1938 Ford pumper from the 
South Company of the Cambridge Fire Department

This photo shows the 1938 Ford pumper that was housed on the south side of Cambridge for many years. It was kept in the rear of the Seigfried Brothers grocery store. The Seigfrieds themselves were longstanding members of the fire department. The tracks of the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio railroads made any response from the Central Station difficult while trains were in transit over the South side crossings.

The apparatus itself was unique in that it was equipped with a Chrysler industrial engine powering the 500-gpm pump that was mounted crosswise behind the cab. The fact that this was an effective arrangement was evident by the trucks long tenure with the fire department. We do not know who built the fire body for the Ford chassis but it is possible that it was W.S. Darley and Company. The apparatus was still in existence in a local junk yard a few years ago. The South Company was a continuation of the old hose reel company of the volunteers that was placed in service in 1918 and known as the South District.