The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-24
History of Steam Fire Engine
Gave 1t to the World and Other Cities Soon
Adopted It.

Chief Greenwood received a salary
Of $1,000 a year. furnished $4,000
bonds. and devoted his entire time to
the duties Of the place. He employed
an assistant at a salary OF $500 a
HIS SALARY, for the nrst year Chief
les Institute. For the frat three
months Of the paid department the
city made no appropriation for its
maintenance and Chief Greenwood adj
vanced $4,000 to meet expenses.
which was subsequently, repaid to him.
Each company Of the paid force
driver and a hoseman. who were f,ull
paid n devoted their entire time to
the department. The company officers
and other members. fifteen in all. were
call men. and were paid only for the
time they spent on duty at fires and
alarms. All the members became full
paid In 1873. This was the first full
paid force IRE department New York
full paid force fire department in
The new Cincinnati paid system and
the steam fire engines were a success
from the start. The evils Of the vol.
unteer force came to a quick end. To
the question OF a committee who went
to Cincinnati from an eastern city to
examine the new engine as to what it's
principal merits were. Chief Green.
drunk: second. 1t never throws brick
bats. and the only drawback connect
ed with 1t is that it cannot VOTE
Chief Greenwood. who served for
two years and made a. complete sue
cess OF steam engines and a paid fire
department.. died November 6. 1855.
Boston was the first city after Gin
ctnnati to procure a steam fire engine.
which was made in Cincinnati and
named Miles Greenwood. in honor Of
the father Of steam fire engines and
paid fire departments. When enroute
from Cincinnati to Boston the Miles
Greenwood was exhibited and oper-
ated at Washington. Baltimore. Phila-
delphia and New York. Its New York
exhibition took place in the city hall
park February s, 1855. in the pres
The old Hay Wagon" the most
powerful hand engine in the depart
ment. operated by Exempt Engine
company ~ and now in service at the
Jacksonville (Ind.) army barracks.
competed with 1t in q horizontal play
ing contest. The hand engine made
the best play. 1873 feet. The steam
played 1s2 feet. The crowd was much
pleased with the result. and cheer aft
Wagon" In another contest the hand
engine was again the winner. this
time by about fifteen feet. In a per-
p~endicular playing contest over the
city hall cupola the hand engine also
won. But in it's staying power the
steamer was much the superior.
The result Of the exhibition was an
appropriation by the city council in
1885 for two. steam Are engines, which
$4,000. These were first used in serv-
ice at q fire in Duane street January
II. 1859. They were a partial success.
The first New York fire company to
possess q steam fire engine was Man.
haitian Engine company 8, located In
Ludlow street. The engine was first
used at a fire in Rivington street on
June 10. 1889. Others followed in
rapid succession and all the paid en-
CINE companies in the city had steam
engines in 1865. the last year Of the
volunteer department..
Philadelphia vas the third city to
possess a steam IRE engine, in 1856,
followed by New. Orleans the same
year. st. Louis. Louisville. Pittsburg.
Columbus. Ohio and seneca Falls, n.
T.. in 1857; Baltimore. Chicago, De-
SaoiS' NSeW 1oEh, IIONlOSHCe, MAN.
chester. N. H.; Fall River, Mass, and
Portland. Maine, in 1889, and many
others in 1860.
New York was the first city to pos
sess a horseless steam fire engine, in
1872. followed by Boston the same
year; Detroit. Brooklyn, Fond du Lac, |
Wis. in 1874: Hartford, Conn, in 1875;
Chicago and Milwaukee in 1877; Ned
Orleans in 1899; Pittsburg in 1900;
Portland. Maine. in 1902, and Newark,
N. j.. in 1906. New York had five in
service in 1874. Boston. Hartford.
Newark. Pittsburg and Portland are
the only cities tina nov use them.
New York was the first city to pos
sess a chemical fire engine. in 1872.
and is the only large city that does not
now use them extensively.
Newton, Mass, was the first to pur-
chase a fire department automobile. a
chiefs cal, which went into commits
sion on June II. 1903. The Niagara
Engine company OF New London,
Conn.,. was the first to possess a motor
chemical engine and hose wagon, Oc-
tober s. 1903. The Cincinnati Under
writer's Salvage Corps was the first to
have a salvage automobile, in May,
1905; Springfield, Mass, had the first
flying squadron automobile, Septem-
Der "a. 1906; Joplin. Mo-. had the first
pumping automobile engine. septem-
Der Z, 1908: Vancouver. B. c., the first
automobile ladder truck, September,
1909; New York the first automobile
water tower, February II. 1911. and
the first motor driven and steam op-
Grated engine. March 20, 1911.