Iconic Antique (1911-1950) Pyrene Type P1 Brass Portable Pump Fire Extinguisher

AN ANTIQUE (CIRCA 1911-1950) PYRENE BRASS PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. ITS A TYPE P1 PUMP FIRE EXTINGUISHER THAT WAS THE FIRST CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THIS FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS MADE BY THE ORIGINAL "THE PYRENE COMPANY LTD" IN BRENTFORD, ENGLAND AND WHO WAS REPRESENTED BY "H. ALERS & HANKEY LTD" IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA. THESE ANTIQUE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND. THE NAME PYRENE WAS EPITOMISED BY THEIR FAMOUS PUMP EXTINGUISHER.
 
IN 1911, THE PYRENE MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF DELAWARE PATENTED A SMALL, PORTABLE EXTINGUISHER THAT USED CARBON TETRACHLORIDE. THIS CONSISTED OF A BRASS BOTTLE WITH AN INTEGRATED HAND PUMP THAT WAS USED TO EXPEL A JET OF LIQUID TOWARD THE FIRE. AS THE CONTAINER WAS UNPRESSURIZED, IT COULD BE EASILY REFILLED AFTER USE.
 
USED IN OLD CARS AND AEROPLANES:
THEY WERE USUALLY MOUNTED IN STEEL FRAMES AND STORED INSIDE EARLY MOTOR-CARS, TO BE USED IN THE EVENT OF A CAR-CRASH. THEYRE ALMOST ICONIC WITH OLD CARS ITS LIKE, YOU COULDNT HAVE A CAR MADE BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR, AND NOT HAVE ONE OF THESE GO WITH IT!
These portable Pump fire extinguishers were also installed on public transport vehicles throughout the western world. THEY BECAME INDISPENSABLE TO EARLY AIRCRAFT - Charles Lindbergh  made use of one during his first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in his plane The Spirit of St. Louis in 1929. 
During WWII Pyrene got the contract to outfit the RAFs new generation of light and heavy bombers such as the Vickers Wellington and Avro Lancaster. Pyrenes small compact shape and high velocity spray made it an ideal portable extinguisher for the RAF. 
The army also made use of Pyrenes compact and versatile extinguishers, installing them throughout their WWII Willey jeeps and truck transports.

SIZE: 30CM LONG

CONDITION: BRASS PLATE STILL BEAUTIFUL AND READIBLE. TOP PUMP KNOB BROKEN. STEEL BRACKET RUSTED. DRIED UP CTC CLANKING ON INSIDE. NOT USABLE - FOR DISPLAY ONLY.

MARKINGS:
TO OPERATE WORK LIKE A PUMP
OM TE GEBRUIK WERK SOOS N POMP
PYRENE FIRE EXTINGUISHER / BRAND BLUSSER MADE IN ENGLAND
The fire extinguisher was made by the original "The Pyrene Company Ltd" in Brentford, England and who was represented by "H. Alers & Hankey Ltd" in Johannesburg, South Africa. These antique fire extinguishers are exceptionally rare and very difficult to find.

PYRENE Company Limited (1909-1967):
Scottish engineer P.L. Wilbur traveled to the United States with a new extinguisher in hand in 1909 to secure financing. Wilbur had developed an extinguisher that used carbon tetrachloride, a chemical primarily used as a cleaning solvent, but was unable to secure financing for the project in his home country. Once receiving the funding he needed to produce his invention, Wilbur founded the Pyrene Manufacturing Company in 1909 in the USA.
The Pyrene Manufacturing Company pioneered using carbon tetrachloride for fighting fires, releasing small, portable extinguishers consisting of a brass bottle with an integrated hand pump to expel a jet of liquid toward the fire. After the extinguisher was empty and depressurized, it could easily be refilled. Carbon tetrachloride was a suitable extinguisher for liquid and electrical fires, making the portable extinguishers safe for use on motor cars or aircrafts. Unbeknownst to the public at the time, the vapor released from CTC is highly toxic and was generally more hazardous to the user than the fire it was meant to put out.
Soon after their release in 1911, Pyrene extinguishers could be found across the United States, whether in homes or motor transportation. The company soon became one of the top fire extinguishers manufacturers in the United States and London after investors changed their minds about financing.
After WWII profits slowly declined until 1956, when The Fyr-Fyter Company of Dayton, Ohio, acquired the Pyrene USA company. Funnily enough, Fyr-Fyter was founded by Roscoe Innings, an ex-salesman for Pyrene.
Pyrene Company Limited, the British offshoot, followed the same fate and was acquired by Chubb Fire & Security in 1967.
The Pyrene Manufacturing Company lives on today through its highly collectible extinguishers.
 
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