1843 Fire Engine and 1830-1880 Fire Hose Carriage, Photographed circa 1930

American fire departments in the early 19th century operated on hand power. Firefighters activated pump engines by manually pushing on long bars -- called brakes -- to work the pump. In many cases, pump engines and hose carts were even pulled to the scene of a fire by hand. This photograph, taken about 1930, shows fire apparatus from a century earlier.