<body><div>Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1funQy_0wEm9KMH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1funQy_0wEm9KMH00" width="500" height="500" ></figure>Media news reporters always like to exaggerate the extent of whatever they are reporting especially when it comes to natural disasters – worst rainfall in ten years, a hundred-year flood, or the worst fire the city has ever seen. With that in mind, here are a few Nashua fires that were deemed the “worst-to-date” in the city, back in the 1880s.From the Nashua Telegraph of August 23, 1881: One of the most stubborn and threatening fires that had occurred in Nashua in a long time broke out in Mullins Batting Mill on Water Street. It was believed the fire started in the engine room as it was the first part of the building that fire was spotted by people from across the river. The old building was full of combustible material and flames soon wrapped the entire structure breaking through the windows and roof lighting up the entire section of the city. The fire department responded promptly, but as the structure burned rapidly and fiercely even a deluge of water made no impression on it. The heat was so intense that firemen and spectators were driven away from the burning structure. For a time, it seemed that the old Eagle Card Factory and the Eaton and Ayer Factory would burst into flames due to the fierce heat and flames that were driven against the buildings. But the brick walls and iron shutters proved as a salvation to the buildings. Flying embers were carried far over the city, and several wooden buildings were several times ignited but were put out by people on their roofs. In the midst of the fire the steam in a boiler blew off with a loud blast. Many on the scene thought an explosion was imminent and there was a lot of commotion among the spectators until the danger had passed. While the fire was at its height, the wooden buildings in the rear of the Goodrich Block and Exchange Building caught fire, and were completely wrecked before the fire could be extinguished. A misfortune of the hour was the frequent bursting of hose and the giving out of the engines at the river. These delays gave the fire headway in the adjoining wooden buildings and necessitated their loss. The department worked with great vigor and was handled with skill. Had the high wind prevailed a disastrous fire would have been inevitable. It was a lucky escape. The city of Nashua saw 13 fires in 1881 for a total loss of $20,793. Of that amount, only $13,783 was covered by insurance.&nbsp;<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4IWzr6_0wEm9KMH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4IWzr6_0wEm9KMH00" width="459" height="320" ><figcaption>An early picture of the Washington House.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2URHX6_0wEm9KMH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2URHX6_0wEm9KMH00" width="1149" height="569" ><figcaption>This walkway with the steps and black handrails mark where Washington St. once existed.</figcaption></figure>Author’s Note: During this time the Water St. area, like other cities the size of Nashua, was very tightly-packed with wood buildings. Due to this and other factors, it was not uncommon for city fire departments to lose whole blocks of buildings in a single fire event. May 19, 1883 The purportedly first large fire in Nashua was on this date in the Old Nashua House on Chestnut Street with a loss of $20,000. In that fire 12 buildings were partially or completely destroyed. Author’s Note: Old Nashua House was a place to get “groceries, dry goods, butter and cheese.” They sold everything from fresh produce to children’s boots. About that time there was also a hotel known as the Nashua House located on the corner of Main St. and Thayer Court.November 17, 1883 Listed in a 1935 Nashua Fire Dept. history as one of the worst fires in the city to-date, the Washington House burned on this date. Built an 1828 and originally located downtown near the corner of Main and Factory St. it served as a hotel. It was moved in 1850 to the north corner of Main and Bowers St. where it served as a watch factory for Nashua Watches. The company was later sold to Waltham Watches. At the time of this fire, it was the Fox and Gibson Furniture Manufacturing company. Loss on the building was $20,100. March 25, 1884 Listed in a 1935 Nashua Fire Dept. history, again as one of the worst fires in the city to-date, at 1:50 a.m. on this date, a building on Mason St. housing the G.H. Rollins Machine Shop and R.W. Porter Shuttle Manufacturers and J. Ridge File Cutter was heavily damaged with a loss of $22,500. Author’s Note: The building was rebuilt and Rollins, maker of industrial and steam engines, continued on well into the 20th century. They are last listed in the city directory in the same location as late as 1935. Today (2024) the building remains and is home to Gibson Bagpipes, said to be the largest bagpipe manufacturer in the world.And here is a first-hand account of fighting a blaze on a cold night – the night of the frozen tree, as recorded in a 1935 Nashua Fire Dept history. The date was March 2, 1886 and the fire was at the Beasom Block, located on the north corner of Main and Factory St.: “It was about 15 below zero that night.&nbsp; Where we lived, we frequently did not hear the alarm and this night someone came to get my father and me.&nbsp; We immediately went down to the fire and were there until about 10 o’clock the following forenoon.&nbsp; While we were fighting the fire, practically all the building went down.&nbsp; At that time most of the men wore old-fashioned felt boots.&nbsp; Water on Mechanic St. was some 15 inches deep and as the men stuck their legs in the water and pulled them out again, ice formed on the boots. Streams of water went up on the old elm tree at the corner of Factory and Washington St. from all directions and froze on the branches so that they became so heavy they broke.&nbsp; In the morning when the men were eating at Hartwell’s restaurant on the corner of Pearl St., they had to thaw out their snaps to get their coats off.&nbsp; They stood the coats up on the floor and put the hats on top of them.”&nbsp; In all, seven firemen were injured, some seriously.&nbsp; Damage was estimated at $40,000.&nbsp; Author’s Note: The “frozen tree” was mentioned in other accounts of this fire so it was “famous” for a few days in 1886. The corner of Factory and Washington St where the frozen tree once stood no longer exists. Across Factory St. from todays’ (2024) parking garage entrance is a concrete walkway with a few steps and a hand rail leading down to Water St. This walkway was Washington St.Excerpted from Ledoux’s book: Nashua’s Bravest: The History of Firefighting in Nashua NHYester-Heroes author Gary Ledoux grew up in Nashua’s Crown Hill area, attending Nashua schools and graduating from Nashua High in 1970. He attended NH Vo-Tech for a time, then moved to Amherst, then Manchester, and Weare. He served as a volunteer on the Amherst Fire Dept from 1974 to 1977. A career in the automotive business took him to Florida and then to southern California. After 48 years, he retired in 2017, moving back to Florida with his wife, Rachel, and two dogs. He has published seven books, including two about Nashua history, and has been a contributing editor or contributor to 10 different magazines. Gary can be reached at mayorclum@yahoo.com</div></body>

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Yester-Heroes: The city’s biggest blaze and a frozen tree

Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments. Media news reporters always like to exaggerate the extent of whatever they are reporting especially when it comes to natural disasters – worst rainfall in ten years, a hundred-year flood, or the worst fire the city has ever seen. With that in mind, here are a few Nashua fires that were deemed the “worst-to-date” in the city, back in the 1880s.