Documentary History of American Water-works

High Pressure Water Delivery for Fire Service

Dedicated water systems for fire protection date from the early 19th Century.  Initially these consisted of piping and fire hydrants connected to a pump located in a mill or other place with power available to drive the pump during a fire.  Some later systems, such as Atlantic City's, built a piping system supplied from pumps in hotels along the Boardwalk.  In 1863 Birdsill Holly built a system in Lockport that used water-driven pump and dedicated piping that was engaged during a fire. This led to high development of the Holly water works system.

Many communities developed separate high pressure water systems dedicated to fire protection.  The first of these was built in Rochester, New York in 1874, which is still in service.  These systems were generally confined to dense built-up areas and high value areas such as naval bases and factories..

Some early systems utilized dedicating piping systems that were supplied with fire boats during a fire, and in a few cases fire boats were permanently moored for this service.

Systems with dedicated pumping stations using fresh or salt water were then built and in some cases the piping network was arranged so that fire boats could deliver additional water during a fire. 

Many systems have been abandoned as motor-driven fire pumpers became more robust and dependable.

References
1874 Annual Report of the American Institute of the City of New York for the Year 1873
Pages 543-544: The Rochester Water Works.

1884 "High Service Water Supply for New York," Engineering News 11:102 (March 1, 1884)

1886 "The Greathead System of Fire Protection, and the Public Supply of Hydraulic Power," Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia 5:230-238 (1886)

1898 "New High Pressure Fire Service System at Providence, R.I.," City Government 4:133-134 (April 1898)

1898 "Description of the Separate High Pressure Fire Service System at Providence, R.I.," by Edmund B. Weston, Journal of the New England Water Works Association 13(2):85-93 (December, 1898)
Facing Page 86:  Map of Providence System

1902 "A New 2,300 HP Gas Engine Installation for High Pressure Fire Service in Philadelphia," Engineering News 48:144-145 (1902)

1903 "Fire Mains," by John C. Trautwine, Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia 20(1):42-82 (January 1903)
Reviews systems installed in various cities.
Plate I:  Skeleton Plans of Existing Fire Main Systems in Milwaukee, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Providence and Philadelphia
Plate II:  Plan of Philadelphia Fire Main System

1903 "Stationary Fire Pumps," by George L. Jones, Scientific American 88(4):62-63 (January 24, 1903)
Philadelphia

1903 "Philadelphia's High-Pressure Fire Pipe Line," Scientific American 89(2):28 (July 11, 1903)

1903 "Philadelphia High-Pressure Fire Service," by John E. Codman, Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia 20(1):83-101 (January 1903)

1904 "Salt Water Fire Protection for New York City," Scientific American, 90:170 (February 27, 1904)

1904 "A Proposed High Pressure Water Supply System for Fire Protection in Chicago," 20(9):197-199 Engineering News (March 3, 1904)

1904 "Philadelphia Gas Engine Pumping Station for Fire Service," Engineering Record 49(10):309-313 (March 5, 1904)

1904 "Gas Power for High Pressure City Fire Service," by J.R. Bibbins, Cassier's Magazine 24:387-406 (March 1904)
The Philadelphia High-Pressure Pumping Station

1904 "Report on Proposed High Pressure Fire Service for Borough of Manhattan, New York City," 20(12):287-288 Engineering News (March 24, 1904)

1904 "Report on Proposed High Pressure Fire Service for Borough of Brooklyn, New York City," Engineering News 20(12):288-290 (March 24, 1904)

1904 "Salt-Water Mains for Fire Protection," Scientific American 90(13):240 (March 26, 1904)

1904 "3,000 Horsepower Gas Engine Pumping Station for High Pressure Service," by J.R.Bibbins, Engineer 41:206-208, 239-240, 272-274 (March, April, 1904)
Philadelphia

1905 "Proposed High-Pressure Fire System for the Borough of Manhattan, New York," 22(12):317-320 Engineering News (March 23, 1905)

1905 "Fire Test a Success," Washington Post, April 6, 1905, Page 10.

1905 Report of the Commission on High Pressure Water Systems of the City of Chicago, April 10, 1905.

1905 "High-Pressure Systems for City Fire Protection," by Albert Blauvelt, Cassier's Magazine 28:420-429 (September, 1905)

1906 "High Pressure Water Systems," by F.L. Hand, Proceedings of the American Water Works Association :411-452 (July 1906)
Gives costs of Philadelphia system.

1907 Report of Committee on Auxiliary High Pressure Fire Protection Water Supply to the Court of Common Council of the City of Hartford, Conn. March 5, 1907

1907 "Proposed Auxiliary High Pressure Water Protection Supply at Hartford, Conn.," Engineering News 58:53 (July 18, 1907)
With table showing fire protection in 21 cities.

1908 "New York's Electrically Operated High Pressure Water System for Fire Protection," Electrical World 51(11):555-558 (March 14, 1908)

1908 Reports on an Auxiliary Water Supply System for Fire Protection for San Francisco, California, March 16, 1908

1908 "The New York High-Pressure Fire Protection System," Scientific American 98(13):218 (March 28, 1908)

1908 "Successful Test of New York's High-Pressure Fire Service," Scientific American 99(2):24, 30-31 (July 11, 1908)

1908 "The Brooklyn High Pressure Water System for Fire Protection," Engineering Record 57:702 (1908)

1908 "City of Winnipeg High Pressure Fire Service," Canadian Engineer 15:407-408 (1908)

1909 "Winnipeg's High Pressure Service," by H.V. Ross, Municipal Journal and Engineer 26(17):707=709 (June 16, 1909)

1909 "Fire Protection at San Francisco," Municipal Journal and Engineer 26:1099-1102 (June 16, 1909)

1909 "The New York High-Pressure Water System," Proceedings of the Thirty-Second Convention of the National Electric Light Association 36(2):ii,653-667 (1909)

1909 "Toronto High Pressure Fire System," by C.L. Fellowes, Proceedings of the American Water Works Association 19:700-710 (June 1909)

1909 "Improvements in New York's High-Pressure Fire Service," Scientific American 101(19):326 (November 6, 1909)

1909 "High Pressure Fire Service Pumps of Manhattan Borough, City of New York," by R.C. Carpenter, Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 31:437-510 (1909)

1910 "Fire Fighting Without Fire Engines," by Herbert T.Wade, Scientific American 102(23):458 (June 4, 1910)

1910 "High Pressure Fire Protection System at Oakland, Cal.," Engineering Record 62:97-99 (July 23, 1910)

1910 "High Pressure Service in New York City," by Edward F. Croker, Fire and Water Engineering 48:145-146 (September 7, 1910)
Paper read at convention of International Association of Fire Engineers.

1910 "High-Pressure Fire Service: Its Operation and Efficiency," by J.E. Buchanan, Winnipeg, Fire and Water Engineering 48:147-148 (September 7, 1910)
Paper read at convention of International Association of Fire Engineers.

1910 "A rambling description of the water works," by Berkman C. Little, Journal of the New England Water Works Association 24(4):485-492 (December 1910)
Includes description of the high pressure Holly system.

1911 "High Pressure Water Service for Fire Protection," by J.B. Sando, Journal of the Western Society of Engineers 16(2):117-142 (February 1911)
Describes systems used in various cities.

1911 "High Pressure Fire Service Compared with Portable Fire Engines," by Charles A. Hague, Proceedings of the American Water Works Association 31:369-391 (June 1911)

1912 "Management of High Pressure Fire Systems," Engineering Record 65:580-581 (May 25, 1912)
Committee Report of National Fire Protection Association.

1912 Special Report on the High Pressure Fire Service City of Baltimore, MD, National Board of Fire Underwriters, June, 1912

1912 "Baltimore High Pressure Fire Service," Municipal Journal 33(4):107-110 (July 25, 1912)

1912 "High Pressure Fire Service System in Baltimore. MD," Engineering News 68:210-211 (August 1, 1912)
Gives results of tests made by the National Board of Fire Underwriters

1912 "Baltimore High Service Fire System," Insurance Engineering 24:72-83 (August 1912)
Quotes from report of National Board of Fire Underwriters.

1912 "San Francisco High Pressure Fire System," by W.H. Ticknor, Insurance Engineering 24(3):129-140 (September 1912)

1912 "High Pressure Fire Mains in Philadelphia," by John E. Codman, Engineering Record 66:523 (November 9, 1912)

1912 "High Pressure System At Baltimore—Important Change in Hydrant Methods," Fire Engineering 52:378 (November 13, 1912)

1912 Twenty-Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Fire Commissioners to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1912.

1913 "The High-Pressure Fire Service of Baltimore," American City 8:75-81 (January 1913)

1913 "Baltimore High Pressure Fire Service," by James B. Scott, Journal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 35(1):373-419 (March 1913)

1913 "The Design, Construction and Operation of the Baltimore High-Pressure Fire Service System," Engineering & Contracting 39(16):436-443 (April 16, 1913)

1913 "The High Pressure Fire Service," by John E. Codman, Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia 30(4):325-340 (October, 1913)

1913 "The Modernizing of Cleveland's Fire Department," American City 9:558-562 (December 1913)

1914 Summary of high pressure fire protection plan and system, Cleveland Inspection Bureau, January 1914

1916 "High-Pressure Fire Protection," American City 14:497-498 (May 1916)
Jacksonville, Florida

1917 Fire Prevention, by Edward Franklin Croker

1917 "The Design, Construction and Operation of Toledo's New High Pressure Fire Protection System," by W.J. Sherman, Municipal Engineering 53:221-222 (November 1917)

1917 "High Pressure Fire System of Cincinnati," by J.A. Hiller, Municipal Journal 43(26):628-630 (December 29, 1917)

1917 Statistics of Fire Departments of Cities Having a Population of Over 30,000, United States Bureau of the Census
Pages 35-36:  Separate high-pressure fire service by direct stationary power with table showing data for nine cities.

1918 "The High Pressure Fire System," City Record (Boston) 10(2):19-23 (January 12, 1918)
The statement of engineer O'Rourke in reply to National Board of Fire Underwriters.  Includes information on several other cities.

1918 "Leaks from High Pressure Fire Service Mains," by Henry B. Machen, Journal of the American Water Works Association 5(1):44-48 (March 1918)

1919 "San Francisco's High-Pressure Water Supply," Engineering World 14(8):29-32 (April 15, 1919)

1919 "San Francisco's High Pressure Fire Service," Municipal Journal & Public Works 46:454-455 (June 1919)

1919 "San Francisco Auxiliary Fire Protection System," Fire and Water Engineering 66:1086 (September 3, 1919)

1922 "Pumping Plant of New High Pressure Fire System at Buffalo, New York," by W.B. Powell, Municipal and County Engineering 62:177-179 (May 1922)

1922 "Rebuilding San Francisco After the Fire," by M.M. O'Shaughnessy, The Military Engineer 14(78):376-380 (November-December 1922)
High Pressure Fire System

1922 "Boston High-Pressure Fire System and General Problem of Special Fire Service," by Frank A. McInnes, Journal of the New England Water Works Association 36(4):483-494 (December 1922)
Facing Page 494:  Table showing high pressure fire systems

1922 "High Pressure fire systems from the underwriters' viewpoint," by G.W. Booth, Journal of the New England Water Works Association 36(4):495-516 (December 1922)

1923 Comparison of high pressure water systems for fire protection, by Chester Orlando Avery, and Laurence E. Barstow, Thesis, Department of Mechnical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

1924 "Direct Fire Pressure vs. Portable Pumping Apparatus," Journal of the American Water Works Association 11(1):209-213 (January, 1925)

1925 Water Works Practice, a manual issued by the American Water Works Association
Pages 323-329:  High pressure fire systems

1941 "Auxiliary Water Supplies for Fire Protection," by A. C. Hutson, Journal of the American Water Works Association 33(5):972-975 (May, 1941)

1945 "The Buffalo High Pressure Fire System," Municipal and County Engineering 92:121 (1945)
The Buffalo high pressure fire system consists of 394 valves, 222 hydrants , and 15 miles of mains of which 72 per cent consists of 16 and 20 inch pipe , and roughly 28 per cent is of 12 inch size

2008 "'It will burn for a mile': Fire Insurance and the Origins of the High Pressure Fire Service," NFR, April 7, 2008.

2009 Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS) Study, January 23, 2099, City of San Francisco

2010 Urban Conflagrations in the United States by William M. Shields

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