Description
1865 W.W. Wunder Hose Carriage. Competition between American hose companies in a city fire department led to building rigs like this. This attractive and functional carriage has a capacity of between 300 and 500 feet of 2 1/2 inch fire hose. It was sturdy enough to do the job, and lavishly decorated with nickel plating and mirror siding for the hose reel and tool bins. The builder was W.W. Wunder Company of Reading, Pennsylvania for the Active Hose Company of Philadelphia. Retired volunteers probably pulled it in parades in the year 1870 when the department switched from volunteer to paid, and equipped all of its hose companies with horse drawn hose carts. This carriage went into the H.V. Smith collection at the Home Fire Insurance Company. When that collection was disbanded, it went to the FASNY Museum, operated by the Volunteer Fire Department of New York State. In 2007. they sold the carriage to the Hall of Flame.
This carriage is now owned by the Hall of Flame Museum, and is on display at their large museum in Phoenix, Arizona.
