Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Extinguisher, Fire |
Date |
1940-1950 |
Description |
"Shur-Stop" fire extinguisher, made by the International Fire Equipment Corp. of Staten Island. Item consists of a frame and clasp which hold a glass bulb containing liquid. Frame has a shield-shaped plate that could be mounted to a wall. Curved wire arms extend from the plate and connect to each other by means of the clasp. The bulb can rest on the wire arms and clasp. The clasp is stamped with words, "Shur-Stop / Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." The plate reads, "THROW / AT BASE OF / FLAMES / IF ABSENT / Shur-Stop WORKS AUTOMATICALLY / U.S. PAT. NOS. 1468163-1708867 / INTERNATIONAL FIRE EQUIPMENT / CORPORATION / STATEN ISLAND / N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A." |
Acquisition |
Museum Purchase |
Ownership and History |
Fire extinguishers of this type, often called fire grenades, could be mounted in high-risk areas such as above a boiler or furnace, in hopes that the bulb would drop, break, and disperse liquid to suppress flames in the event of a fire. The patent numbers inscribed on the object refer to United States patent 1468163, granted in 1923, for an improvement "for the efficient spraying of the liquid when the container is broken"; and US patent 1708867, patented in 1929, which included a clasp that would melt in the heat of a fire, causing the wire arms to spring apart and release the glass grenade. |
Earliest Date |
1940 |
Latest Date |
1950 |
Maker |
International Fire Equipment Corp., West New Brighton, Staten Island |
Subjects |
Fire extinguishers Fire fighting |
Lexicon Sub-category |
Regulative & Protective T&E |
Catalog Number |
X85.0032.A-C |
Support Acknowledgment |
Online Collections Database record made possible by the Staten Island Historical Society, February 2015. |
Legal Status |
Images and text in this database are copyrighted by the Staten Island Historical Society unless otherwise noted. Items represented here are from the collections of the Staten Island Historical Society. Materials reproduced for personal non-commercial use must credit the Staten Island Historical Society. Commercial licensing is available. |