John Smith Hand Pumper - Torrent Enjine Co. #1

“Firemen of the 50s”

(From Humphrey’s Journals  pages 699 & 700)

Author: William S. White  April 21, 1910 in the Skaneateles Democrat

Transcribed 3-1-2008 (non-related fire department material not transcribed)

To the editor of the Democrat:

            The account of the Fire Department Fair has excited my curiosity. I have no knowledge of the present population of the Village, but I know that it stuck to the 1,500 mark for many years. As to the apparatus in use at the present times I can only conjecture; a steamer, one or two hose carriages, a hook and ladder truck, as I cannot conceive where or how the Village can obtain hydrant pressure sufficient to obviate the maintenance of steamers.

            The Village fire department of 1850 might bring smiles to those faces of the present day firemen. The apparatus consisted of an 8 ¼ inch cylinder “gooseneck” machine with a swivel jointed butt protruding above the deck structure, to this was attached a discharge pipe of 5 or 6 feet in length, which could be turned in any direction by the man on the deck. This pipe could be detached and hose substituted. Its further equipment consisted of three or four fifty foot lengths of leather hose, one section of which was wound on a reel located just in front of the air chamber. The apparatus was housed in a small wooden structure perched on stilts at the east end of the bridge, just behind the block on the corner of Genesee and Jordan Streets. Inside, the walls were garnished with three or four ladders, as many fire hooks, and a few leather fire hats of a style even obsolete in those days.

            Who or how many composed the company I can not venture to say. I think that James Bench was foreman. Some of the members were John Day, H.B. Dodge, Massilon W. Fay, Martin Butler, Henry J. Huxford and David Hall II.  Meetings were held monthly in the summer – none in the winter. The usual notice of the monthly meeting was printed in both papers, but off times the members would forget it. To bring members to realizing sense of dereliction, “Jim” Bench, who at the time was supervising architect of Deacon Nehemiah Smith’s tin shop, made a tin horn of fair dimensions, and this, inserted in the nozzle of the long discharge pipe and filled by a few strokes of the breaks, would emit a scream that would cause a lighthouse fog siren to turn green with envy.

            After the force had forgathered monthly and the roll called, the company would drag the “Torrent” - I think that was the engine’s name -  to the dock east of Legg’s Carriage Shop, and after a half-hours exercise, which fell chiefly on a volunteer contingent, the machine was moved back to its quarters, there to remain until the next monthly meeting, unless a fire intervened – a rare contingency, by the way. During my eighteen years residence in Skaneateles I never knew of the engine being taken to a fire but twice; once when a small house on what was called Railroad Street, I presume, had part of the roof sadly burned, and the other was one of the woolen mills at Kellogg’s factory was burned in 1856. A number of us dragged the engine over the old horse railroad bed and reached there in time to cool off the foundation walls.

            But the engine served its purpose -  it satisfied the insurance people that the Village afforded protection from fire; and during the 40s many exhibited a small brass plate over the front door announcing “Insured in the Aetna Insurance Company, Hartford Conn.”

Photo courtesty of Jorge Batlle - SFD Historian (photo does not correspond to the above story)

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Below you will find photos of the hand pumper.  Originally constructed in New York City by John Smith in 1822.  Arrived in Skaneateles in 1833 and began active service as Torrent Enjine Co. #1.  Was completely restored in 1983 for our 150th Anniversary and this year for our 175th Anniversary received a little TLC and a permanent home in the new meeting room.



The hand pumper prior to its restoration - note all of the missing parts to the hand pumper.


            

     1983 Restoration



Sesquicentential Celebration Photo

Rear of the hand pumper after its refinishing.



Permanent home in the new station's meeting room, along with 1833 SFD firefighter uniform.