1920s NYC firefighting video with crazy sidewalk driving

This is a silent film from 1926 that shows a call coming in to a Manhattan fire station, a first-person POV shot from the chief’s car as he responds to a call, and then some firemen fighting a blaze consuming a storage warehouse.

The driving through the crowded streets of Manhattan starts at about 2:10 with the BAD TRAFFIC JAMS FORCE USE OF SIDEWALKS title card coming soon after at 2:51. The film is sped up but still, the chief dodges all manner of roadsters, horse-drawn wagons, trolleys, buses, automobiles, and other assorted conveyances.

See also a trip down San Francisco’s Market Street in 1906. (via @djacobs)

• NYC
• video