Vigilant Hose Co.’s 1950 Seagrave Pumper

Nothing major occurred in the Shippensburg area on this date.

On Friday March 17, 1950 the Vigilant Hose Company voted to purchase a new rural pumper. The membership unanimously approved the purchase after hearing a report given by M. Garfield Barbour, President, concerning reaction to a meeting held by the Vigilant’s with supervisors, auditors and councilmen of the rural areas served by the company and held in Middle Spring on March 8.

President Barbour reported that all the areas represented at the meeting reported favorable to raising their annual payments for fire protection, pending final decisions by their respective official bodies.

The Vigilant’s had requested the rural supervisors either discontinue the rural pumper service or vote to raise their respective payments with the thought of making the purchase possible. Most of the townships paid $50 a year, while two townships paid $75 and two areas only paid $25 (the research didn’t reveal what areas paid how much amount). It was pointed out that the rural townships in Chambersburg and Carlisle paid upwards of $200 per year for rural fire protection. The Vigilant’s agreed at the meeting to pay half the purchase price of the rural engine.

Specifications for the pumper were to be a 1950 Seagrave with a 750 gallon-per-minute pump, 200 horse power motor, two ¾ inch 150 foot booster reels, two flood lights, two carbon dioxide extinguishers, two fog nozzles, one foam extinguisher and a 1,500 watt generator. The company decided against a cab or hood over the cab in order to save the $750 it would cost to purchase additional equipment.

The color of the new rural pumper was to be the same as decided upon recently for the new borough quad on order; the fenders and skirt to be painted red, with the body and hood finished in eggshell cream, trimmed in gold and black. The engine cost was $14,218.50.

On July 7, 1950 the Vigilant’s excepted delivery of the new engine just in time for the jubilee event being held by the C.V. Hose Company in conjunction with the dedication of their new firehouse. The engine responded to its first run and working fire on July 15, 1950 when a barn was destroyed at the J. Craig Fry residence, Shippensburg R. R. 3.

The engine replaced a 1931 Seagrave and became the company’s second rural pumper.

The Vigilant’s ran the engine until 1962 when a cracked engine block sidelined it. Faced with a $4,000 to $6,000 bill to repair the rig and having to constantly add water to keep the rig running it was decided to replace it. Seagrave took the engine as trade for $6,000 towards a new rural pumper. The company paid Seagrave $10.00 per month to rent the engine until their new on arrived but the motor didn’t last that long and a loaner engine was obtained from Media, Pa. until the new engine could arrive.

It is unknown what Seagrave did with the pumper after they got it.