The Mechanical Fire Company had the proud distinction of being the first of many companies organized in Baltimore to
systematically combat fires. The organization of this company took place in 1763, shortly after the lottery scheme for the
purchase of fire engines was announced. There is little doubt that the company was formed in anticipation of engines being
acquired for the company's use by means of the lottery. Moreover, the organizers and members of the company, and the
managers of the lottery were the leading citizens of the town, so that we are led to believe that there was a common purpose in
the two enterprises. The failure of the lottery to yield the requisite revenue deferred the introduction of an engine to aid the
company. Although the gratification of their hopes was deferred the members maintained their organization, which for nearly a
score of years was the only company of its kind in the town. Until 1769, its appliances were restricted to the axes, ladders and
other crude implements of the bucket brigade, and we can readily believe that the company was, in fact, scarcely anything more
than a bucket brigade, which held itself ready to "fall in" regularly in case of fire, and maintained a more methodical way of
attacking a fire than was customary with the unorganized "brigade."
Days, months, years, went by. History notes the appearance of the company at several public ceremonies in the last century,
and the edict accorded the company on these occasions suggests that the organization was highly esteemed.
Thus it is recorded that when George Washington, accompanied by other delegates to the Continental Congress from Virginia
and North Carolina, arrived in Baltimore, May 5, 1775, on their way to Philadelphia, the Mechanical Fire Company and three
companies of militia escorted them to the Fountain Inn, which was the historical antecedent of the Carrollton Hotel. The
festivities attending the reception and entertainment of the visitors, who subsequently became world-renowned, included an
exhibition by the Mechanical Fire Company.
As an incident in the life of Washington, a brief description of this event is worthy of being recited here. The exhibition took
place at the court house, which had been erected but a few years previously on the hill at the head of Calvert street. It was
afternoon when the delegates, accompanied by the clergy and many prominent citizens, marched from the Fountain Inn to the
court house. The Independent Company (militia), Captain Gist, and officers of the other militia companies in the town acted as
an escort, leading the way. After the exhibition a banquet was served in the court house. Toasts were drunk and great festivity
marked the day. The delegates who were entertained with so much enthusiasm were George Washington, Peyton Randolph,
Edmond Pendleton, Benjamin Harrison and Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, and Richard Caswell and Joseph Hewes, of North
Carolina.
A brief sketch of the Mechanical Fire Company, published in a newspaper of Baltimore in 1864, contains a statement that "The
engine house was located in Fayette street, near Gay, adjoining the old court house, which occupied the site of the present Battle
Monument." While this sketch does not fix the period during which the engine house was located on Fayette street, it must have
been during the latter part of the eighteenth, or the early part of the present century, because the location of the company's
headquarters in later years is known to have been elsewhere.
The fact that the fire company gave an exhibition in 1775 implies that there must have been something to exhibit. The
"something" was undoubtedly the engine of the company, and the method of using it. The engine was acquired in 1769, under
the following circumstances: The company was informed at a meeting of its members that a fire engine was on board a Dutch
ship in port, and the captain was willing to sell it. The machine had been brought from Holland. It was decided to acquire it for
the use of the company. Messrs. David Shields, James Cox, Gerard Hopkins, George Lindenberger and John Deaver, members
of the company, aided by a general subscription from the townspeople, obtained the sum of ninety-nine pounds, or two hundred
and sixty-four dollars, and the engine was purchased for this amount. This was the first machine used for fighting fires in
Baltimore. It was nicknamed "Dutchman," probably on account of its having been imported from Holland. The "Dutchman"
was mounted on small iron axles. The wheels were two feet in diameter. This carriage, or truck, was drawn by ropes in the
hands of the firemen. The mechanism consisted of two pumps, for the purpose of forcing the water upon a fire. The pumps
were made of sheet brass air vessels, with two valves in the bottom of each pump for suction and forcing, and two valves for air
purposes. There was only one discharge pipe, enclosed in an apartment, the seat of which was made of wood, and the sides of
copper. An iron beam, or lever, was used to work the pump, or engine.
The first fire engine in America is said to have made its appearance at New York in 1732. The earliest engines were imported
from Europe. They were originally worked by treadles, and subsequently by hand levers. Water was carried in buckets to ^1
tank attached to the machine, and then pumped through a "goose neck." A "goose neck" was a crude contrivance like a nozzle,
which enabled the stream of water from the engine to be thrown in any direction desired. Hose was not in use until the early
part of the present -century. In the days of the "goose neck" it was customary for a fireman to sit astride of it and steer the
stream.
The most noteworthy fire in Baltimore in the period during which the Mechanical Fire Company was the sole organized
protector of the town from fire, took place Wednesday, September 18, 1776. While some flax was being handled that day in the
garret of the almshouse, it was accidentally ignited. The garret in which this fire began was in the main building of the
almshouse, which was situated north-west of the town, at the head of North Howard street, on the square now formed by
Eutaw, Biddle, Linden and Madison streets. The wind was blowing from the westward at a freshening rate. The fire soon
extended to the dome and east wing of the structure, and these parts of the building were nearly burned to the ground before the
engine arrived from town. Vigorous efforts of the firemen and other townspeople resulted in saving part of the west wing and
most of the furniture. The main building was rebuilt immediately, but the erection of the east wing was deferred for a number of
years.
The great destruction at this fire should not lead persons in our own time to criticise the Mechanical Company too harshly for
inefficiency. When the Assembly of Maryland, in November, 1773, passed an act authorizing the construction of an almshouse,
it was provided that the building was not to be within a half mile of the town, so that the engine was probably nearly a mile from
the almshouse when the fire began. No means of communicating alarms except by the cry of "Fire!" was in vogue until some
years later, and the fire had doubtless gained great headway before the company was notified. Streets were not paved in those
days, and as the engines were drawn by hand, progress was much slower than with the horses and steam engines of our own
time. The simple engine of 1776 was far from adequate to cope with a fire of any magnitude. It is probable that the almshouse
was a wooden structure, which would further handicap firemen in extinguishing a fire. Moreover, the supply of water in the
vicinity of the almshouse was limited to the quantity obtained from such springs or wells as existed, and as the almshouse was
some distance from the town, it is probable that few wells had been dug near that institution.
Fire entirely destroyed a large brewery and warehouse at the south-west corner of Frederick and Second streets, February 4,
1779. The fire was supposed to have been of incendiary origin. The brewery was owned by Mr. James Sterrett, and the
warehouse adjoining was occupied by Hugh Young. The buildings were restored in a short time. Fire again devastated this
property, November 4, 1783. This succession of calamities induced Mr. Sterrett to retire from business, and his brewery was
not rebuilt. Subsequently, Mr. Thomas Peters, from Philadelphia, erected a brewery in the same neighborhood, near the
Lombard street bridge, and it is a coincidence that Mr. Peters' brewery in later years was also destroyed by fire, and rebuilt.
The scanty record of notable fires in the last century which has come down to us is a mute witness of the faithfulness of the first
companies and the towns folks when the fire fiend was abroad. Fires were not as frequent as in our own time; but the fact that
few fires did sufficient damage to cause them to be recorded, suggests that the primitive appliances and resources of that time
were used as effectively as possible.
The service of the Mechanical Fire Company was voluntary, and the maintenance of its organization from 1763 to 1782 without
a rival to spur it on, reflects credit upon this pioneer company. In view of the voluntary service of its members, without
substantial recompense, it is scarcely surprising to find the company adopting a resolution in 1779, providing that "In case any
house shall take fire near to that of any member of this company, particular attention will be paid to that member's house before
any other." The population of Baltimore by the census of 1790 was 13,503, so that prior to 1782, when its first rival came into
the field, the Mechanical Company was the sole organized protector of a town of probably eight or ten thousand inhabitants.
The Union Fire Company, instituted in 1782, was the second company to be organized. It obtained a small suction engine,
which was, like the "Dutchman," imported from Europe.. The new machine was named "Tick-Tack," and it is probable that in
construction it was similar to the first engine. The almost insignificant proportions and power of these early engines may be
surmised from the statement that the apparatus of the Union Company was so small that it was sometimes bodily transported by
hand. It is recorded as one of the proud achievements of this company fifty-three years after its organization that at the burning
of the court house, in 1835, the company succeeded in placing its apparatus in the cupola of the building, which was considered
the post of honor, and from which vantage point the company combatted the flames.
It is asserted in many of the books written about the fire service in Baltimore that Mr. Levi Hollingsworth was directed to import
the first two suction engines, which were named "Dutchman" and "Tick-Tack," and that these engines were placed in the
custody of the Mechanical and Union Companies, respectively. It is possible that Mr. Hoflingsworth may have been largely
instrumental in acquiring one or both of the engines, and it is not intended to rob him here of any laurels to which he may be
entitled, but the confusion in this statement of dates and events, which extended over a period of nearly a quarter of a century,
should be righted.
The Union Company had its engine house for a number of years in the immediate vicinity of Hanover Market, which was
erected under the provisions of an act of Assembly of 1784. The same act provided for the construction of Center Market as the
successor of the market at the corner of Baltimore and Gay• streets, to which we have referred. The location at this period of
the market and engine house in the section west of the basin is indicative of the growth of that part of the town.
systematically combat fires. The organization of this company took place in 1763, shortly after the lottery scheme for the
purchase of fire engines was announced. There is little doubt that the company was formed in anticipation of engines being
acquired for the company's use by means of the lottery. Moreover, the organizers and members of the company, and the
managers of the lottery were the leading citizens of the town, so that we are led to believe that there was a common purpose in
the two enterprises. The failure of the lottery to yield the requisite revenue deferred the introduction of an engine to aid the
company. Although the gratification of their hopes was deferred the members maintained their organization, which for nearly a
score of years was the only company of its kind in the town. Until 1769, its appliances were restricted to the axes, ladders and
other crude implements of the bucket brigade, and we can readily believe that the company was, in fact, scarcely anything more
than a bucket brigade, which held itself ready to "fall in" regularly in case of fire, and maintained a more methodical way of
attacking a fire than was customary with the unorganized "brigade."
Days, months, years, went by. History notes the appearance of the company at several public ceremonies in the last century,
and the edict accorded the company on these occasions suggests that the organization was highly esteemed.
Thus it is recorded that when George Washington, accompanied by other delegates to the Continental Congress from Virginia
and North Carolina, arrived in Baltimore, May 5, 1775, on their way to Philadelphia, the Mechanical Fire Company and three
companies of militia escorted them to the Fountain Inn, which was the historical antecedent of the Carrollton Hotel. The
festivities attending the reception and entertainment of the visitors, who subsequently became world-renowned, included an
exhibition by the Mechanical Fire Company.
As an incident in the life of Washington, a brief description of this event is worthy of being recited here. The exhibition took
place at the court house, which had been erected but a few years previously on the hill at the head of Calvert street. It was
afternoon when the delegates, accompanied by the clergy and many prominent citizens, marched from the Fountain Inn to the
court house. The Independent Company (militia), Captain Gist, and officers of the other militia companies in the town acted as
an escort, leading the way. After the exhibition a banquet was served in the court house. Toasts were drunk and great festivity
marked the day. The delegates who were entertained with so much enthusiasm were George Washington, Peyton Randolph,
Edmond Pendleton, Benjamin Harrison and Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, and Richard Caswell and Joseph Hewes, of North
Carolina.
A brief sketch of the Mechanical Fire Company, published in a newspaper of Baltimore in 1864, contains a statement that "The
engine house was located in Fayette street, near Gay, adjoining the old court house, which occupied the site of the present Battle
Monument." While this sketch does not fix the period during which the engine house was located on Fayette street, it must have
been during the latter part of the eighteenth, or the early part of the present century, because the location of the company's
headquarters in later years is known to have been elsewhere.
The fact that the fire company gave an exhibition in 1775 implies that there must have been something to exhibit. The
"something" was undoubtedly the engine of the company, and the method of using it. The engine was acquired in 1769, under
the following circumstances: The company was informed at a meeting of its members that a fire engine was on board a Dutch
ship in port, and the captain was willing to sell it. The machine had been brought from Holland. It was decided to acquire it for
the use of the company. Messrs. David Shields, James Cox, Gerard Hopkins, George Lindenberger and John Deaver, members
of the company, aided by a general subscription from the townspeople, obtained the sum of ninety-nine pounds, or two hundred
and sixty-four dollars, and the engine was purchased for this amount. This was the first machine used for fighting fires in
Baltimore. It was nicknamed "Dutchman," probably on account of its having been imported from Holland. The "Dutchman"
was mounted on small iron axles. The wheels were two feet in diameter. This carriage, or truck, was drawn by ropes in the
hands of the firemen. The mechanism consisted of two pumps, for the purpose of forcing the water upon a fire. The pumps
were made of sheet brass air vessels, with two valves in the bottom of each pump for suction and forcing, and two valves for air
purposes. There was only one discharge pipe, enclosed in an apartment, the seat of which was made of wood, and the sides of
copper. An iron beam, or lever, was used to work the pump, or engine.
The first fire engine in America is said to have made its appearance at New York in 1732. The earliest engines were imported
from Europe. They were originally worked by treadles, and subsequently by hand levers. Water was carried in buckets to ^1
tank attached to the machine, and then pumped through a "goose neck." A "goose neck" was a crude contrivance like a nozzle,
which enabled the stream of water from the engine to be thrown in any direction desired. Hose was not in use until the early
part of the present -century. In the days of the "goose neck" it was customary for a fireman to sit astride of it and steer the
stream.
The most noteworthy fire in Baltimore in the period during which the Mechanical Fire Company was the sole organized
protector of the town from fire, took place Wednesday, September 18, 1776. While some flax was being handled that day in the
garret of the almshouse, it was accidentally ignited. The garret in which this fire began was in the main building of the
almshouse, which was situated north-west of the town, at the head of North Howard street, on the square now formed by
Eutaw, Biddle, Linden and Madison streets. The wind was blowing from the westward at a freshening rate. The fire soon
extended to the dome and east wing of the structure, and these parts of the building were nearly burned to the ground before the
engine arrived from town. Vigorous efforts of the firemen and other townspeople resulted in saving part of the west wing and
most of the furniture. The main building was rebuilt immediately, but the erection of the east wing was deferred for a number of
years.
The great destruction at this fire should not lead persons in our own time to criticise the Mechanical Company too harshly for
inefficiency. When the Assembly of Maryland, in November, 1773, passed an act authorizing the construction of an almshouse,
it was provided that the building was not to be within a half mile of the town, so that the engine was probably nearly a mile from
the almshouse when the fire began. No means of communicating alarms except by the cry of "Fire!" was in vogue until some
years later, and the fire had doubtless gained great headway before the company was notified. Streets were not paved in those
days, and as the engines were drawn by hand, progress was much slower than with the horses and steam engines of our own
time. The simple engine of 1776 was far from adequate to cope with a fire of any magnitude. It is probable that the almshouse
was a wooden structure, which would further handicap firemen in extinguishing a fire. Moreover, the supply of water in the
vicinity of the almshouse was limited to the quantity obtained from such springs or wells as existed, and as the almshouse was
some distance from the town, it is probable that few wells had been dug near that institution.
Fire entirely destroyed a large brewery and warehouse at the south-west corner of Frederick and Second streets, February 4,
1779. The fire was supposed to have been of incendiary origin. The brewery was owned by Mr. James Sterrett, and the
warehouse adjoining was occupied by Hugh Young. The buildings were restored in a short time. Fire again devastated this
property, November 4, 1783. This succession of calamities induced Mr. Sterrett to retire from business, and his brewery was
not rebuilt. Subsequently, Mr. Thomas Peters, from Philadelphia, erected a brewery in the same neighborhood, near the
Lombard street bridge, and it is a coincidence that Mr. Peters' brewery in later years was also destroyed by fire, and rebuilt.
The scanty record of notable fires in the last century which has come down to us is a mute witness of the faithfulness of the first
companies and the towns folks when the fire fiend was abroad. Fires were not as frequent as in our own time; but the fact that
few fires did sufficient damage to cause them to be recorded, suggests that the primitive appliances and resources of that time
were used as effectively as possible.
The service of the Mechanical Fire Company was voluntary, and the maintenance of its organization from 1763 to 1782 without
a rival to spur it on, reflects credit upon this pioneer company. In view of the voluntary service of its members, without
substantial recompense, it is scarcely surprising to find the company adopting a resolution in 1779, providing that "In case any
house shall take fire near to that of any member of this company, particular attention will be paid to that member's house before
any other." The population of Baltimore by the census of 1790 was 13,503, so that prior to 1782, when its first rival came into
the field, the Mechanical Company was the sole organized protector of a town of probably eight or ten thousand inhabitants.
The Union Fire Company, instituted in 1782, was the second company to be organized. It obtained a small suction engine,
which was, like the "Dutchman," imported from Europe.. The new machine was named "Tick-Tack," and it is probable that in
construction it was similar to the first engine. The almost insignificant proportions and power of these early engines may be
surmised from the statement that the apparatus of the Union Company was so small that it was sometimes bodily transported by
hand. It is recorded as one of the proud achievements of this company fifty-three years after its organization that at the burning
of the court house, in 1835, the company succeeded in placing its apparatus in the cupola of the building, which was considered
the post of honor, and from which vantage point the company combatted the flames.
It is asserted in many of the books written about the fire service in Baltimore that Mr. Levi Hollingsworth was directed to import
the first two suction engines, which were named "Dutchman" and "Tick-Tack," and that these engines were placed in the
custody of the Mechanical and Union Companies, respectively. It is possible that Mr. Hoflingsworth may have been largely
instrumental in acquiring one or both of the engines, and it is not intended to rob him here of any laurels to which he may be
entitled, but the confusion in this statement of dates and events, which extended over a period of nearly a quarter of a century,
should be righted.
The Union Company had its engine house for a number of years in the immediate vicinity of Hanover Market, which was
erected under the provisions of an act of Assembly of 1784. The same act provided for the construction of Center Market as the
successor of the market at the corner of Baltimore and Gay• streets, to which we have referred. The location at this period of
the market and engine house in the section west of the basin is indicative of the growth of that part of the town.
