1879 Silsby steam pumperI highly compliment the City of Marietta for saving many of their antique apparatus. This is the jewel in the crown of them all. In 1879 the City of Marietta purchased a Silsby Steam-powered pumper. It was the 655th steamer manufactured by the Silsby Manufacturing Company in Seneca Falls, NY. It's a 500-gallon pumper and can flow approximately two tons of water per minute. It served the city until 1921 when it was replaced by the 1921 American LaFrance pumper.
The steamer was named the "Aurora" by the local citizens. It was completely nickel-plated and is completely functional. The Silsby Steamer is one of only 5 still in existence.
I heard for years that the nickel plating was painted over during WWII to keep her from being scrapped for metal needed for the war effort and was only re-discovered during it's latest restoration. Supposedly it is in operable condition, but who would want to fire up such a valuable connection to the past?
Picture added on 02 July 2009 at 17:04
