Yester-Heroes: Nashua Police in the mid-1920s and the end of the Main Street Bridge

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HISTORY

YESTER-HEROES

By Gary Ledoux


Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.

Nashua’s Main St Bridge, December 11, 1924

On December 11, 1924 the Main St. bridge, which was then constructed of wood, burned in a spectacular fire crippling Nashua’s north/south traffic. The bridge burned all the way through, collapsing into the river sending what was described as a “fountain of sparks hundreds of feet into the air.” This was especially crippling during those days because not only did this bridge support north and south bound traffic in the city, but in the days before the Everett Turnpike, then-Rt3, right through the middle of Nashua, Manchester and Concord was the only way north and south through the state. The Nashua Telegraph reported, “This morning, only the stone abutments and piers and a great mass of debris mark the site of the famous landmark nearly one hundred years old. More than a million automobiles in continuous line pass over this bridge at the height of the summer traffic to New Hampshire and the White Mountains.” The following morning, work began immediately to build a temporary pedestrian bridge. The bridge was rebuilt, this time not of wood, but of steel and concrete and opened June 1926. This kept police at the bridge site for about 6 months, thus the budget over-run on personnel of about $2,500.00.

1924

Police department salaries for 1924 were as follows: Police Chief – $3,000 per annum, Deputy Chief – $2100 per annum, Captain – $2,050 per annum, Inspector – $2,050 per annum, Sergeant – $5.25 per diem, Chauffeur – $5.00 per diem, Patrolmen (First years’ service) – $4.75 per diem, Patrolmen (second years’ service and beyond) – $5.00 per diem, Matron – $1.50 per visit, Stenographer – $18.00 per week, Commissioner Clerk – $150 per annum, Commissioner (other) – $100 per annum Author’s Note: $3,000 in 1924 is worth about $51,000 in 2022 dollars.

Also in 1924:

  • The Nashua Police Dept. bought two Ford “Runabouts” from Nashua Auto Co. A line item in the Expenses calls out “Nashua Auto Co., Sup. And 2 Ford cars” for $995.60. In his Annual Report, Police Chief Goodwin noted that the two cars were used to patrol a part of the city where two foot-officers would normally be assigned. This freed-up some officers who were re-assigned to “liquor violations.” This resulted in 283 liquor-related arrests resulting in 182 convictions generating over $11,000 in fines and costs. The two Fords proved to be a good investment.
  • It would appear that the department bought one or possibly two motorcycles this fiscal year. A line item in the Expenses calls out motorcycles (plural) for $658.24.
  • A resolution is approved to give former police officer Horace Ballou a pension of $30 per month for his 25 years of continuous service with the department. [Author’s Note: This is the first mention of a pension in the history of the department.]
  • According to the Annual Report of the Board of Education, there was “some anxiety” relative to pupils crossing the street in front of the junior high school. At the time, Nashua’s junior high school was what became more commonly known as the Temple St. School on the corner of Temple and Cottage St. To alleviate the situation, through the combined efforts of the Nashua Police Dept. and the Nashua Lions Club, the Junior Police plan was introduced. This allows select pupils to have “charge of the control of traffic” allowing pupils to cross safely. A young Paul Tracy was one of those students in the Safety Patrol. Thirty-six years later, he would become Nashua’s Police Chief. As traffic increased, the job of a school crossing guard was considered too dangerous for children. Subsequently, the job was taken over by regular police officers until 1955 when a unit of part-time school crossing guards, all women, was formed

In their annual report for FY24, the Police Commissioners brought attention to the growing problem of parking in Nashua, given the “ever increasing number of automobiles from year to year on our streets, both local and from outside the city…”

1925

  • In the early part of the year, a boy was bitten by a rabid dog and died. The police department ascertained that several other dogs had been bitten by the rabid dog and showed signs of having rabies. The police then took action and ordered all dogs running at large be muzzled for a period of 90 days. All dogs running at large without a muzzle were subject to be killed if found. Due to this order, 73 dogs were killed and disposed of. “The streets were cleansed of wandering half-fed dogs which were becoming a menace to the city.”
  • Two more officers, for a total of four officers, were assigned to enforcing liquor laws resulting in 381 arrests. Of those arrested, 224 were convicted resulting in over $20,000 in fines paid. Chief Goodwin made a special note in his report that it was only due to the “special assignment of plain clothes officers” that liquor violators could be apprehended. “No uniformed police officer, no matter how good his qualifications are, is of great importance apprehending liquor violators owing to the secrecy and crafty methods employed in plying their trade.” 

1926

  • In this FY the department spent the most they have ever spent on guns, budgeting $700 to Colt firearms.
  • All new officers were required to receive one week of on-the-job training with a superior officer.

1927

  • May 6, 1927 – In the days before everyone had a cell phone or was otherwise connected via the internet, and many Nashua police officers were still on foot and could not simply “drive out to a scene to see what was going on”… firefighters at Central Station gazing south watched the smoke from a fire for about an hour thinking the fire was in Lowell.  They eventually received a call that the house on fire was in south Nashua.  On arrival, the home located on the bank of the Merrimack River, had burned to the ground.

1928

  • During this period there were 1,180 arrests. For the first time in the history of the city, the majority, 261 or 22% were for Violation of Motor Vehicle Laws. The next largest, 254, were for public intoxication, and the next largest, 204, were for Violation of Liquor Law. 

Excerpted from “Nashua’s Finest: The History of Law Enforcement in Nashua NH” 

Yester-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


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