ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>Merryweather Steam Fire Pump</title> <meta name="description" content="Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Preservation Group appliance, Merryweather Gem Steam Appliance"> <meta name="keywords" content="strathclyde,fire,preservation,group,rescue,ayeready,heritage,vintage,wheeled,glasgow,scoosher,goddess,firefighting,pumpescape,appliances,cheapside,street,disaster,airport,dennisf8,light6"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <link href="../styles/styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <div id="layout"> <!-- Top Banner Start --> <div id="header"> <div class="FloatL"> <a href="../index.htm" title="Home"><img src="../images/site/sfrlogo.gif" width="370" height="128" alt="Strathclyde Fire &amp Rescue Logo" border="0"></a> </div> <div class="FloatR"> <img src="../images/site/PresGroupLogo.jpg" width="293" height="128" alt="Strathclyde Fire &amp Rescue Preservation Group Logo"> </div> <div class="both"></div> </div> <!-- Top Banner End --> <!-- Navigation Start --> <div id="navbar"> <ul id="main-nav"> <li><a href="../index.htm" title="Home Page">Home Page</a></li> <li><a href="../aboutus.htm" title="About Us">About Us</a></li> <li><a href="../appliances.htm" title="Group Appliances"> Appliances</a></li> <!-- <li><a href="../chairmans_report.htm" title="Group Chairmans Annual Report">Chairmans Annual Report</a></li>--> <li><a href="../cheapside_street_50_years.htm" title="Commemorating The Cheapside Street Disaster - 28th March 1960">Cheapside Street 50 Years On</a></li> <li><a href="../contact.htm" title="Contact Us">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="../events4.htm" title="Events We Are Attending">Events</a></li> <li><a href="../featured.htm" title="Featuring Specially Selected Events and Appliances">Featured Events and Appliances</a></li> <li><a href="../guestbook1/sfrpg_guestbook.html" title="Why Not Sign Our Guest Book">Guest Book</a></li> <li><a href="../imagegalleries.htm" title="View Image Galleries">Image Galleries</a></li> <li><a href="../links.htm" title="Some Relevant Links You May Find Interesting">Related Links </a></li> <li><a href="../manuals.htm" title="Hand Operated Fire Appliances">Manuals</a></li> <li><a href="../media-section.htm" title="Our Work With The Media">Media Section</a></li> <li><a href="../projects.htm" title="Active Restoration and Preservation Projects">Projects</a></li> <li><a href="../st_mungo.htm" title="The St. Mungo Fire Boat">The St. Mungo Fireboat</a></li> <li><a href="../steamers.htm" title="Steam Powered Appliances">Steamers</a></li> <li><a href="../trailer_units.htm" title="Miscellaneous Trailer Units">Trailer Units</a></li> </ul> </div> <!-- Navigation End --> <!-- Page Content Start --> <div id="content"> <!-- Actual Content Start --> <!-- Appliance top navigation start --> <div id="ApplianceNavContainer"> <ul id="ApplianceNavList"> <li><a href="shandsteamer.htm" title="Shand Mason Steam Fire Pump"><< Previous</a></li> </ul> </div> <!-- Appliance top navigation end --> <h2 class="centered">Circa 1901<br>Merryweather "Gem" Steam Fire Pump</h2> <table align="center"> <tr> <td><img src="../images/steamers/merryst_new_1.jpg" width="250" height="216" alt="Merryweather Steam Fire Pump"></td> <td><img src="../images/steamers/merryst_new_3.jpg" width="250" height="216" alt="Merryweather Steam Fire Pump"></td> </tr> </table> <p> On the 14th January 1901 St Andrews Town Council set up a new committee known as The Steam Fire Engine Committee. This was formed on the back of a generous offer by a noted citizen of the town, Major Donald Lindsay Carnegie, to fund the purchase of a new Merryweather Fire Engine similar to the appliances which had recently gone into service with London s Metropolitan Fire Brigade </p> <p> The committee s first task was to sanction the expenditure of £250 to alter the premises in Church Square to accommodate the appliance and to construct a 45 foot hose tower. The committee also heard that Major Carnegie had paid for new helmets and tunics for the crew and a set of  Morris Couplings for the hose. </p> <p> In recognition, the committee persuaded Major Carnegie to allow them to place a brass plaque on the engine giving details of his gift to the town. This plaque is still in place today. </p> <p> The Merryweather  Gem arrived by train in St Andrews on Thursday 30th May 1901 accompanied by a Merryweather agent. Pulled by four horses, the engine clattered through the streets of St Andrews watched by hundreds of spectators who had turned out to see their new fire engine. </p> <p> The first call it attended was to a fire in the goods station on Saturday, June 8th 1901, where only 9 days previous it had arrived by train. The crew were under the command of Captain W. Watson and arrived within 8 minutes of the call being made to the Fire Brigade. </p> <p> The appliance was last used shortly after the Second World War to pump away flood water and it was during this incident that the boiler burst. The engine was gifted to Strathclyde Fire Brigade Preservation Group by Fife Fire and Rescue Service on a permanent loan basis in January 2007. </p> <!-- Actual Content End --> </div> <!-- Page Content End --> <!-- Footer Start --> <div id="footer"> &copy; Strathclyde Fire &amp; Rescue Preservation Group </div> <!-- Footer End --> </div> </body> </html>