The Geyser was a steam powered fireboat built for Chicago, Illinois in 1886.[1]
Chicago had operated three earlier vessels, as fireboats, but they had all been retrofits. The Geyser was specifically designed as a fireboat, after Fire Marshall Denis J. Swenie visited eastern cities to learn from their purpose-built fireboats.
The vessel was designed to be able to break ice, as necessary, so it could operate in the winter.[1]
When Chicago added the Yosemite to its fleet of fireboats, it was reported to have been the same size as the Geyser, but "...has more power as a waterthrower."[2]
In 1903 the Geyser was renamed the Denis J. Swenie.[1]