Jerry Michals of Aurora, Colorado tells us that September’s What Is It is a Muffin Bell. “This bell was commonly used by volunteer 19th Century fire fighters. The torch boy or firefighter leading the hand pulled hose reel or hand pumper would ring this bell as he led the way to the fire. These bells usually have an 1850s patent date on the handle.”
Jerry is exactly right! Others who properly identified the September What Is It include Charles Pheasant, Centennial, Colorado (He adds, “I enjoy your contest a lot. Keep it up.”); Fred Clark of Colorado Springs (He tells us “I love your monthly paper and appreciate having it sent as I’ve been ill for the last 12 months.”); Ellen Chelesvig of Boulder, Colorado guessed that the object was a auctioneers bell and because it is very possible that it has been used that way, we feel Ellen should also win a year’s subscription to the Mountain States Collector. Congratulations, winners!
Collecting fire fighting related objects is a great hobby. One collector says, “The key to successful collecting is in books. They describe the history of fire fighting, help identify antique equipment and provide fascinating information on the way volunteer companies operated in the old days.”
More directly related to collecting are the histories’ accounts of fire fighting meth- ods, because these descriptions trace the development of equipment. The oldest piece of collectible equipment was used not by fire fighters but by guardians of the law. When the first police unit activated in America began to patrol the streets of New Amsterdam in 1658 each member carried, in addition to musket, bayonet and sword used for peace- keeping, a large wooden rattle. The patrolman was to twirl his rattle vigorously if he saw a fire or smelled one; at the first sound of that clatter, nearby householders would swarm out to fight the fire. The official designation of this volunteer outfit was The Rattle Watch, but the members were generally known as “The Prowlers.”
Follow Us