| ||||||||||||||||
|
New York City's first fire hydrant was installed in 1808 at the corner of William and Liberty Streets, this hydrant was most likely a wood case hydrant. By 1817, the first regular iron hydrants were being installed throughout the city. These were most likely flip lid hydrants. The known brands of "flip lid" style fire hydrants that the city employed were "A B & C Company" hydrants and Hotchkiss Field & Co fire hydrants. Of the latter, original hydrants have been found and documented.
During the latter part of the 1800's, the city presumably began phasing out the more obsolete "flip lid" hydrants and began to employ different makes and models of modern style hydrants ranging from manufacturers such as Ludlow Valve, Rensselaer Valve, Eddy Valve, R.D. Wood, and A.P. Smith. Some of these models of hydrants were still in use in the city as late as the early 1940's. Development of the Specification Starting in 1902, the city began buying mainly one style of fire hydrant, it was the "O'Brien" model hydrant supplied by A.P. Smith Mfg Company, located less than 30 miles away in East Orange, New Jersey. It is assumed that in the early 1920's A.P. Smith's exclusive rights to the design expired and other companies were permitted to supply hydrants to the city. Hydrants manufactured by at least ten other companies began to appear on street corners throughout the city (See Detailed Breakdown of Manufacturers). Because of the interchangeability of the parts of this hydrant commonly known as the "Series S", it is not uncommon to find a hydrant with parts from more than one manufacturer and hydrants with no identifiable markings. Current Specification New York City's current hydrant specification consists of two models of fire hydrants. The most common of these models is the above mentioned design based on A.P. Smith's 1902 "O'Brien" hydrant. This model is also an extremely common hydrant in many major cities throughout the United States. The second model specified by the city is based on Dresser Industries' "Traffic 500" model hydrant. One trademark of all the current NYC Spec hydrants is that they have one single hose nozzle (2.5") and one single pumper (4.5"). Because these hydrants are no longer locked by patent laws, any manufacturer of that model receiving the city's lowest bid may produce each model. These two makes of hydrants are located throughout the city (including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Hart Island, City Island, Roosevelt Island, Ward's Island/Randall's Island). In specific areas throughout the city, hydrants not conforming to the current specification can be found, however.
| ||||||||||||||||
