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Your ARFM board, and a few "willing"
volunteers have been hard at work -- and hard at
play. While restoring our 1850s Button hand pumper,
(to read more about that project, click here:
ARFM's Button
Hand Engine Restoration), we have been
communicating with a group of hand engine
enthusiasts and experts in New England. David
Falconi and George Rallis, with Handtub
Junction have both been a tremendous
help in identifying our engine and assisting us
with its restoration. It was at their invitation
that we traveled to Waltham Massachusetts to
witness (and participate) in a traditional New
England handtub muster.
What you see below, is a bit of our photographic
scrapbook from the trip. . . .
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It's a MUSTER
(not mustard) Ma'am...
Fire engine "musters"
have been a New England tradition for well over 150
years. As the volunteer fire companies were slowly
replaced by paid fire departments in the late
1800s, the old "vollies" formed retired or
"veteran" firemen's associations. These
associations often acquired old hand engines and
began competing with one another, much as they had
been when still active fire crews. More than 100
years later, many of these veteran's groups (and
their engines) are still around, pumping and
competing against each other several times each
year.
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The crew from the Governor
Bradstreet paraded in force. Nearly 50
volunteer crew members marched and chanted a
song, "...Never fear, the Bradstreet is at
hand... The finest engine in the land!" as
they paraded through town.
The "Okies" (Okommakamesit
#2 from Marblehead, Massachusetts),
operate a "Class A" Button engine, similar to
the one being restored by the Aurora Regional
Fire Museum.
The "Hancock" (Hancock
#128 of Ashburnham, Massachusetts) is a
"Class B" Hunneman engine.
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The
Parade
The muster we attended was in Waltham MA, and the
day began with a parade. Some stared in disbelief,
others cheered in anticipation, as antique
motorized and the participating handtubs were
pulled through downtown Waltham.
Hand-engines are classified into three sizes -
Class A, B, or C depending on the diameter of the
pump's pistons. The larger Class A engines (like
our Button) usually have the brake arms running
parallel to the engine's box or body. The medium
sized Class C engines (most often built by Hunneman
) usually are end-pumped models.
With expressions such as "We strive to conquer,"
"Douse the Glim," and "Then, Now and Forever" all
of these engines are living examples of the pride
and professionalism of the American volunteer fire
service.
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The
Competition
When the time starts, the nozzleman will cap the
nozzle, and the engine's crew will pump a few
strokes to build up pressure. With everyone poised
ready, and with the foreman's arm held high,
everyone waits, watching flags placed along the
course. They wait for the wind to turn
favorable.
At the drop of a hat, the crew begins pumping, the
nozzle cap is released and a stream of water
rockets 150, 175, 200, 250 feet down the
course.
"Flags Up!" Shouts the foreman, signaling his
crew to stand ready. At the drop of his hat they
will pump fast and hard for a short period of
time.
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The
rules
The time starts from when the engine
rolls into the wheel chocks, or when the first
man touches the coupling of the hose.
Each engine is given 15 minutes to make as many
pumps as they can or want. The best overall
distance the water is thrown is the winner.
The stream of water is shot down a 300 ft. long
course of brown paper. The water drops on the
paper are measured. The farthest drop of water
that is the size of a dime is the official score
for that engine.
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While a younger crew volunteer hold
the suction hose under water, older crew members
work the brakes.
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The
Strategy
"The secret is in the nozzle." remarked
one participant. "Nope, the secret is in the
nozzleman," argued another with a knowing
wink.
Some teams believe it is best to move the
nozzle, and give the water stream a bit of a
"whip" effect. Others say, "hold it steady"
reasoning that once a stream of water has
created a path through the air, it would be
waist valuable energy for the stream to slice
another "hole."
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Bill Rechenmacher, Asst. Chief of the Aurora Fire
Department and Secretary of the ARFM
Board of Directors works the breaks hard, and then
pauses for a breather after it is all over.
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Everyone can help lend a hand -- the more, the
merrier as the saying goes. Enticed by free
souvenir ribbons, and the camaraderie of the crew,
young and old are cajoled from the sidelines to
help pump the lesser manned engines.
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Deborah Davis,
ARFM's manager, (on the left) and Bobby
Rechenmacher (on the far right) try and catch
their breath, and grin with delight after
pumping an engine.
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The Night
Before...
The evening before the Muster in Waltham, was spent
in Boston. Among the usual touristy sights we
visited (The USS Constitution ship, and Faneual
Hall Marketplace), we also arranged to visit to the
Boston Fire Museum.
Ted Gerber, Chairman of the museum
committee describes the history of their Button
handtub, while Debby Davis, and Bill, Bobby, and
Mike Rechenmacher look on.
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...and The
Days After
Following the muster, we spent a couple of days on
Martha's Vineyard Island of the coast of Cape Cod.
While on the island, we arranged to see the
Vineyard Museum's Button handtub.
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This hand-engine sports a color
scheme (white wheels, truck, and tongue with blue
pin-striping) that is similar to our engine's
original appearance.
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Burning
Issues
Not all of the handtubs we saw were of the
three-dimensional variety. While in Boston, some of
us visited the "Burning Issues: A history of Boston
Through Fire" exhibit at the Boston Historical
Society.
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As part of their exhibit, the Boston Historical
Society has built a "hand-on" working cut-a-way
model of a Hunneman hand engine. As the brakes (not
seen in this photo - the exhibit was out of service
at the time) are pushed up and down up, visitors
see the pistons inside the engine force water in
and out.
The ARFM hopes to construct a similar exhibit to
illustrate the workings of our engine.
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