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The Charles Carr company was a waterworks supplier based in Boston Massachusetts according to an advertisement printed in the first manual of American Water-works, M.N. Baker, editor, published by Engineering News in 1888. In the ad, the company is selling their "Carr Patent" hydrants. Charles Carr worked for the Boston Machine Mfg. Co. also of Boston, MA from about 1872 to about 1885 when Boston Machine became Whittier Machine Co. While there, he held the positions of superintendent and vice president. Also, while there, he was issued his first hydrant patent #208072 from September 17, 1878 which was assigned to the Boston Machine Co. This patent is shown on the bonnets of certain Boston Machine Co and Whittier Machine Co hydrants and Charles Carr hydrant shown in the below photo. Charles Carr was issued a 2nd hydrant patent on the same hydrant in the below photo on January 15, 1889, US Patent #396326. The fact the hydrant below has the 1878 patent on bonnet is evidence that he made this hydrant before 1889. This 2nd patent was signed by Charles Carr's attorney, D.N.B. Coffin who is also listed on the 2nd hydrant patent of Zebulon Erastus Coffin, inventer of the Coffin Valve Co. (original model) hydrant. The hydrant shown below was available with a supplementary floating ball valve, attached just below the mainvalve, for use as a shutoff during repairs of the mainvalve (which was a compression type, closing against water pressure). The ball valve could be made of "light wood, or cork, or thin metal, or glass, preferably covered with india rubber, vulcanized or otherwise" according to patent description. The usefulness of this idea is questionable. At any rate, nobody uses a supplementary floating ball valve today. If you have any additional information regarding this hydrant --- an old catalog, manual, etc --- or information about the Charles Carr company, please Email Us.
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