I had wondered on occasion where the term “fire engine” came from. It’s a little weird, a little Fahrenheit 451, to call the thing which puts out the flames “a fire engine.” That is, until I stumbled across this wonderful illustration. Oh! The fire engine was actually a steam engine that was used to pump water out of the hoses! Right.

This image was drawn from The City of Philadelphia as it appears in 1894, “a compilation of facts supplied by distinguished citizens for the information of businessmen, travelers, and the world at large.” Really, it’s a kind of extended chamber of commerce brochure detailing the various civic accomplishments of the year. A  portrait of a city just before the turn of the century.

And it was in that city in that year that Pedro Salom and Henry Morris launched their Electrobat electric carriages.