The book of wonders : gives plain and simple answers to the thousands of…

1672. One of the earliest engines used consisted of a tank drawn by two

130 words  |  Chapter 5

horses, which threw a stream an inch in diameter to a height of eighty feet. An improved engine was invented in 1721 by Newsham, of London, and the first engine used in the United States was made by Newsham. The first steam fire engine was invented by John Braithwaite, of London, in 1829. Fire alarms came into use in medieval times. It was the custom, in many of the towns to have a watchman stationed on a high building whose duty it was to look for fires. As soon as he saw one, he gave warning by blowing a horn, firing a gun, or ringing a bell. The first London fire department consisted of ten men of each ward. The first municipal American fire department was created in Boston in