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HARDENS : FIRE GRENADE BOTTLE Alanson Crane was the first person to be granted a U. S. Patent around the 1870s. This very attractive then wall bottle when thrown was made to break on contact. The early grenades would hold between 1 ½ pints up to some holding two quart of carbon tetrachloride. Later some companies changed to salt water because carbon tetrachloride when inhaled was found to cause respiratory problems. There were many companies that produced these grenades. The most famous was the Hardens Hand Fire Extinguisher Company from Chicago Ill. These grenades were either light blue or cobalt in color and were embossed with a star with vertical ribs or a diamond pattern. The Harden fire grenade was the most common of all of the grenades bottles produced. Bottle embossed HARDEN HAND GRENADE STAR FIRE EXTINGUISHER. Below is a photo of a light blue with vertical ribs also an advertisement from 1886. The Hardens Hand Fire Extinguisher Company did produce a very rare fire grenade in 1889. The grenade was made in three separate sections held together with wire. The first section was a clear glass. The second section was an amber color and the third was a cobalt color. These attractive fire grenade bottles were phased out around 1910. Below are just a few of other companies that made embossed fire grenades. Hayward's Hand Fire Grenade, Barnum- Diamond Brand, Babcock Hand Fire Grenade Non- Freezing, California Fire Extinguisher, Canadian & Northwestern Railway marked C & NWRY, Magic, Kalamazoo, Harkness, Hazelton, Healey's, Allen, American, Flagg's, Imperial, Nutting, American Electric, PSN-monogram and N.P.R. HSN monogram. These bottle would come in many different colors and some are very rare. References. Frank & Frank Jr. (Wicker) Bottle & Paper Collection. |
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