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This chemical/hose car is typical of
vehicles that were purchased by small communities to replace
horse-drawn and hand-drawn apparatus early in the 20th Century.
These light-weight rigs usually had no pump. The large metal
tank behind the driver’s seat contained approximately
forty gallons of water mixed with soda. An open-top glass
vial inside the tank at its top contained sulphuric acid.
To extinguish a fire, the tank would be rotated in its cradle
till the acid spilled into the soda-water solution. The resulting
chemical reaction would pressurize the tank to more than 200
pounds per square inch. A pre-connected hose line with a small
smooth-bore tip would then be used to apply the soda-acid-water
solution to the fire. In addition, this vehicle carried a
quantity of hose that could be used to provide a supply line
between a hydrant and a fire pumper. Thus, this type of apparatus
was known as a chemical/hose car.
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