Lot 501: 1917 Seagrave Fire Pumper

The Seagrave Company began building pumping engines in about 1900, originating from ladder and wagon manufacturing. They then revolutionized fire-fighting in 1901 with their patented spring assisted ladder, which alleviated the labor-intensive and time-consuming need to erect long-ladders by hand. Seagrave’s system was hand-cranked and unfolded a series of segments into a long extension ladder system to fight fires in city buildings. In 1907, Seagrave adopted self-propelled fire trucks and gave up on old-fashioned horsepower.

Seagrave proved to be an innovator yet again when it developed the centrifugal pump in 1912. This type of pump worked well when powered by a gasoline engine and allowed water flow to be shut off at the nozzle without damaging the pump or bursting the hose. As an added benefit, centrifugal pumps were relatively simple, reliable and actually were improved in time as the sand and other grit in the water actually polished the pump’s components and reduced friction.

The Seagrave pumper on offer was a quality apparatus capable of pumping water reliably for hours on end. Like all Seagrave pumpers of the period, it was equipped with a centrifugal pump. Being built in 1917, it was also equipped with an auxiliary indirect engine cooling system that used hydrant water in a heat exchanger. This particular fire engine is believed to have been used in Belmont, California, between San Francisco and San Jose.

It was acquired by its current owner in 1965 for use in parades and other promotional activities. Some years earlier—possibly in the 1950s—it was modified with a six-cylinder Ford engine and manual transmission that works in conjunction with the Seagrave transaxle. That may have been when the pump was removed. Finished in dark red with gold lettering, the old chain-drive Seagrave remains very presentable. Although more than 75 years old, it is still very usable thanks to the updated engine and transmission and is ideal for parade use and other festivities.