JasonC wrote:Scott Yarberry (or was it Bill?) at Sentry said "the last Sterling siren sold was model M-10 sold in 1981" (he attached a picture as well). Does this conflict with anything you are familiar with?
1, I never heard of Scott Yarberry prior to a couple years ago on the internet.
2, Sterling Siren Fire Alarm in Rochester was owned by Bill Corey. The company effectively went out of business by a process of slow death in the 60s, after Civil Defense orders ended. Civil Defense kept the company alive through the 50s and early 60s. I have no recollection of any 7? or 10 hp machines being made in Rochester in the 1960 or after timeframe. There just wasn't any market for anything bigger than 5hp.
3, Scott Yarbury says he bought Sterling in 1972 on his website. I have no recollection of that happening, and I am absolutely certain Sterling in Rochester was still operating after 1972. Mr Yarberry is very vague on his site as to how he acquired Sterling Siren Fire Alarm. Since Bill Corey is dead, and most of the company's records went in a dumpster in 1981, I have no way of verifying anything Scott Yarbury says.
I don't know what Mr Yarbury bought, or who he bought it from, but I do know he didn't buy or at least take delivery of the wood patterns, because they were busted up and burned for heat in Bill Corey's kid's snowmobile shop.
4, I can and will say with absolute certainty that the last Sterling Siren produced in Rochester by Sterling Siren Fire Alarm was built at 1619 Manitou Road, and installed at Fairport's then new House 2. I have definite memory of that machine, and other than the dollars I made from that machine, none of those memorys are happy.
At that point in time the company was virtually dormant. The inventory consisted of 1 used H model which I now own, and one 5hp GE double shaft replacement motor which I also now own. There were also a handfull of FHP sirens in stock, and a pile of FHP siren parts, along with shelves of parts for 6 and 12 volt sirens, and a handfull of hand cranked alarm bells, one of which now hangs on my dining room wall.
5, I do NOT consider machines built anyplace other than Rochester NY to be genuine Sterling sirens.