fire bell
The steam fire engine on display in Carillon Park representsthe third, and perhaps most colorful, phase of man’s longbattle against fire. During the time of the bucket brigade,fire-fighting was carried on without the help of machinery.A great step forward occurred with development of hand-operatedpumping machines in the early 18th Century. Later,the steam fire engine replaced human muscle in the operationof the pumps. The modern era of fire-fighting began withuse of the internal combustion engine for both motive andpumping power.
Various photographs and drawings in this booklet were reproduced through the courtesyof the following: The H. V. Smith Museum of The Home Insurance Company grantedpermission to reproduce drawings and pictures appearing on Pages3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14and 15; The Dayton Daily News, the Dayton Journal-Herald and the American-LaFrance-FoamiteCorporation also contributed photographs.
The steam fire engine—like the Conestoga wagon, the Concordcoach and the canal boat—has faded from the American scene.But as long as man thrills to the battle against fire, as long as he isintrigued by intricate machinery and stirred by bold actions, this wondrousvehicle is not likely to be forgotten.
This booklet summarizes the story of the steam fire engine—its birthamid derision, its growth in utility and popularity, its golden era ofservice and its final decline in the face of relentless technical progress.
Humor and pathos, heroics and rowdyism, brilliant inventiveness andindomitable Yankee spirit comprise the bright pattern of steam fireengine history. These gaudy machines are perhaps as symbolic of lifein America during the latter half of the 19th Century as any othermechanical memento left behind by preceding generations.
England deserves the credit for invention of the steam fire engine,but to America goes the distinction of having perfected it. Nowherewas the steam fire engine more widely used than in the United States,with its preponderance of highly inflammable wooden buildings. Certainlynowhere else were the caretakers of the glittering engines sozealous in exhibiting their machines’ amazing qualities at every opportunity.
Most of those who knew and admired the steam fire engine duringits heyday have departed, and few of the machines themselves haveescaped the final oblivion of the scrap heap. Those engines that havebeen preserved, however, attest to the craftsmanship of their makers.In symmetry of design, sound construction and elegant finish they constitutea classic example of fine American manufacture.
The cities and hamlets of America will not witness again the dramaof plunging horses speeding to a fire with a heavy, smoke-belching engineclattering behi