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dawnstaley · 11 months

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STOP IM GONNA CRY

#WAIL.JPG #joe ross #baseball #washington nationals

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handeaux · 2 years

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The Curious (And Explosive) History Of Cincinnati’s First Steam Fire Engine

Cincinnati’s wonderful Fire Museum on Court Street continually burnishes our city’s two fire-fighting claims to fame: Cincinnati created the first professional fire department in the United States in 1853, and Cincinnati craftsmen invented the first successful steam-powered fire engine in 1852. Those two facts are inextricably connected and they are even mostly true, although they do not tell the whole story.

Usually missing from Cincinnati’s fire-fighting history are a few additional facts that provide clearer context:

Cincinnati had to pay its firefighters to haul the new fire engine to fires because amateurs refused to operate the contraption.

Cincinnati’s steam fire engine was not the first; other inventors had produced steam-powered fire engines decades earlier.

Cincinnati’s first steam-powered fire engine exploded during a public demonstration, killing the operator.

Although Cincinnati created the first professional fire department in 1853, the impetus for this innovation can be traced to a riot between two companies of firefighters in 1851. For decades, Cincinnati’s fire protection had been provided by a couple dozen amateur associations. Whatever company showed up first and extinguished the fire got paid by the insurance company that provided coverage for that particular building. If two or more companies appeared simultaneously, brawls erupted to determine who would get paid. The 1895 “History of the Cincinnati Fire Department describes an all-too-common scene:

“One of the fiercest contests occurred in the year 1851. The battle took place during a fire on the corner of Augusta and John streets, between Western Hose Company No. 3, and the Washington Company No. 1. On that occasion ten companies were drawn into the fight, while the building, a planing mill, was permitted to burn to the ground. Mayor [Mark P.] Taylor appeared on the scene and read the riot act, but to no purpose, the battle continuing until daylight.”

Eager as they were to pound one another into the pavement, Cincinnati’s volunteer fire-fighters wanted nothing to do with this steam engine, which could certainly out-perform any of their old-fashioned hand pumpers. William T. King, in his 1896 “History of the American Steam Fire Engine” explains why:

“As the time approached for the trial of the engine, the volunteer firemen were in a ferment. It would never do to destroy the engine before it had had a trial; and to destroy it after a successful exhibit of its powers was made, would be equally useless. So it was understood that no demonstration, pro or con, would be made on it until it should come to a fire, when it was to be rendered useless and all who had a hand in its working were to be rendered useless also.”

A source described only as “an old-time visitor to Cincinnati” related how he was drafted into driving the first steam engine to a fire because none of the volunteer firemen would go near it.

“We were on our way to church Sunday morning when the fire bells struck, and my brother said: ‘Now we’ll see what they will do with the steam machine,’ and we started for Miles Greenwood’s shop, where the steam fire engine was. It was built by Greenwood, the first ever on wheels. There the engine stood, steam up, four large gray horses hitched to it, a crowd looking at it, and Greenwood as mad as the devil because he couldn’t get a man to drive the horses. You see all the firemen were opposed to this new invention because they believed it would spoil their fun, and nobody wanted to be stoned by them, and then, the horses were kicking about so that everybody was afraid on that account. My brother says: 'Larry, you can drive those horses, I know.’ And Greenwood said: ‘If you can I wish you would; I’ll pay you for it.’ My business was teaming, you see. And just as I was with my Sunday clothes on, I jumped on the back of a wheel horse, seized the rein, spoke to the horses, and out we went kiting.”

The steam engine in that anecdote was, most likely, the first practical steam-powered fire engine developed by Alexander Bonner “Moses” Latta and Abel Shawk. Their first functional machine was christened the “Uncle Joe Ross” after the city councilman who introduced legislation to buy the engine for the city. Latta and Shawk were probably aware that other inventors had built steam fire engines in New York and Berlin. Those predecessors proved impracticable, however, because they took too long to build up enough steam to pump water. Latta and Shawk built a machine that could go from ignition to full steam in a little over five minutes, meaning the engine was usually ready to pump by the time it arrived at the fire.

Cincinnati’s innovative professional fire department and high-tech steam engines attracted visitors from all over the country. On 5 December 1855, a delegation from Chicago traveled to the Queen City to study how this new-fangled system worked in practice. To show off the new toys, a pumping demonstration was arranged that afternoon at the intersection of Sixth and Vine, with two pumpers, the Uncle Joe Ross and the A.B. Latta, named for its inventor.

The Latta showed up first, under the supervision of Mr. Latta himself, but took an unusually long time – almost 12 minutes – to get up a good head of steam. As it was puffing along, the Uncle Joe Ross pulled into the intersection, operated by British-born and high-strung John Winterbottom, who decided to prove he knew more about steam than the celebrated inventor himself. In just seven minutes, the Uncle Joe Ross built enough steam to throw two streams of water hundreds of feet in the air.

Latta told Winterbottom that his engine did not have enough water in the boiler. Winterbottom responded with a suggestion that Latta perform an anatomically impossible act. Just as Winterbottom’s engine reached a peak pressure of 180 pounds per square inch – normal operating pressure was just 60 psi – the hose on Latta’s engine ruptured and the crowd lurched backward. This retreat saved several lives because, at that moment, the Uncle Joe Ross exploded, spraying steam and shrapnel. According to the Cincinnati Railroad Record [13 December 1855]:

“The engineer, John Winterbottom, was blown into the air a considerable height, and fell some fifty yards from the engine. His legs were blown from the body, the entrails of which were torn out, and when picked up, nothing but the trunk and head remained. It was a sickening sight, and will not be readily forgotten by those who witnessed it.”

Despite the potential for accidents, steam-powered fire engines remained the standard for fire departments throughout the United States for the next 60 years. The company founded by Latta and Shawk evolved, over the years, into the Ahrens-Fox Company, producers of vehicles long considered the pinnacle of classic fire engines.

#cincinnati fire department #alexander latta #joe ross #steam fire engine

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baseballandplaid · 12 days

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Traffic? Taking the subway back with the boys #NewYork | Instagram

#Plaid Shirt #MLB #Washington Nationals #Joe Ross

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unproduciblesmackdown · 2 months

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also in the 'til we meet again scene, sequence for the ages that it is, shoutout to what can bootly be seen of joe ross (main guy (corbin bleu)) reacting to the unfolding wonders (orvphil)....first of, all, very fun that like we have this conflict for joe that allows for character growth in that he's both genuine about theatre & performance & art & the togetherness of putting on a show & all that, but in being aware of that can sure deliberately use it to his advantage including in maintaining convenient ambiguity over how much the Acting can bleed into / overlap with [we are all acting all the time] genuineness lol, & not in some way posited to be like ohh callously calculated & nefarious, but in that like, he's still having to navigate this more consciously & take more risks including ceding some Direction as director, even while he's been holding the show / troupe together....just great to have a relevant enhanced effective arc there, as is bestowed on all the characters, but also all that is an intro to me saying that it's fun how from the start though we do see joe act a bit differently with phil as his partner here, & give him the like "behind the scenes" look/info at how joe's operating, while phil also just seems to be on his wavelength where it makes sense he's privy to that as someone also very in charge of fundamental parts of every show as Writer & More, aware of what it takes to try to hold things together & make it work & the playing it by ear that they've been up to....hence like in this very scene you get both joe & phil individually reacting to the goings on with the leads, & joe having silent momentary sidebars with phil, & phil getting to have a less silent sidebar with him like what are you doing, joe, & then take over with his own alternate approach while joe is not loving that but is also not going to try to win this one nor even to try to kind of Sell phil on how totally actually fine everything is as he does with others to get over a particular hurdle or speedbump (vs issues so fundamental that they end up needing to: recast the leads, revamp the numbers in even the styles of music & choreo (also shoutout to like, the bonus of changing choreo to make it not just zingier but easier on jane as someone with any experience but not That much. instead of solely her having to be run ragged & Deal With It, that's that))

yippee for that dynamic but then the essence of this post's inspiration, what joe can be seen to do as The Phil & Orville Duet: Together The Two Men Execute The Love Song Beautifully is unfolding, which is that at first he is just kind of enduring this like it has to happen phil cannot be stopped & joe isn't going to Really try b/c it's crucial creative collaborator & bestie phil & he hasn't slept for three nights joe & all he wants is to hear the damn song sung right just once (just. once...) & he is like slightly bent down forehead in hand lmao & then thee frame pushes in b/c the scene also puts a spotlight on orville & phil there as they create & have a Moment, dimmer blue lighting on everyone else....but, delightfully, joe shifting from this pose of Defeat into like omg well hang on a minute can be imagined, b/c you can see him Considering by lifting a hand & waiting a second before then confidently quickly waving in The Chorus in time for the refrain that then grows ft. the [i know what this means!!] orville kneeling up at phil who is Living & etc, & we get joe turning to troupe members back at piano like, right? good? thumbs up? potential [you seeing this?] too lmao but like he's Back In It as director vs figuratively stepping back from it b/c phil cannot be reckoned with there....& then as the Moment is again becoming focused on orville & phil like, chorus decrescendo, lighting again highlighting them specifically, sitting back down gazing at each other harmonizing also then staring at each other well beyond the end of the song Or audience applause & smiling together, Well, you do see joe like now just Watching hand on chin at first going :0 then :) and then arms folded as we push back in & lighting refocuses on our beloved duo like joe giving I Am Looking Directly At It like. friend & ally. who was like "well sure :)" swinging into a dance with a Fellow Guy for a bit in a previous song (paper moon sequence i believe) & despite his whole thing being Main Guy, Holding This Troupe Together ft. a bit of extra theatrics if needed is out here keeping it realer with phil & letting go of the reins when phil is Really insisting on taking them here even if of course joe isn't thrilled about doing so. & then we just know joe is like zero questions asked I Support You as phil is out here having paroxysms of delight & going "what a guy!!!" over orville & walking him home like well alright boys!!

#summer stock #orvphil #joe ross #orville wingate #phil filmore #there is so much to do so much to see in that little several minute sequence like well it's giving everything from everyone thank you #also as though [is phil not cishet do we think] specifically is necessarily an epiphany &/or [is Anyone in this troupe not cishet] either #the joys of ''joe ross bi? absolutely no one will say Absolutely Not''#or like ''at least 1 of the troupe is trans. who? idk; so then for all intents & purposes they all are''#the joys also of multiple times people just immediately literally embracing orville. hug from joe; hug from gloria #you know he & jane already sometimes hang out & understand each other abt Family Obligations; Sigh #sometimes that's farming & struggling not to sell it; sometimes that's stay at home & await being married off....#joys of the Gender expectations of such a juxtaposition being switched around #joys of then also you know phil & orville become both a professional & personal Unit & everyone rolls w/& backs this up #i'm always saying this....

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baseballjerseynumbers · 4 months

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