This trolley converted into a fire engine was operated by volunteers and ran on the Park Point strip between Lake Superior and the Duluth Harbor southeast of Duluth MN for several years, though I dont have dates or any info on the trolley or its conversion. From the cut-through of the Duluth entry into the harbor in 1870 until the Aerial Lift Bridge was completed in 1905, Park Point was accessible only by ferry. Even after the completion of the bridge, Park Point could be isolated from the mainland for bridge lifts to accommodate Great Lakes freighters, causing response delays up and above 15 minutes for mainland units to arrive. Park Point was eventually annexed into the City, and Duluth Fire continued to run Engine 5 as a 1-person rig up until 2012, when budget cuts forced its closure along with the elimination of Engine 3 (ran out of Station 1). The risk of response delays is unchanged, the bridge still has long lift periods. The old station that originally housed the trolley and later conventional apparatus is presently being converted into a private residence: Firehall #5. ---------------------- From Zenith City Online: On [October 20] 1907, volunteers of the Park Point Fire Department made their first test run. Led by “Chief” George E. Ball, firefighters boarded a streetcar—newly equipped for firefighting—at 9 a.m. and rode along Minnesota Point from the Interstate Traction Company car barns at 1900 Minnesota Avenue roughly two miles to the White City amusement park, which was closed for the season. It took just eight minutes for them to travel, lay out 800 feet of hose, and start a steady stream of water flowing through it. The Duluth Herald commented that the addition of the volunteer fire department gave the residents of Park Point “a feeling of much greater safety.” From 1870 to 1905, Park Point was cut off from the rest of Duluth. Fire equipment had to be brought over on a ferry. Ball was the master mechanic of the Interstate Traction Company, which built the street railway system on Park Point. Once the Aerial Transfer Bridge was built, the firehouse in “Uptown” (today’s Canal Park Business District) was able to send reinforcements to help with fires on Park Point, but they first had to be contacted, which created delays. Park Point had no fire alarm system at the time, but the story indicated one was in the works. A year later, [a] letter to the Duluth News Tribune suggests, there was still no alarm in place. ---------------------- More related photos in the comments.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 00:22:52 +0000
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