BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Hand-Pumped Fire Engine, 1842

DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: Hand-Pumped Fire Engine, 1842:

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[1] SIAHFI_131214_01.JPG	[2] SIAHFI_131214_08.JPG
[3] SIAHFI_131214_10.JPG	[4] SIAHFI_131214_13.JPG
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[7] SIAHFI_131214_27.JPG	[8] SIAHFI_131214_28.JPG
[9] SIAHFI_131214_31.JPG	[10] SIAHFI_131214_38.JPG
[11] SIAHFI_131214_45.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAHFI_131214_16.JPG: Life of a Fire Engine: Washington Fire Company volunteers in Wilmington, Delaware, purchased this fire engine soon after they organized in 1840. Built by the firm of Betts, Harlan & Hollingsworth, it was one of the most powerful engine designs of the period, popular in Philadelphia and other large cities. Wilmington grew rapidly in the 1860s, and taller buildings and expanding industry challenged city fire fighters. When Washington Fire Company bought a more powerful steam apparatus, it sold this engine to the Fenwick Fire Company in the smaller community of Salem, New Jersey. Philadelphia established a paid fire department in 1871. In the early 1880s, veteran volunteer fire fighters there acquired Wilmington's old engine. Lovingly refurbished, this historic fire engine became a parade piece representing the venerable Hand-in-Hand Fire Company. Hand-Pumped Fire Engine about 1842
2. SIAHFI_131214_31.JPG: Life of a Fire Fighter Before the 1850s, fire fighting in American cities was the work of volunteers. Summoned by alarm bells from their homes or jobs, they pulled powerful engines by hand to combat blazes in their communities. These volunteer companies furnished their own uniforms and equipment, and a fire engine was often their greatest expense. The engine was a fire company's source of pride and identity, with brass fixtures and elaborate carvings. Many engines had fitted hand-painted panels to attach for parades and other ceremonies. Volunteers maintained the machines and kept their own skills honed through drills. Companies also competed in public contests to see which could pump fastest, or throw the longest stream of water. These rivalries could spill into the streets, at times violently, as companies raced to be the first to a fire.
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