Men Demonstrating 1840 Fire Engine and 1830-1880 Hose Carriage, circa 1930
THF626720 / Men Demonstrating 1840 Fire Engine and 1830-1880 Hose Carriage, circa 1930 / front
01
Artifact Overview
These five firefighters, photographed around 1930, demonstrated the operation of a hand-pumped fire engine from nearly a century earlier. In reality, as many as 20 people would have pushed on the long bars -- called brakes -- to work the pump. Under ideal conditions, the engine might have pumped more than 75 gallons of water per minute.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Postcard
Subject Date
circa 1930
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
30.179.4
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Printing (Process)
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 3.5 in
Width: 5.5 in
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Content
SetEarly Firefighting
- 32 Artifacts
Fire was a constant menace to American cities well into the 20th century, when most buildings were made of wood and firefighting equipment was underpowered and overmatched. Firefighters risked their own lives to save those of others, to protect property, and to constrain and contain blazes before they grew into uncontrollable conflagrations. Early firefighting relied on mettle, muscle, and machinery that improved slowly but steadily over time.