The 1916 Mack Bulldog Roars Again

After 39 years, the restoration of Baltimore Fire Department Engine 23 is virtually
complete and on the road again. Stephen Heaver, Sr. and Stephen Heaver, Jr.,
past and current directors of the Fire Museum of Maryland in Lutherville,
Maryland, started the project when the city donated the 1916 Mack AC Bulldog in
1972.

The restored Mack Combination Fire Engine made its first appearance in its latest

rendition, June 19^th, at the McCungie Antique Truck Show near
Allentown, PA. This event was followed by another appearance in the Towson Fourth
of July Parade, July 3^rd.

At the Towson Parade, Engine 23 and Baltimore City Fire Department Engine 7 were

put back in service together for the first time since the 1927. The Ahrens Fox
was retired in 1966. Engine 7 is also a part of the FMM collection that
features historically significant hand drawn, horse drawn and motorized
apparatus. These 40 pieces illustrate the mechanical genius of American fire
fighters. Throughout these engines’ histories, fire fighters redesigned and
rebuilt their apparatus to handle larger and more complicated fire situations
in growing metropolitan cities.

On July 24^th, it took Best in Show honors at the Fire House Expo Conference

in Baltimore during its apparatus show.

“I have to tell you that this was a major watershed for me personally as my Dad
and I had planned for the renovation...since 1972 when it was donated,”
remarked Stephen Heaver, Jr. “This was probably the last project that I can
think of in which we both collaborated and which is coming to fruition.”

The Fire Museum is legacy of the late Stephen Heaver, Sr., who died in 1998. His son
Steve and wife Melissa carry on the legacy by telling the history of the fire
service through its artifacts, archival records, and memorabilia, Today, the
FFM is the third largest fire museum in the world with 40 antique fire engines,
dating back to 1806. Other exhibits include the reconstructed Baltimore Fire
House, circa 1871, and the working telegraphic alarm system that was operated
from City Hall from 1850 to 1961.

However, Engine 23 has a legacy all its own. It was the 344^th engine to roll
off the Mack assembly line in 1916, the first year Mack made fire engines. Put
in service in 1917, it was rebuilt several times over its 55-year service by fire
department mechanics. The engine was converted to the high pressure wagon in
1925. Steve, Jr. picked that year as the restoration point, using photos and
archival records to authentic the proper colors and equipment seen on exhibit
today.

Authentically restored by volunteers to 1925 required an unusual selection of materials in

its decorative design. While the designs on the hand-brushed, red body parts
were gold-leafed, new regulations (in 1925) required that lettering and designs
on the white bed be done in bronze-leaf. Melissa Heaver and Steve found this
rare bit of history just weeks before starting the gold leaf process. Larry
Spangler recreated the gold and bronze leafing from period photographs.

Sporting three water cannons or deck pipes, it can handle up to 2,000 gallons a minute
when supplied by the City’s high pressure water system. With that kind of water
pressure, smaller trucks were known to “walk” across the road.

The “Pride of the Fleet” carries a ladder, 2 1/2 inch hose, a 600-gallon-a-minute
Hale rotary pump and a chemical tank, which was used a mixture of sulfuric acid
and soda to smother small fires. Just weeks before its June 19^th debut
at Pennsylvania’s Macungie Antique Truck Show, it was refitted with an exhaust
whistle, powered by the flow of engine exhaust, giving it that unique sound
typical of the 1920s.

All that is left to do is to replace the hard rubber rear tires and to reshape the

fenders back to the way they were in 1925. The fenders were widened by the
Baltimore FD Shop to handle the wider pneumatic tires installed in 1939.
Stephen, Jr. continues to raise funds for this project, the new tires will cost
close to $7,000 to replace do to the specialization of labor for mounting hard
rubber tires. Contact Steve Heaver at 410-321-7500 to contribute to this
project or to the Museum itself. The Museum Shop has a special edition “E23”
t-shirt on sale, with all proceeds going to the restoration of the 1916 Mack.

The Fire Museum of Maryland is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 – 4 pm, Sundays
1 – 4 pm, June through August, and on Saturdays, 10 – 4 pm from May through
December. FMM has ample free parking and is located at 1301 York Road in
Lutherville, Maryland, just one block north of I695, Exit 26B. To learn more
about the collection and when these engines are demonstrated, go to www.firemuseummd.org.

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