About Tom Jenkins
Tom Jenkins is our plumber up in Piqua (well, as far as wells and pumps and that deep sort of stuff). He’s really into making his wife happy and well as his 1957 Chevrolet 4-door 210 sedan Fire Chief car. Beautifullly decked out in white-over-red, it’s real stunning machine that has a real siren to match. As a concession to his lovely wife he installed air conditioning in the car—not exactly original, but Tom says nothing is too good for her (his wife that is).
While mushroom hunting back in 1976, Tom and his son discovered in a back woods crossroad in rural Michigan, an ancient fire engine of some sort. It really intrigued him. A lot of research said it was most likely an 1898 Waterous-gas powered apparatus. It was love at first sight! The owner of the dilapidated gas station said Tom could take pictures but he wouldn’t sell. Next year Tom was back again. Again the owner refused, “No sir, ain’t a’gonna sell her!” Every year it was the same routine: Tom would stop and visit with the old man and be rebuffed. The old man was as stubborn as a mule in a tar pit—just not as sticky. Well, finally in 1985 the two of them sat on the rickety front porch (what old man doesn’t have a rickety front porch?) watching the dust motes drift around. The old timer broke the silence, “You say that were I to sell you my fire ‘ingin you’d have her back to look’n like new?” Tom could hear church bells and cherubs descend from the sky draping the gas station with white linens—OK, no cherubs, but at least a dozen church bells.
And that cemented a wonderful friendship. They sat and talked, chewed tobacco, while Tom sent his son hurrying to the nearest town with an ATM to obtain the needed capital. To make an interesting story very short, by 1991 Tom’s pride and joy was about 99.9% restored. He’d built a custom trailer for the big Waterous and with his wife, has since travelled thousands of miles to shows and meets all over the eastern section of the United States—just for the fun of it. Most people are amazed that this huge pumper, weighing almost 2-tons was pulled by hand! There are not that many pre-1900 gas-powered pumpers still in existence today. Most are squirreled away safely resting in museums. Tom thinks that’s a shame so he takes his Waterous where people can see it and touch it—and he has a heck-of-a-lot of fun doing it!