Knickerbocker Engine Company No. 5

Date Organized:  October 17, 1850

Merchant Street - This first house was destroyed by fire on the night of November 9th, 1852.
1853 Sacramento Street, north side, between Sansome and Leidesdorff Streets,  built at a cost of $8,000.   A three story fire proof brick building, city property, in good condition, (1860).
1862 The house is in bad order - almost worthless.  The Legislature has authorized an appropriation for building a new one.

Foreman:
1850 James H. Cutter
1860 E. Jacob Chase
1862 William B. Fairman

Apparatus:
1850 Engine:  On October 25th, procured, at a cost of $3,000, a small size Van  Ness piano-box engine.
1852 Engine: A very handsome first class mahogany piano-box engine built by James Smith, New York, was procured December 8th, 1852, at a cost of $3,250.
1855 Engine: James Smith, first class, cost $5,000, city property.  Hose carriage, two wheel, city property.
This engine is now part of the apparatus collection of the Museum.
1857 June 2nd -  The 1852 Smith engine was sold for $1,500 to Petaluma, California. This engine is still in existence and is on display in their City Hall.
1860 Hose carriage, two wheel, Applegate & Co., San Francisco, city property.
1864 This company having sold their engine, they are now using an old third class engine of James Smith's build.
1865 Engine: Jeffers, Pawtucket R.I., second class, city property.

Members:
1855 - 65
1860 - 64
1863 - 65
1864 - 59
1866 - 53

* KNICKERBOCKER ENGINE COMPANY, NO. 5, was organized October 17th, 1850, through the exertions of James H. Cutter, Charles E. Buckingham, John Wilson, R. R. Harris, and others, and on October 25th, procured, at a cost of $3,000, a smell size, piano-box engine, Van Ness make. The first officers elected were James H. Cutter, foreman; John Wilson, assistant foreman; and Charles E. Buckingham, secretary. The company has improved daily, and are on hand at the first tap of the bell, and have no superior in ability to work at fires. The house originally occupied by the Knickerbocker, in Merchant street, was destroyed by fire on the night of November 9th, 1852. The present engine building is a two-story cut-stone edifice, in Sacramento street, between Sansome and Leidesdorff streets, begun in March, 1853, and completed in July, at a cost of $8000. It was furnished for the occupancy of the company by October 15th, at a further expense of $2,000. The very handsome mahogany piano-box engine, now in use, is of the first class, Smith's make, and was procured December 8th, 1852, at a cost of $3,250.
* Source: Frank Soulé, John H. Gihon, M.D., and James Nisbet. The Annals of San Francisco. 1855: San Francisco

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