Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jim West on June 4, 2010 at 6:34pm

back in the day before sprinklers and fire extinguishers they used chemical globes or water globes that would break when heated to a certain temp kinda like the sprinkler systems of today in fact some of these globes would be at stations like extinguishers and would be thrown at the fire like hand gernades...... no lie. I even saw examples of both at the ventura fire museum which was closed at the time but you could look inside.

Permalink Reply by Jim West on June 4, 2010 at 6:35pm

by the way welcome to our world

Permalink Reply by Scott Luedtke on June 24, 2010 at 5:34pm

Hi Michael,

The item you are looking at is a parade torch. The round container had a fuel (kerosene probably) and a wick that was lit and carried much like honor guards carry axes or pikes. There are numerous styles and can be found online by searching for fire or parade torch. I have a couple in archives and will try to get some pics and post them for you. Welcome to the brotherhood.

Scott Luedtke
History Docent
North Charleston & American LaFrance
Fire Museum & Educational Center
North Charleston, SC

Permalink Reply by Jim West on June 25, 2010 at 10:25am

hey I stand corrected scott

Permalink Reply by Michael Brittain on June 25, 2010 at 11:18am

WOW, YEAH, I just found one online... I only found one so far in my Googling but it is DEFINITELY the same thing. Thank you to Both Jim and Scott! There's not much detail about it but there are three pics. here is the site if any of ya'll want to take a look. I'd LOVE to find something like that for our Chief's to present at our annual dinner or something. (could put it in a nice decorative wall case with a small plaque or something). But I've got a feeling that if you Could find one that they would be Crazy expensive. Anyhow, check it out.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://pmimages.worthpoint.com/...

Permalink Reply by Scott Luedtke on June 26, 2010 at 9:38pm

Michael,

Here are a couple of pics of parade torches. IF you could find one, it would be very expensive. Most are in museums, collections or in the private hands of long established fire companies. Some are very beautiful while others can be somewhat plain. None the less they are part of our hertitage and traditions.

Scott Luedtke

Attachments:

• 1800s parade fire torches 1.jpg, 30 KB
• 1800s parade fire torches 2.jpg, 36 KB

Permalink Reply by Jim West on June 27, 2010 at 9:48am

thanks for the fire history class, I thought it was one of those old fire extinguishing gernades that I've in some fire museums. I'm with the District of Columbia Fire Department and up until the late 80's early 90's we were still carrying pompier ladders on the Truck co.'s and if memory serves me right the last rescue with a pompier ladder was made in that time frame ( If you look hard enough in the Truck Co. houses you can still find them in storage).

Permalink Reply by Mike on June 27, 2010 at 1:44pm

I believe pompier ladders have been relegated to training grounds for confidence training for the recruits.

Permalink Reply by Charles Fiorino on July 25, 2010 at 3:23pm

I think it was filled with water and put in a window to measure the heat in a building for safty

Permalink Reply by David Lewis on August 29, 2010 at 12:01am

Scott's correct, the tool your looking at is a "torch" -- used to light the streets, and the way to the fire scene in the early to mid-1800s. Often these lights (torches) were carried along by "torch-boys" or "runners" -- local kids and teens who were too young to become regular members of a fire company, but who hung-around the station and still wanted to be a part of the action.

Keep in mind all firefighters (fire companies) would use torches, but not all torches were used by fire companies. The same style torches were commonly used for getting-about, at political rallies, and torch-light parades were all the rage.

Though not exactly the same style as the one commonly featured in a fire-service Maltese Cross or logo, you can see a torch-boy carrying a similar torch (lantern) and on of the famous Currier and Ives prints "the Night Alarm" -- http://www.currierandives.info/fire/night-alarm.gif -- and -- http://www.currierandives.info/fire/night-alarm-detail.gif

- David
David Lewis, Curator
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
http://www.AuroraRegionalFireMuseum.org

Permalink Reply by Russ on September 17, 2010 at 8:49pm

its a flame pot. its filled with a flammable liquid and lit to provide light. construction crews use to outline work zones with them when i was a kid back in the 60's. iremember they were quite resistant to weather and lit up about a 1 foot area