Thursday, June 9, 2022

We used to make things in this country #339 Seagrave Fire Equipment


Herb Colling, Carl Morgan, Pioneering the Auto Age, Travelife Publishing, 1993

 This was the Canadian subsidiary of Seagraves of Ohio, who set up their new business in Walkerville (part of Windsor), Ontario in 1905. 
There first sales were to the City of Vancouver in 1907, three gas engine fire engines, the first three made in this country. No pictures of that order, but above is the first unit sold to Ottawa in 1911, Frederick Seagrave stands to the far right. 
Update! Much thanks to Steve, below is a picture from VFD Firehall #6 in Vancouver, of two Seagrave units taken in 1908. Amazing. Also amazingly, that station is still in operation.
Vancouver is awesome


Below is Windsor's first pumper, "Old Mike", which started service in 1914 and continued in regular use until 1947.
 The company made hundreds of fire engines, but increased competition from American LaFrance, who had set up in Toronto in 1915, caused Seagrave to struggle. They finally closed the doors in 1923, though the US branch continued.



A detail from a 1950s Seagrave. Thanks, Drew!

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