1898 - Hamilton Fire Chief's Latest Invention

Hamilton Fire Chief Alex. Aitchison was not only a big man in Hamilton, literally, and figuratively, he was also a very famous inventor of fire apparatus. He and his inventions were known internationally, maybe of the pieces of apparatus he designed being used by fire departments across Canada and the United States.

On December 12, 1898, Chief Aitchison’s latest contribution to the advance of fire-fighting was the subject of the following article and illustration, carried in the Hamilton Times of that day :

““At Fitzcroft’s & Strickland’s carriage works, on Merrick street, stands the finest and most complete combination chemical engine and hose wagon in the world, and a cut of it appears on this page. This apparatus has just been completed, and will be put in commission by the Hamilton Fire Department in a few weeks, and the people of this city will have further cause to be proud of their fire fighters and equipment.

“The combination was built according to plans by Chief Aitchison, who was the inventor of that kind of fire-fighting apparatus, which has been adopted in all the foremost cities in America. It is superior in many ways to the combination as first invented by the Chief, who is also entitled to the credit for many of the improvements on it. This piece of apparatus, which will weigh two tons, loaded, is veritably a whole fire department in itself. It is equipped with 300 feet of chemical hose, 700 feet of hydrant and engine hose, play pipes, controlling nozzles, crowbars, pickaxes, plaster hooks, extension ladder and two hand extinguishers, in addition to the 40 gallon-chemical cylinder.

“There is a tool box for hose wagon equipment, another for chemical engineer tools and another for horse blankets and tarpaulins. A cage basket for firemen’s equipment, hats and rubber coats, extends from the seat to the rear of the wagon.

“One point of difference between this combination and all the others built heretofore is that the weight is at the front , the cylinder being placed under the seat instead of over the hind axle. The cylinder, too, is different from others in use, and was patented only a few weeks ago. It is stationary, instead of revolving. When put in action, a handle is turned, and this upsets a bottle of acid and sets a chain in motion. The chain mixes the chemicals thoroughly and quickly. This cylinder is known as the Down’s Agitator-Generator.

“Another feature of the apparatus are the roller bearings. These, the Chief claims, will reduce the draught almost one half. They are similar to ball bearings on a bicycle.

“There is a bell on the rear step, so men standing on it can attract the attention of the driver, on whose seat three other men can sit comfortably. In addition to being strong and complete, the outfit is beautiful, finished in red and white. The gearing is red with yellow stripes, and the box is white, with red stripes and gold lettering.

“The seat is upholstered in leather and three lights are attachable to it for night use.

“The apparatus was built by day labor, and the cost was about a third of the cost of any one of the other combination wagons, which are inferior, . Of course, the men on the job worked splendidly, Chief Aitchison being the superintendent. The work was done as follows : Woodwork, A. Strickland; blacksmithing, W. Fitzcroft; painting, W. Long; lettering, Wm. Dodson.”1

1 “Finest in the Wide World:  What is Said About the New Combination Engine-Wagon : Of the City Fire Department”

Hamilton Times.   December 12, 1898.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

T.H.&B. Trestle Accident - January 1895

Image
“A terrible and costly accident occurred yesterday on the bridge being erected by the T. H. & B. contractors over Binkley’s Hollow between this city and Dundas.” Hamilton Herald.    January 10, 1895. It was definitely a major construction project, a wooden trestle across a large ravine : “The trestle is built by erecting bents made of square timber, some of which are 64 feet high. These bents are raised up to their place by an engine with blocks and pulleys, one being attached to the bent last put in position, and on this block is the greater portion of the weight and strain of the next bent being raised, although the guy ropes lessen the strain somewhat:” 1 1 “Down came the Bridge : Collapse of the T. H. & B. Trestle Over Binkley’s Hollow” Hamilton Herald.    January 10, 1895 . The sun had already set, and the light was failing at the construction project, when an otherwise uneventful day ended on a very eventful note: “At about 5:45 yest
Read more

T. H. B. Rwy - Completion Celebration - Jan 1896

Image
On January 23, 1896 , the Toronto , Hamilton and Buffalo Railway was formally opened with a ceremony attracting many of the major investors in the line.         At 11:30 a.m. that day, a trainloads of about 80 capitalists arrived in Hamilton from Buffalo .         According to the Spectator, “the guests of the company assembled at the Iroquois and Tifft houses in Buffalo last evening in order to be on time for the early start this morning, and the train pulled out of the M. C. R. depot at 8:30 . The leading magnates occupied the observation apartment on the rear coach, in company with President Peabody and Mr. Beckley, and loosely scanned the roadbed, station buildings, and right-of-way as the train came along. Unfortunately, before the brow of the mountain was reached, mist and rain came on and blotted out the beautiful view of lake and valley beneath.”         When the official train pulled into Hamilton ’s new Toronto , Hamilton and Buffalo railway station on Hunter street
Read more

Christmas at the Asylum for the Insane - 1893

It was a looming, foreboding presence dominating the west end of the city.       It was a place from which unsettling sounds would occasionally emanate, day or night. It was a place to which ordinary citizens would give a wide berth.           In 1893, it was still officially known as the Hamilton Asylum for the Insane.           However, on Christmas Day, 1893, many charitable Hamiltonians went up the James street mountain road to help the staff at the asylum bring some Christmas cheer to the over 1,000 patients confined in the institution.             For many days, staff at the Asylum, assisted by those patients were able, went to great lengths to decorate the halls of the immense building, and it was those decorations which a reporter for the Hamilton times described in great detail for the readers of that paper on Boxing Day, 1893:           “Many and varied as have been the schemes invented for the diverting of the mind diseased, the Christmas decoration
Read more