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History seemed to roar to life Saturday evening as the 1874 Silsby steam fire engine was fired up, with a back drop of some of Honesdale’ older buildings in view. A crowd lined 6th Street to watch the rare demonstration, put on by Protection Engine Co. 3.
The event was in honor of their sister fire company, Hose Company No. 1, which was noting their centennial that weekend.
As the firefighters shoveled the coal and did the work to bring it to boil, the steamer let out its shrill whistle and the hose finally filled with water. Embers collected on the pavement below and at times fire blasted from the top of the boiler, accompanying the pillar of smoke. After some wait, water shot from the hose in a mighty stream, aimed down 6th Street (which had been blocked off to traffic). The crowd cheered.
This display, it is important to note, in more than about a museum artifact brought out and activated once again. It is a direct link to Honesdale’s Victorian past, when steam was king and as as in generations since, dedicated volunteers risked their lives to protect the community.
This very same steamer (Silsby #483) was purchased by Honesdale Borough in March of 1875 and designated for use by Protection Engine Co. 3.
This and a second Silsby steamer were the state of the art technology for the time, surely the envy of many fire companies still relying on hand pumpers and buckets. The Borough paid a hefty sum of $4,700 for the Silsby steamer and a hose cart.
Following its arrival, a dramatic demonstration was held of the steamer’s power. Water was pumped through 650 feet of hose and thrown over the steeple of the Central Methodist Church, for a distance of about 230 feet.
Named the A.M. Atkinson in honor of the president of Borough Council, the model was purchased from the Silsby Manufacturing Co. in Seneca Falls, NY. Later on, a second steamer (the R. W. Ham) was added. Both steamers were used into the 1930’s. The Atkinson last saw service in March 1936, saving the former Wayne Memorial Hospital on Court Street from rising flood waters. The R.W. Ham was sold for scrap.
Since 1916, Honesdale Fire Department has had motorized fire equipment. The remaining Silsby has been Company 3’s treasured reminder of the Department’s past. A major restoration took place from 1984 to 1986.
In it’s day, the Silsbys were celebrated for their major advancement in fighting fires. Their purchase was made after more than one disastrous blazes in Honesdale, that took out whole sections of commercial and residential neighborhoods.
One of many fires battled by the steamers was an inferno in 1892 that was claiming the Dorflinger Glass Company factory in White Mills. Permission was needed first from Borough councilmen before a steamer could be taken out side Borough limits. After some delay, the R.W. Ham was hurried to White Mills late at night, pulled by four horses and arriving in a breathtaking 50 minutes. An uproar of cheers went up from village residents on its arrival.
The Silsbys were stationed on Main Street close to where City hall sits, and at the City Hall fire station once it was built in 1893.
The horses were kept at Whitney’s stable on Church Street- later known as the Owl Garage. The horses were so well trained, they were known to gallop down the street on their own at the sound of the fire alarm, to meet the waiting Silsby engine.
The Silsby has a 700 gallon boiler. Firemen would be starting the fire under the boiler waiting for the horses, and the Silsby would be steaming as it raced to the fire scene. Hoses would be laid from the river, wells or from the canal.
Fire Chief Stan Pratt said that when it was in service, the Silsby would be ready to pump water in as little as four to seven minutes.
Saturday’s demonstration took almost an hour to get up the steam to shoot water. Pratt told the crowd that to meet present safety needs for a public display, a smoke flue boiler has replaced the old flash flue boiler. The older type would be better at getting up enough steam faster, but was not necessarily safe.
Today, Protection Engine Co. 3’s Silsby is the oldest known operable steam fire engine in the country. It has received numerous awards at competitions.
[Editor’s note: Much of the historical information was found in A Profile of Service: Protection Engine Co. 3 by Vernon Leslie, 1986.]
History seemed to roar to life Saturday evening as the 1874 Silsby steam fire engine was fired up, with a back drop of some of Honesdale’ older buildings in view. A crowd lined 6th Street to watch the rare demonstration, put on by Protection Engine Co. 3.
The event was in honor of their sister fire company, Hose Company No. 1, which was noting their centennial that weekend.
As the firefighters shoveled the coal and did the work to bring it to boil, the steamer let out its shrill whistle and the hose finally filled with water. Embers collected on the pavement below and at times fire blasted from the top of the boiler, accompanying the pillar of smoke. After some wait, water shot from the hose in a mighty stream, aimed down 6th Street (which had been blocked off to traffic). The crowd cheered.
This display, it is important to note, in more than about a museum artifact brought out and activated once again. It is a direct link to Honesdale’s Victorian past, when steam was king and as as in generations since, dedicated volunteers risked their lives to protect the community.
This very same steamer (Silsby #483) was purchased by Honesdale Borough in March of 1875 and designated for use by Protection Engine Co. 3.
This and a second Silsby steamer were the state of the art technology for the time, surely the envy of many fire companies still relying on hand pumpers and buckets. The Borough paid a hefty sum of $4,700 for the Silsby steamer and a hose cart.
Following its arrival, a dramatic demonstration was held of the steamer’s power. Water was pumped through 650 feet of hose and thrown over the steeple of the Central Methodist Church, for a distance of about 230 feet.
Named the A.M. Atkinson in honor of the president of Borough Council, the model was purchased from the Silsby Manufacturing Co. in Seneca Falls, NY. Later on, a second steamer (the R. W. Ham) was added. Both steamers were used into the 1930’s. The Atkinson last saw service in March 1936, saving the former Wayne Memorial Hospital on Court Street from rising flood waters. The R.W. Ham was sold for scrap.
Since 1916, Honesdale Fire Department has had motorized fire equipment. The remaining Silsby has been Company 3’s treasured reminder of the Department’s past. A major restoration took place from 1984 to 1986.
In it’s day, the Silsbys were celebrated for their major advancement in fighting fires. Their purchase was made after more than one disastrous blazes in Honesdale, that took out whole sections of commercial and residential neighborhoods.
One of many fires battled by the steamers was an inferno in 1892 that was claiming the Dorflinger Glass Company factory in White Mills. Permission was needed first from Borough councilmen before a steamer could be taken out side Borough limits. After some delay, the R.W. Ham was hurried to White Mills late at night, pulled by four horses and arriving in a breathtaking 50 minutes. An uproar of cheers went up from village residents on its arrival.
The Silsbys were stationed on Main Street close to where City hall sits, and at the City Hall fire station once it was built in 1893.
The horses were kept at Whitney’s stable on Church Street- later known as the Owl Garage. The horses were so well trained, they were known to gallop down the street on their own at the sound of the fire alarm, to meet the waiting Silsby engine.
The Silsby has a 700 gallon boiler. Firemen would be starting the fire under the boiler waiting for the horses, and the Silsby would be steaming as it raced to the fire scene. Hoses would be laid from the river, wells or from the canal.
Fire Chief Stan Pratt said that when it was in service, the Silsby would be ready to pump water in as little as four to seven minutes.
Saturday’s demonstration took almost an hour to get up the steam to shoot water. Pratt told the crowd that to meet present safety needs for a public display, a smoke flue boiler has replaced the old flash flue boiler. The older type would be better at getting up enough steam faster, but was not necessarily safe.
Today, Protection Engine Co. 3’s Silsby is the oldest known operable steam fire engine in the country. It has received numerous awards at competitions.
[Editor’s note: Much of the historical information was found in A Profile of Service: Protection Engine Co. 3 by Vernon Leslie, 1986.]
