{letter from S. Howard, addressed to the Mayor] Being born in the city of London, and having had many opportunities of being an eye-witness to the amazing effects of the FLOATING ENGINES, it surprises me that you are without them, as no city in the world is better situated for water.  Two Engines would be sufficient for the purpose, which may be brought from London, and here fixt in proper Barges: the cost I will answer will not be more than 800..  Proper moorings be laid down for them, one opposite the Fly-Market, in the East River, the other opposite in the North-River, they will then be ready to move to any part where the fire should break out, and in that situation they will be able with the assistance of leather pipes of sufficient length, to meet and jointly play to the top of any house in William street.  . . . if the fire should break out near the water side, as was the case at Murray's wharf, the whole block of houses would have been saved. . . .  You will want no buckets, nor need you fear the want of water as long as there is water in the Rivers.  The Barges are constructed with wells like those of your Fishing Boats. . . .  ***
            D Advertiser, January 4, 1796, p. 2, col. 1.  The fire at Murray's wharf started December 9, 1796.
 
            The Engines lately brought from England is ordered for public inspection THIS DAY, at 1 o'clock, opposite the Tontine Coffee-house.  The Floating Engine cannot be worked till the barge is built; which will take up one month; it will then be exhibited for the inspection of the public.
            N-Y Gazette & General Advertiser, November 10, 1800, p. 3, col. 1.
 
            [letter advocating a floating fire-engine]  . . . even in this severe season, when there is almost an impossibility of getting water from the quantity of ice that surrounds the city: -- say the Barge that the Engine is in being fixt in the ice . . . , yet still there is no danger that the Engine will not work, as it draws the water from the bottom of the river. . . .  ***
            ***
            I have observed that when a fire unfortunately happens, the bells are set to work, which sounds are really terrifying -- to the fair sex I am sure it must be shocking -- and serves the purpose of calling together a set of people whose business, I am sorry to say, is too frequently nothing but plunder. . . .  THOMAS HOWARD.
            N-Y Gazette & General Advertiser, January 18, 1797, p. 2, col. 4.
 
            [two floating fire engines arrive from London]
            N-Y Gazette & General Advertiser, October 28, 1800, p. 3, col. 1.
 
            By desire of several gentlemen, the Fire Engines lately imported into this city, are to be tried to-morrow, 12 o’clock, at Burling-slip (if fair weather.)  The Firemen are respectfully desired to attend in order that they may have a fair trial, both by suction from the wet, and by the leaders into Pearl-street.
            Commercial Advertiser, November 20, 1800, p 3, col. 1.
 
            [store belonging to Mr. Saltus, Front-street, burns; $100K in damages]
            Commercial Advertiser, December 15, 1800, p,. 3, col. 2;
            [praise for  "the new modelled Engines lately brought to this city"]  The great utility and advantage of these new engines was very conspicuous; for they not only supplied other engines with water without the aid of a single bucket, but were likewise eminently useful in throwing a much larger quantity of water on the flames than any other engines in this city were capable of doing.
            Commercial Advertiser, December 17, 1800, p. 3, col. 2.
 
            On Friday evening last the ship Thomas, owned by Thos. Jenkins, of Hudson, laden with 1700 hhds flax seed, and a quantity of flour and pot ashes, drifted on shore at Corlaer's Hook and bilged; she was freighted and cleared out for Londonderry, and has now 6 or 8 feet water in her hold; but it is expected she will be got off with part of her cargo.  The fate of this ship is very singular: she was formerly the Admiral Duncan, of Liverpool, and was burned to the water's edge at this port, with a valuable cargo, after being cleared for Europe, precisely a twelve month previous to her present disaster.
            Commercial Advertiser, January 19, 1801, p. 3, col.  1

            Last evening about 9 o'clock fire was proclaimed from all directions.  The armed ship Admiral Duncan, laying at the [illegible] wharf near Coenties Slip, took fire, and in a few minutes after the discovery, was enveloped in flames -- she was cut loose and towed into the stream, where she continued till [about] 2 o'clock this morning, when, in spite of every effort, she drifted back, (the wind being high at N. E.,) and fortunately lodged on the rocks on the point of the battery, where she burnt to the water's edge.  ***
            Commercial Advertiser, January 18, 1800, p. 2, col. 5
 
                        Ship THOMAS -- late ADM. DUNCAN.
            WE, the owners of the above ship, return our thanks to the Mayor and Corporation for the loan of the late imported Fire Engine, to raise the said ship; which, with every possible assistance, we have accomplished.  At the same time, we are sensible of the service and assistance of Mr. Howell, who was directed by the Corporation to take charge of the same. . . . It is a pleasing circumstance to learn from the above letter, that we are now in possession of Engines that are found to be useful on more occasions than extinguishing fires.  It was never before suggested that they might be applied to the raising of ships or vessels sunk, but of which the circumstance above mentioned gives a most decided proof of their utility. . . .
            Commercial Advertiser, January 28, 1801, p. 3, col. 1

A few weeks ago, we shared a documentary film about the FDNY fireboats in New York Harbor called "Sea Going Smoke Eaters." This week, we thought we'd follow up with this amazing recording from 1938.

Marc A. Hermann, who created the video and posted it on YouTube writes:

"In what may be the earliest known recording of the FDNY radio system, this clip is found on the January 1, 1939 broadcast of "New York Advances," a program produced by municipal radio station WNYC. The show summarizes city initiatives and projects of the preceding year, including a piece about the use of two-way radios by fireboats.

"Additionally, the clip provides insight to the department's roster of fireboats which were given concurrent "land unit" designations. Two-way radios were implemented department-wide by the early 1950s."

WNYF was the radio station of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). This broadcast to the public on WNYC was part of a New Year's Day special describing the activities of the city government of the previous year, including the oath of office speech of Mayor LaGuardia, and fictionalized reenactments of modern and historical happenings. 

Following the broadcast of the FDNY fireboat roll call, "Chief of NY's Army and Navy, Fire Commissioner John McElligott, who discusses the importance of two-way radios; expresses his wish that, in the future, each police car and fire department will be equipped with a two-way radio; and lists the other development advancements of the department over the past year." Listen to the entire 1939 "New York Advances" broadcast on the New York City Municipal Archives website.

For more on FDNY fireboats and their history, check out this website featuring information and images of many historic FDNY fireboats. 

In the early 20th century the Port of New York was one of the largest and busiest in the world. But all those steamboats, ocean liners, tugboats, barges, cargo vessels, and ferries meant sometimes accidents happened, and accidents on boats often meant fires. 

The New York Fire Department had a marine unit as early as the 1860s, using sidewheel steamboats to assist with waterfront fires and fires on ships. But some of the longest-serving fireboats were the John J. Harvey (1931-1999) and Fire Fighter (1938-2011), both of which are featured in this historic 1953 documentary (you can see the Harvey briefly in the beginning and most of the action takes place on the Fire Fighter​), and both of which are preserved as museum ships today.  

'Smoke Eaters" is slang for firefighters, and watching this historic film you can see why: no face masks or oxygen were being used in those days! 

The New York Fire Department still maintains a marine unit, as New York City is still one of the biggest ports in the world, albeit less busy today than a century ago. 

To learn more about the Fire Fighter, visit their website, or see her in Mystic, CT! 

To learn more about the John J. Harvey, visit their website, or see her this fall at HRMM!

To learn more about "Sea Going Smoke Eaters" in World War II, check out this this article from the May, 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics!