Long & Scott, Manufacturer's Agents   -   Portland, Oregon A. G. Long, General Agent   -   Portland, Oregon

In 1915 A. G. Long claimed to have "the largest and oldest fire department supply house West of New York". He was certainly the most recognizable name in fire fighting apparatus in the Northwest, selling everything from hoses to fire engines all over the region.   A. G. Long fire hydrants can still be found in a number of Northwest cities. The A. G. Long building itself still stands in Portland, and still bears his name.     The company that would become A. G. Long started out as Long & Scott in approximately 1890. Alexander G. Long and Eugene Scott acted as distributors and local representatives for companies with no offices in Portland. They specialized in fire fighting apparatus and produced fire hydrants for the City of Portland during the early days of the municipal water system. The company changed it's name to A. G. Long in approximately 1894.     Fire hydrants that bear the A. G. Long name are essentially Waterous Engine Works frost jacket hydrants. The barrel and frost jacket were manufactured in Portland, while the bonnet and (presumably) the valve mechanism were manufactured by Waterous in Saint Paul. It may have been cheaper around the turn of the century to have a local company manufacture the heavy cast iron parts under license than to ship them roughly 1500 miles from Saint Paul to Portland.     Rather than being a hybrid constructed from standard Waterous parts, many of these hydrants seem to have been manufactured with this arrangement in mind. The Waterous bonnet is a different shape than usual and, in the case of the earliest examples, "St. Paul Minn." is cast on the back of the barrel instead of in it's usual place on the bonnet.     Although the A. G. Long name appears on a number of hydrants designs, it is unlikely that the company ever had the foundry facilities to actually manufacture them. The iron work was done by one or more local foundries, possibly the lowest bidder. There is at least one example (below) with both the foundry's name and A. G. Long's name cast in to the hydrant.

Long & Scott hydrant, circa 1890-1894.     In service in Portland, Oregon.     Nozzles: 2× 2½"     Valve Diameter: ˜4"     The bonnet reads "WATEROUS ENGINE WORKS CO." The barrel says "LONG & SCOTT / GEN. AGT'S / PORTLAND OR" on one side and "St. PAUL / MINN." on the other.     There is no manufacture date on the hydrant, but Long & Scott only existed from about 1890 until 1894.     A. G. Long hydrant, circa 1894-1900.     In service in Portland, Oregon.     Nozzles: 2× 2½"     Valve Diameter: ˜4"     The bonnet reads "WATEROUS ENGINE WORKS CO. ST. PAUL MINN." The barrel front says "A. G. LONG / GEN. AGT. / PORTLAND OR."     No manufacture date, but could not have been manufactured before 1894 because of the A. G. Long name. The Portland Fire Department stopped purchasing small, single-valve hydrants like this around 1900, so it is unlikely that this hydrant is newer than the turn of the last century.     Willamette Iron and Steel Works / A. G. Long hydrant, circa 1900.     Out of service in Granite, Oregon.     Nozzles: 2× 2½"     Valve Diameter: ˜4"     The top of the barrel between the nozzles reads "A. G. LONG / SALES / AGENT". The length of the barrel says "WILLAMETTE / IRON AND STEEL WORKS / PORTLAND OR." Plain bonnet with no Waterous logo.     No manufacture date. Willamette Iron and Steel changed its name repeatedly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "Willamette Iron and Steel Works" was not used until about 1900. This was also about the time that the City of Granite installed its water system and fire hydrants. 1     A. G. Long hydrant, date unknown.     Out of service in Walla Walla County, Washington.     Nozzles: 2× 2½", 1× ˜4"     Valve Diameter: ˜5"     The bonnet casting says "WATEROUS ENGINE WORKS CO. ST. PAUL MINN." The back of the barrel reads "A.G. LONG / AGT. / PORTLAND.OR"     No manufacture date. Except for the position of the chain lugs (one of which is on the back of the barrel) and a slight difference in the A. G. Long logo, this hydrant is identical to the one below.     A. G. Long hydrant, date unknown.     In service in Astoria, Oregon.     Nozzles: 2× 2½", 1× ˜4"     Valve Diameter: ˜5"     The bonnet is difficult to read due to paint, but has some version of the Waterous name as well as St. Paul Minn. cast in to the rim. The back of the barrel says "A. G. LONG / GEN. AGT. / PORTLAND OR."     No manufacture date readable. Based on the design of the hydrant and the phrasing of the A. G. Long logo, this hydrant may have been manufactured around 1910. Information is still too vague to make an accurate estimate.     A. G. Long hydrant, 1916-1920s.     In service in Astoria, Oregon.     Nozzles: 2× 2½", 1× ˜4"     Valve Diameter: 5"     On the rim of the bonnet is cast "WATEROUS FIRE ENG CO.ST.PAUL MINN 1920" although the last character may be a 6, 8 or 9. The barrel reads "AG LONG / AGENT / PORTLAND / ORE".     These hydrants have the manufacture date cast into the bonnet, and 80 years of paint has made them difficult to read. This is the only variety of A. G. Long hydrant marked with a date. They also bear the strongest resemblance to a standard Waterous frost jacket hydrant. 1 James Waucop Tabor, Granite and Gold (Theresa Tabor Fowler, 1988) Page 11. Other source material appears in the archives section of the Portland, Oregon page.

Portland, Oregon Hydrants Back to Hydrant Pictures Text and Images © 2003 Allen McMillan Revised December 12, 2003