1882 Remington Fire Engine

1882 Conneautville Courier and Record Newspaper Article

The fire engine is shown pumping out basements during the 1900 flood in Conneautville. Note that the water in the foreground is from the fire engine. The hoses are on the ground on the right.

The following is a newspaper article printed on July 22, 1882 in the Conneautville Courier and Record, the oldest weekly newspaper in NW Pennsylvania

The New Fire Engine       The new fire engine which our council ordered here on trial came on Wednesday last. It is the Howe patent, and is manufactured at the Remington works at Ilion, N. Y. Being an entirely new machine, this one we believe being one of the first sent out from the factory, much interest was taken as to what its capacity was and as to its availability for the town. The machine is a sweep power and can be used by either horses or men as the case demands. Mr. Howe, the patentee of the machine came with it and with the assistance of our firemen gave it three different trials. The first trial the engine was set near the grist mill and took water from the pond, which was forced through 100 feet of hose and threw two streams over the flag staff on the old brick store. After this 150 feet more hose was added and water thrown over the flag staff on the Landreath block a distance of about 80 feet in height, and on a direct line down Main street was thrown 148 feet. The second trial made, the engine was set on the bridge over the race and water drawn up about 12 feet. The hose was laid up Main street and the water was thrown through 350 feet, the upper section bursting it was taken off and when water was forced through 300 feet and thrown over the flag staff on the Industrial Iron Works a distance of perhaps 60 feet. The same evening standing at a distance of 50 feet several windows were broken by the stream. At the third and last trial yesterday, the engine was set again at the mill taking water from the pond. The hose was carried to the top of the Johnson House, a three story building and several experiments made there, forcing stream through 300 feet of hose across a 67 foot street and about half of the length of the old McClods building beyond. This test lasted about one hour. At one trial seven men taking hold of the arms of the machine threw water through 100 feet of hose on the chair factory. Several other tests were made during the trials one of which was to show that the machine could be set in a narrow passage where the sweep power could not be used and by the backward and forward motion of the arms water could be thrown nearly or quite as well as by the sweep. In the trials above two horses were used.       Mister Howe claims that with four horses water can be forced through 800 to 1000 feet of hose and thrown over any building we have here. He says he does not claim that his machine is equal to a steamer, but says it has done all he claims for it and the result is before the people.       We understand that the council have made him a proposition to buy the machine, which will probably be accepted.

Back to:
Introduction
Minutes of the Meeting held by the Borough Council during which approval was voted to purchase the fire engine,
Howe Patent Advertisement Flyer.
The Remington's First Big Fire newspaper article, 1886.
Homecoming of the Fire Engine newspaper article, July 2002.
Conneaut Valley Homecoming Parade Summary with several photos, July 2002.

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