twenties and became one of the partners of a new firm called Silsby, Race and Holly in 1845. The firm manufactured hydraulic machinery and steam-powered fire engines. As the firm's visionary, Holly contributed significantly to their success. In 1849 he received his first patent, which was for a rotary water pump. Holly was a co-inventor of the Silsby steam fire engine, which was first produced in 1856. More than 1,000 were made, becoming the most popular steam fire engine built in the United States. The unconventional rotary motion steam-cylinder engine and pump were Holly's inventions (US39259A and US12350A). The first of these machines weighed up to and produced of steam pressure, enough to propel four streams of water over . The greatest distance recorded for a stream was on September 24, 1881 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Holly left Seneca Falls in 1851 for Lockport where he established the Holly Manufacturing Company in 1859 with the financial assistance of politicians Washington Hunt and Thomas Flagler. The company produced sewing machines, cistern pumps, and rotary pumps. Holly built the Lockport Fire Protection and Water System in 1863, which used pumps powered by water turbines and steam engines to bring water to hydrants in the city. His system was adopted by Covington, Kentucky, in 1871. He patented a fire hydrant used for fire protection in 1869. Holly's inventions used pressure to pump water directly into the main city water supply lines, since there were no water towers at the time for pressure from a local water supply reservoir for drinking water and fire protection. The pumps ran at various speeds according to usage and was regulated by the pressure in the discharge main. Holly's company facilities doubled when he built a similar system for the city of Lockport water works department. He applied his water works system equipment in more than two thousand cities in the United States and Canada. Holly's system of pumping water into Lockport's city mains was unique. It not only supplied drinking water for domestic service, but also stored water under pressure for hydrants in a city fire protection service. His technological innovations provided the impetus for similar city water works construction projects across the United States. Holly's interests switched from fire protection systems to central heating. He wondered if there was a more efficient way to heat several nearby buildings rather than using individual small boilers in each building.