Liverpool Salvage Corps
Encyclopedia
Liverpool Salvage Corps was a service in Liverpool
, England, founded and maintained by fire insurers
, whose aim was to reduce the loss and damage caused by fires, to help mitigate the effects of fire and of fire-fighting and to salvage both premises and goods affected by fire. It was founded in 1842 and operated until April 1984, when its functions were transferred to the Merseyside Fire Brigade
. Similar salvage corps also operated in London and Glasgow.
s, sheds and storage yards were being hurriedly built and filled with goods that came into the port from all over the world. Tobacco, sugar and cotton were arriving daily and with no regulation and poor warehousing practices fire began to become an ever increasing problem.
Liverpool had already lost its town hall
in 1795 to a serious fire and following an exceptionally large blaze at Lancelot Hey in 1833, in which numerous warehouses and homes were destroyed, a private parliamentary bill was successfully enacted to establish a Fire Brigade in Liverpool. This brigade was to be part of the Liverpool City Police
Force and became operational in 1836 (Note: London took another 24 years before it had the "London Fire Engine Establishment" - an insurance organisation). Even though the City now had an efficient Fire Brigade fire losses continued at a high level.
In the early hours of Friday 23rd September 1842 a fire started in a "dry salters yard" in Crompton Street in the heart of Liverpool's Dockland
. There was a strong wind blowing from the sea and the flames were being fanned towards the next property - an oil and varnish mill. The newly-formed fire brigade stood no chance of halting the fire once it reached the 1000 barrels of Turpentine
, and by dawn 9 bonded warehouses
, 5 free warehouses, 7 large storage sheds, a cooperage
, several timber yards as well as numerous stables and 16 cottages were completely destroyed. 1 fireman and 3 labourers lost their lives.
The bulk of the financial loss had to be born by the fire insurance companies and at today’s prices ran into many millions of pounds. Within days of the fire a Committee, comprising the Secretary of the Liverpool Fire Office and the agents of the Royal, Phoenix
, Sun and North British insurance companies met and resolved that "... it be recommended to the various offices doing business in Liverpool to establish a salvage brigade to act as salvors and to take proper charge of all salvages, and see to their proper distribution….”. And so the Liverpool Salvage Corps came into being. Similar Corps were established in London
in 1865 and Glasgow
1873.
Salvage Tenders were not front line fire fighting and rescue vehicles. Their function and equipment was to prevent avoidable damage from fire fighting operations. Most major fires are extinguished using water and it is this that can result in extensive damage. A modern fire appliance can deliver many tons of water onto a fire in a very short space of time. Huge savings can be made by expert crews who have been trained in loss prevention measures and can prioritise their actions based on commercial knowledge. It therefore goes without saying that speed is of the essence if unnecessary damage is to be avoided, which was why Salvage Tenders were painted red and used claxons - it is pointless turning up to a fire when all the damage has already occurred.
"For some time now the Management Committee of the Liverpool Salvage Corps has been increasingly concerned regarding its effectiveness. Whilst there is no doubt that the existence of a dedicated Corps maintaining specialist and extensive facilities has been of the greatest assistance over the years in safeguarding property after a fire, particularly in those areas of concentrated mercantile risks, the changing shape of commercial interests within the conurbation it serves and the ever widening dispersal of premises at risk leads to the unavoidable conclusion that a specialist service can no longer be justified".
The Liverpool Salvage Corps ceased to exist in May 1984 after 142 years of continuous service.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, founded and maintained by fire insurers
Property insurance
Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance or boiler insurance. Property is insured in two main...
, whose aim was to reduce the loss and damage caused by fires, to help mitigate the effects of fire and of fire-fighting and to salvage both premises and goods affected by fire. It was founded in 1842 and operated until April 1984, when its functions were transferred to the Merseyside Fire Brigade
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the county of Merseyside in north-west England and is the statutory firefighting and rescue service responsible for all 999 fire brigade calls in Sefton, Knowsley, St. Helens, Liverpool and Wirral.-History:The fire...
. Similar salvage corps also operated in London and Glasgow.
Origin
The industrial and commercial revolution of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw a considerable rise in the prosperity of the port of Liverpool. WarehouseWarehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s, sheds and storage yards were being hurriedly built and filled with goods that came into the port from all over the world. Tobacco, sugar and cotton were arriving daily and with no regulation and poor warehousing practices fire began to become an ever increasing problem.
Liverpool had already lost its town hall
Liverpool Town Hall
Liverpool Town Hall stands in High Street at its junction with Dale Street, Castle Street, and Water Street in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, described in the National Heritage List for England as "one of the finest...
in 1795 to a serious fire and following an exceptionally large blaze at Lancelot Hey in 1833, in which numerous warehouses and homes were destroyed, a private parliamentary bill was successfully enacted to establish a Fire Brigade in Liverpool. This brigade was to be part of the Liverpool City Police
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million...
Force and became operational in 1836 (Note: London took another 24 years before it had the "London Fire Engine Establishment" - an insurance organisation). Even though the City now had an efficient Fire Brigade fire losses continued at a high level.
In the early hours of Friday 23rd September 1842 a fire started in a "dry salters yard" in Crompton Street in the heart of Liverpool's Dockland
Port of Liverpool
The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river...
. There was a strong wind blowing from the sea and the flames were being fanned towards the next property - an oil and varnish mill. The newly-formed fire brigade stood no chance of halting the fire once it reached the 1000 barrels of Turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
, and by dawn 9 bonded warehouses
Bonded warehouse
A Bonded warehouse is a building or other secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the latter case a customs bond must be posted with the government...
, 5 free warehouses, 7 large storage sheds, a cooperage
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
, several timber yards as well as numerous stables and 16 cottages were completely destroyed. 1 fireman and 3 labourers lost their lives.
The bulk of the financial loss had to be born by the fire insurance companies and at today’s prices ran into many millions of pounds. Within days of the fire a Committee, comprising the Secretary of the Liverpool Fire Office and the agents of the Royal, Phoenix
Phoenix Fire Office
Phoenix Assurance or Phoenix Fire Office was a fire insurance company founded in 1680 in England.The history of the company includes the nostalga of red-coated attendants clattering to the fires of London on horse-drawn tenders....
, Sun and North British insurance companies met and resolved that "... it be recommended to the various offices doing business in Liverpool to establish a salvage brigade to act as salvors and to take proper charge of all salvages, and see to their proper distribution….”. And so the Liverpool Salvage Corps came into being. Similar Corps were established in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1865 and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
1873.
Operation of the Salvage Corps
The Liverpool Salvage Corps had three distinct areas of operational service.Before A Fire
The original Salvage Committee established a set of rules and regulations for all warehouses and sheds seeking to do business in the Liverpool area and who wanted to purchase insurance cover. These rules set out in minute detail how premises were to be constructed, maintained and managed. Each building was given a classification which dictated what goods were permitted to be stored therein. Fire prevention and minimising the spread of fire were of paramount importance. Each registered premises was inspected in detail every year against the original classification and was randomly visited 2 or 3 times a week to make sure storage and housekeeping was of a high standard. All warehouse keepers had to be Registered with the Liverpool Salvage Corps as well as Licenced by the City Council. By these rules and regulations a great deal of order and organisation was brought to Liverpool's warehousing industry and in return for cooperating the warehouse owners enjoyed a preferential rate of insurance.After the Fire.
Cotton was the largest and most important trade in Liverpool Docks which handled half of Britain's cotton imports by 1800, and 90 percent by 1830. The Liverpool Salvage Corps operated the largest cotton recovery plant in the United Kingdom. Cotton has a vey high salvage potential. In the hands of experts as much as 80% of even a badly burned bale of cotton can be recovered and sold for a similar value to that of the original cotton. Throughout its time in service the Liverpool Salvage Corps returned many millions of pounds to the Insurance Companies from its work as salvors.During the Fire
Safety considerations dictated that Liverpool Salvage Corps personnel wore uniforms and helmets similar to those of Local Authority Fire-fighters, although it was sufficiently different to make the Corps crews easily identifiable on the fire ground.Salvage Tenders were not front line fire fighting and rescue vehicles. Their function and equipment was to prevent avoidable damage from fire fighting operations. Most major fires are extinguished using water and it is this that can result in extensive damage. A modern fire appliance can deliver many tons of water onto a fire in a very short space of time. Huge savings can be made by expert crews who have been trained in loss prevention measures and can prioritise their actions based on commercial knowledge. It therefore goes without saying that speed is of the essence if unnecessary damage is to be avoided, which was why Salvage Tenders were painted red and used claxons - it is pointless turning up to a fire when all the damage has already occurred.
End of the Salvage Corps
In 1983 all members received the following letter from the Chairman of the Fire Salvage Association."For some time now the Management Committee of the Liverpool Salvage Corps has been increasingly concerned regarding its effectiveness. Whilst there is no doubt that the existence of a dedicated Corps maintaining specialist and extensive facilities has been of the greatest assistance over the years in safeguarding property after a fire, particularly in those areas of concentrated mercantile risks, the changing shape of commercial interests within the conurbation it serves and the ever widening dispersal of premises at risk leads to the unavoidable conclusion that a specialist service can no longer be justified".
The Liverpool Salvage Corps ceased to exist in May 1984 after 142 years of continuous service.
See also
- Glasgow Salvage Corps
- London Salvage Corps
- New York Fire PatrolNew York Fire PatrolThis article is about the salvage corps in New York City. For the fire department, see New York City Fire Department.The New York Fire Patrol was a salvage corps created by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters which operated from 1839 until October 15, 2006. Their original mission was two-fold:...
- Salvage CorpsSalvage CorpsThe London Salvage Corps was maintained by the fire offices of London. The corps was first formed in 1865 and began operations in March 1866. It was inspired by the Liverpool Salvage Corps which had been formed in 1842, to reduce the loss and damage caused by fires, to help mitigate the effects of...
External links
- 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica. Salvage Corps.
- Photos of the Liverpool Salvage Corps