The steam fire engine on display at Carillon Park has been preserved
through the efforts of the Sidney and Dayton Fire Departments.
Originally the property of the Sidney Fire Department, it was donated to
the Dayton Fire Department in 1953 for reconditioning and subsequent
display. The refurbished engine, in like-new condition, was moved to
Carillon Park concurrently with the opening of the park’s 1955 season.
Educational and Musical Arts, Inc., the non-profit civic organization
which operates Carillon Park, provided the structure which houses both
the engine and the old-time fire bell which once hung in the fire
station at Fifth and Brown Streets.
The fire engine is a single-pump Ahrens-Fox and originally cost $4,000.
It was purchased by the City of Sidney in 1883 and remained in active
service until 1916. From that time until 1928 it was kept in reserve.
After 1928, the engine remained in storage until its restoration to
original condition. The City of Dayton at one time employed a number of
similar Ahrens engines, but of larger size. None of these machines could
be located for restoration, however.
Named for Henry Young, the chief of the Sidney Fire Department at the
time of its purchase, the engine was drawn by a team of pure black
horses throughout much of its period of use. In addition to the steamer,
the Sidney Fire Department had a ladder wagon, a hose wagon and a number
of hose reels. Although this equipment seems scant as well as out-moded
by present-day standards, Sidney in the latter 19th Century was listed
as one of the better-equipped cities for fire-fighting in the United
States in relation to its size.
Besides participating in many major fires at Sidney during its
thirty-three years of active service and twelve years in reserve, the
Henry Young was used several times to combat out-of-town blazes. At two
of these fires, in Quincy and Piqua, the Henry Young was rushed by
railroad flatcar to the scene after the fires had passed beyond control
of the local departments.
[Illustration: The Carillon Park engine is shown above during its
period of active service. Sidney firemen pose in the foreground.]
During its long span of service, the Henry Young compiled an admirable
record of dependability. In operation, the engine was first fired with
wood which in turn ignited coal. Usually by the time the engine arrived
at a blaze it had already developed a head of steam and was ready for
use. As with most steamers, constant attention to the flues was required
if the engine was to operate at peak efficiency.
[Illustration: The earliest aerial ladders were made of wood and
mounted on horse-drawn trucks, with ladders being raised or lowered
by hand-operated cranks. Today’s aerial ladder truck, as shown
above, embodies tremendous improvements in safety and efficiency.]
[Illustration: The modern pumper pictured above has an output of
1,500 gallons of water per minute, more than four times the pumping
capacity of the Carillon Park steam fire engine. In addition, it
carries 1,600 feet of hose.