Fire hydrant

In 1896, Brisbane Fire Brigade Superintendant John Hinton recommended that fixed pillar fire hydrants be installed just in the streets around the city centre. Pillar hydrants were more hydraulically efficient than the stand pipes or portable hydrants then in use. Across the river, the South Brisbane Municipal Council followed suit. It had installed hydrants for the South Brisbane Volunteer Fire Brigade by 1902. Initially the hydrants were placed around the commercial centre of South Brisbane. In 1913, the South Brisbane Fire Board requested 25 additional hydrants, at a total cost of £120, to be installed in streets that did not receive hydrants in 1901. As the South Brisbane end of Montague Road contained a number of commercial buildings including the Glass Works then it is likely that this fire hydrant dates from the second round of instalments in 1913.