1882 Horse Drawn Rotary-Sweep Pumper

Inventor Benjamin Howe designed this pumper to compete with steam fire engines. This was a radical design using three double acting piston pumps mounted horizontally beneath a large rotary gear. This gear is turned by a sweep to which horses were attached after they were done pulling the engine to the fire. The big gear drives three small gears connected by cranks and connecting rods to the pumps. This arrangement could produce over 200 gallons per minute, about half the output of a steamer, but more than most hand pumpers.

Howe thought this rigs design would be popular with volunteer departments needing a powerful engine but lacking funds for a steamer. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Few volunteers used horses due to expense. Even steamers of the day were mostly pulled by firefighters. Those proud firefighters would not allow themselves to be put to work like a horse.

Not many of these rotary pumpers were sold. This one is of a very few to survive today. We know of only two others. The Fellows Club Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Service in Conneautville, Pennsylvania has an 1882 Remington built model, which was built by the Remington Arms Agricultural Works Division. The other pumper is located at the Alberta Fire Museum in Alberta, Canada.

With Howe having the pump design and patent, it appears that Rumsey and Remington built theirs off of contract, or other negotiated means. Our Howe/Rumsey is the only one known to exist, and the Remington is also the only one to exist.