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Fire Engine Photos
No: 6991 Contributor: Neil McCarten Year: 2004 Manufacturer: Ahrens-Fox Country: United States of America
Got my curiosity, also - and I had a lifetime at sea.
After some Web-searching: this unit was actually a Hose Tender for the Detroit Fire-Boat.
Detroit, USofA on the Great Lakes has a considerable water-front on the Detroit River and Lake St Clair. For a major fire, the Fire-Boat would respond by water; the Boat tender by land - thence to lay multiple Large Diameter Hose[5 inch diameter mentioned] from the Fire-Boat's pumps to the fire scene. Then, either those large Deck Guns were deployed; or other pumpers used the LDH as hydrants.
Presumably, no pump on this truck - just a lot of hose. This Ahrens-Fox was succeeded by other trucks.
In later years, the Boat Tender was used as a manning-pool to fill shifts daily at the fire-houses. Newly-made fire-fighters were initially assigned here, awaiting a permanent fire-house appointment.
Each day, the Boat Tender Sergeant[now there is a title] would assign these guys around the fire-houses to fill vacancies due to Sick Leave, Holidays, & etc.
Perhaps, a Detroit FD member/"Old Hand" could fill this out and/or correct this information.
By The Way, according SPAAMFAA, in 2002; Mike Adams of San Bernandino, California owns this A-F, and a stable-full of other A-F's. A real treasure-trove.
Regards,
Pat_R-B
Added by Pat_R-B on 01 April 2008.
After some Web-searching: this unit was actually a Hose Tender for the Detroit Fire-Boat.
Detroit, USofA on the Great Lakes has a considerable water-front on the Detroit River and Lake St Clair. For a major fire, the Fire-Boat would respond by water; the Boat tender by land - thence to lay multiple Large Diameter Hose[5 inch diameter mentioned] from the Fire-Boat's pumps to the fire scene. Then, either those large Deck Guns were deployed; or other pumpers used the LDH as hydrants.
Presumably, no pump on this truck - just a lot of hose. This Ahrens-Fox was succeeded by other trucks.
In later years, the Boat Tender was used as a manning-pool to fill shifts daily at the fire-houses. Newly-made fire-fighters were initially assigned here, awaiting a permanent fire-house appointment.
Each day, the Boat Tender Sergeant[now there is a title] would assign these guys around the fire-houses to fill vacancies due to Sick Leave, Holidays, & etc.
Perhaps, a Detroit FD member/"Old Hand" could fill this out and/or correct this information.
By The Way, according SPAAMFAA, in 2002; Mike Adams of San Bernandino, California owns this A-F, and a stable-full of other A-F's. A real treasure-trove.
Regards,
Pat_R-B
Added by Pat_R-B on 01 April 2008.
Ahrens-Fox built two of these Model J-13 "High Pressure Hose wagons" as they were officially called, in 1922. They were #104 and 1205. Yes, Mike Admas has #1204; 1205 belongs to Len Williams of Sunnnyvale, CA, and is on loan to the Fire Museum in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The Morse deluge guns could each flow 3000 gallons per minute, and there were two on each Boat Tender. So with all four guns at fukll capacity, that's 12, 000 gallons per minute, could definitely drown just about any fire, although it's doubtful both boat tenders ever worked together on a fire.
On my first visit to Detroit in July 1969 (I was 14), my dad and I were walking from our hotel to a corner store, and passed this firehouse at 6th & Bagley, peered in the firehouse window to see these enormous deluge guns and the name "Ahrens-Fox". We got the firemen to pull it out on the firehouse ramp for photos. They told us that #1205 had been retired and was stored in the Fire Dept Repair Shop; two years later, both boat tenders were sold to private collectors. I next saw #1204 in New Hampshire about 1974 and again in 1979, and then at Greenfield Village (Dearborn, Mich.) about 1987, at which time it had been restored as in the photo. 1205 has gone through many owners and has not yet been restored. I saw all 4 deluge guns with #1204 in 1979, but the two that should be on #1205 have never yet been returned to it.
Detroit also had a 1913 Ahrens-Fox Ladder Truck tractor that was converetd to a third boat tender in the Detroit Fire Dept. Repair Shop. It lost its deluge guns when it was sold to car collector Barney Pollard of Detroit in 1952. Fire engine restorer Andy Swift of Hope, Maine, has restored the 1913 back to the original tractor configuration for owner Norm Shanklin of New Hampshire.
The two 1922 boat tenders, like most of Detroit's Ahrens-Foxes, were powered by Ahrens-Fox Model J motors, which had their cylinders cast in pairs, instead of 6 separate T-head cylinders as on all other Ahrens-Fox motors made between 1914 and 1935.
There was also a 4-cylinder version of the cast-in-pairs motor, called Model T, but only 4 were ever built, and only 2 now survive: one at Batesville, Indiana (original owner), and the other used in St. Paul, Minn, resold a few times since its 1962 retrirement, and then sold to parties unknown in Wisconsin about 15 years ago.
Added by Ed Hass on 09 February 2009.
The Morse deluge guns could each flow 3000 gallons per minute, and there were two on each Boat Tender. So with all four guns at fukll capacity, that's 12, 000 gallons per minute, could definitely drown just about any fire, although it's doubtful both boat tenders ever worked together on a fire.
On my first visit to Detroit in July 1969 (I was 14), my dad and I were walking from our hotel to a corner store, and passed this firehouse at 6th & Bagley, peered in the firehouse window to see these enormous deluge guns and the name "Ahrens-Fox". We got the firemen to pull it out on the firehouse ramp for photos. They told us that #1205 had been retired and was stored in the Fire Dept Repair Shop; two years later, both boat tenders were sold to private collectors. I next saw #1204 in New Hampshire about 1974 and again in 1979, and then at Greenfield Village (Dearborn, Mich.) about 1987, at which time it had been restored as in the photo. 1205 has gone through many owners and has not yet been restored. I saw all 4 deluge guns with #1204 in 1979, but the two that should be on #1205 have never yet been returned to it.
Detroit also had a 1913 Ahrens-Fox Ladder Truck tractor that was converetd to a third boat tender in the Detroit Fire Dept. Repair Shop. It lost its deluge guns when it was sold to car collector Barney Pollard of Detroit in 1952. Fire engine restorer Andy Swift of Hope, Maine, has restored the 1913 back to the original tractor configuration for owner Norm Shanklin of New Hampshire.
The two 1922 boat tenders, like most of Detroit's Ahrens-Foxes, were powered by Ahrens-Fox Model J motors, which had their cylinders cast in pairs, instead of 6 separate T-head cylinders as on all other Ahrens-Fox motors made between 1914 and 1935.
There was also a 4-cylinder version of the cast-in-pairs motor, called Model T, but only 4 were ever built, and only 2 now survive: one at Batesville, Indiana (original owner), and the other used in St. Paul, Minn, resold a few times since its 1962 retrirement, and then sold to parties unknown in Wisconsin about 15 years ago.
Added by Ed Hass on 09 February 2009.
When Detroit bought these rigs, they were using a High Pressure System, and they started out assigned to High Pressure Companies. When the High Pressure System was taken out of service, parts of it were converted to what Detroit called the Boat Hydrant System. These were lines of high pressure hydrants that started near the Detroit River and ran many blocks inland. Each sting of hydrants had a connection added at the River so the fire boat could supply them. The high pressure hose wagons were then renamed boat tenders. Even with the change of name, these rigs carried out the same type of functions on the fireground.
Added by R. Davey on 01 April 2019.
Added by R. Davey on 01 April 2019.
Mike Adams lived in Burt, MI, not San Bernardino, CA. The Ahrens-Fox boat tenders were in service until 1971 - 49 years on the job! Both are still around today and have been restored.
Added by Ed Hass on 04 April 2019.
Added by Ed Hass on 04 April 2019.
Ahrens-Fox
Added by Pavel - Western Australia on 28 March 2008.