Combattre le feu avec de la vapeur: la coque héroïque du service des pompiers de Boston

Looks like the chap at back is sweeping up horse dung—probably a result of the fire engine!

This is New York’s first combination steam engine-pumped/gasoline motor-driven fire engine, which was built in 1911. The city was already using gasoline-powered hose tenders and personnel carriers but was slow to adopt combined gasoline-powered pumps and chassis even after trying out such a Knox unit two years earlier.

New York Fire Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo ordered a bare $5400 chassis from the Knox Automobile Company of Springfield, Mass., early in March, 1911, and the finished vehicle made by the Nott Fire Engine Company of Minneapolis, Minn., was tested by him, Chief Croker and a fire crew in New York on March 20th, 1911.

Its motor was a 110-h.p. vertical long-stroke 4-cylinder, driving a three forward and one reverse, sliding pinion gearbox via a 6-inch Raybestos-lined cone clutch, a differential and side chains. As a new development, it cost Nott $20,000 to make but contract price to New York was just $9772, with a promised programme to convert old horse-drawn steam units (a Nott speciality) expected to cost just $6000 each. Motorised units were expected to save $700-$800 per year in horse-shoeing costs.

The whole engine weighed 16,000 lbs., was capable of 40 m.p.h. and the 83 h.p. steam water pump delivered 753 gallons per minute. It was, given the number 58, which can be seen above the radiator and it was stationed at the One-hundred and Fifteenth-street and Madison-avenue fire station, in an area experiencing 1,000 fire alarms per year.

It was photographed for an article in 1912, when described as unique, which it perhaps remained. A correspondent asked the 1911 Motor Age magazine why “the” New York Fire engine had a steam-engined water pump and did not use its gasoline motor. The reply was that no motors were up to the duty of pumping at the same volume, which was an odd reply because New York had by late 1911, six-cylinder, 60/120 h.p. Knox fire engines, with drive-motor driven water pumps. But then they still had 87 steam pumps spread around boroughs of the city.

It is clear that the description of this vehicle is not entirely correct. First of all the hood has FDNY written on it, so this is New York. Second, the vehicle has a crank handle and two side levers, of which one will be a gear shifting lever. A steam engine wouldn't need those, of course. A undated postcard from the period showing this vehicle has the caption "New motor propelled fire engine, New York". This indicates that it was gasoline-powered. There is also some information that suggests that the original steam-driven vehicle built by Amoskeag was converted into one with a gasoline electric power unit. The fire fighting part would have remained steam-driven. The date of the conversion would have been around 1915, but as there is some contradictory information here, more background information is needed to know what exactly has happened.