WE CAN BE so busy with life that we do not see treasures near us. I am reminded of that every time I drive by the Port Angeles Fire Department at East Fifth and South Laurel streets. There, a work of art in on display.
This gem of our history is a 1926 American LaFrance fire truck. Who doesn’t love a fire engine? (Especially when you need one!) They were the sort of thing children would run after. Now, we see them so often that the wonder and charm is gone.
Fire apparatus is nothing new or of recent history. The Romans even had an apparatus to extinguish fire. During Emperor Trajan’s time (98-117 CE), they had leather bags with pipes. They would squeeze the bag and squirt water from the pipes. After Emperor Nero (54-68 CE), they must have realized the need to fight fires. (Just guessing, of course.)
Eventually firefighting apparatus was mounted on wheels and drawn by men or horses.
Steam power brought us the first big leap. In 1839, George Braithwaite built a steam-powered pump that could throw 200 gallons a minute to a height of 90 feet.
The invention of gasoline and diesel engines brought us to where we are today.
Port Angeles acquired its first motorized fire truck in 1917, but its capabilities were lacking. It was a Brockway Fire truck and could only pump 250 gallons per minute.
This period saw great growth in Port Angeles. The downtown had been regraded and development was happening everywhere. With this growth came the need to fight more frequent and larger fires. By 1926, it was evident that the city needed something better. There also was a financial incentive.
On Sept. 29, 1926, the city council authorized $13,500 for the purchase of this fire truck. That amount equals $240,000 in 2024 dollars. The Washington Surveying and Rating bureau provided the impetus. Surplus money in the lighting fund was earning 2 percent. Purchasing a new fire truck could save the city 5-6 percent on city bonds and warrants.
The new fire truck successfully passed 100-gallon-per-minute and 125-pound pressure tests. The test impressed the city fathers and local volunteer firefighters. That was all the city needed to move forward with the purchase.
The American LaFrance also made an impression on a local 12-year-old. Harlan McNutt saw the fire truck and was enthralled. It had 18-carat gold leaf trim. It had a bronze pump. To him, it was “a rolling cathedral.”
Those thoughts highlight fire truck design at that time. Fire trucks were certainly functional. They were also beautiful. They were rolling, functional works of art. Painting the body a single color was not enough. No, decorate the painted surfaces with gold leaf. Paint the exterior trim, like the headlights, radiator cover, running lights, spotlight and bell? Heavens no! Plate those things in nickel. Shroud the pump mechanism? No! Cover the chemical tank? No.
The truck’s beauty portrayed the image the city wanted.
The city kept the fire truck in service for 37 years. Though it was more for show in its later years. It was retired and sold to Gil Spencer in 1963. Spencer intended to use the truck as an emergency fire truck on his logging operations. Spencer soon discovered the fire truck was not suitable. It was capable of pumping more than enough water, but its water tank was too small. It only worked properly when it was near a large source of water, like a river. This fire truck was again retired to Gil Spencer’s truck shop.
In the meantime, a former Port Angeles 12-year-old grew up and became a doctor. Harlan McNutt was a practicing psychiatrist. McNutt had already traveled around the world and was involved in public health. Yet his love of old fire trucks remained.
Regarding the LaFrance truck, Harlan said, “It was just the most beautiful thing you could see. I loved that engine from day one.”
Now a wonderful opportunity was at the door. The LaFrance was rusty, all covered with leaves and parked in Gales Addition. In 1964, McNutt purchased the fire truck from Gil Spencer for $600. With the help of an old car expert, Herb Hansen, they got the old truck running. From Gales Addition, they drove the old truck to Harlan’s house on Lees Creek Road. I remember that day. The motor is enormous, yet it is only six cylinders. In addition, the muffler was gone. Once they got it started up, I could hear it coming all the way from Gales Addition.
The truck was eventually sent to Tacoma for restoration. That did not go well. The workmanship was below McNutt’s expectations. McNutt decided to turn the restoration over to Heb Hansen.
Hansen began his work around 1980. He had only the basic chassis and many boxes of parts. He did not even have all the parts. Some parts seem to have been lost in the shuffle between Tacoma and Port Angeles.
No matter, Hansen went to work. Need a missing part? Go to an auction or antique car swap meet. Still cannot find a part? Have it custom made. Hansen spent the better part of two years rebuilding the LaFrance.
At the time, McNutt was a stickler for authenticity. So, every detail was important. By 1982, the restoration was essentially complete. McNutt kept a close watch on the truck’s bell. When he bought the truck, the bell was covered in rust. McNutt had it sandblasted and replated with nickel.
McNutt had a special stand build for the bell and kept it in his home for safe keeping.
In June 1994, McNutt fulfilled a dream and donated the fire truck to the Port Angeles Fire Department. The paint was refurbished to its original colors in October 1994. Then the gold leafing was applied. After all that, the bell was returned to its rightful place on the fire truck.
Keeping special things from the past is important. I am thankful there are so many people who have a passion to maintain an understanding of our past.
So, if you are ever in the neighborhood of Fifth and Laurel streets, take a moment to slow down, stop and get out. Maybe you could interrupt the rapid pace of your life to take a look at a gem from our history. It is worth a look.
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John McNutt is a descendant of Clallam County pioneers and treasurer of the North Olympic History Center Board of Directors. He can be reached at woodrowsilly@gmail.com.
McNutt’s Clallam history column appears the first Saturday of every month.
