When You Smell Gas You Smell Death!

This is some rare footage that we found on an old 16mm reel of silver nitrate film. The first part is a fire prevention PSA that was filmed in the late 1930's or early 40's. We believe this was done by Alexander Film Company which was the Hollywood of the Rockies back in that era.The rest of the footage is of our 1898 Metropolitan steamer being drawn by a team of horses and belching smoke. There are some addional fires added on this reel. One was of the 1950 Deaf & Blind School The other was the Alamo Hotel in Colorado Springs. Other apparatus featured are the 1929 Ahrens Fox and what looks like a 1949 American LaFrance all housed in CSFD Fire Station #2 . Take particular note of the manhole cover shot with the Ahrens Fox traveling north on Cascade Avenue. Classic!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• CSFD
• Fire

[CSFDPROD]

Dakkiller1 you are correct! I went to the archives to measure the footage and it is 35mm and yes it is nitrate film.  When we dubbed it to digital footage the dubbing house would not dub because of the flammability. I asked them if their insurance co. would issue a waiver if we provided standby firefighters with halon extinguishers to be present during the dubbing process and they did. That's how we were able to put this rare stuff on digital tape. Thanks for your astute observation. CSFDPROD

[WhiteBlueWerecat]

Wow, I don't know that you have a old film of old deaf school in 1950! I am curious, do you have a old film of deaf school that had burned caused by a eletric or lamp in 1950? If have it, then I'll come to the firefighters musem and take look at it.

[Dakkiller1]

I thought they didn't make 16mm film in Nitrate Film stock.

Are you sure this 16mm reel is Nitrate or if its really 16mm?