Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.
January 1, 1890 George R. Holt is elected by the City Council as the new Fire Chief replacing Charles H. Whitney. Apparently, due to a procedural error or possibly a point-of-order fiasco, the election, allegedly, was not properly made and thus not recognized by Whitney who refused to vacate his office. Edited for clarity and brevity, the following was printed in the Nashua Telegraph on January 2, 1890:
Mayor Charles Burke made an ineffective attempt to remove Chief Whitney. The Chief received the following communication early on January 2, 1890.
Dear Sir; at a meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen held Wednesday, January 1, George R. Holt was appointed and confirmed as steward of the Engine House. You will accordingly turn over to George R. Holt such property as may be in your charge, as steward belonging to the City of Nashua. Per order of the mayor. Signed Charles S. Bussell City Clerk.
Chief Whitney refused to accede his position. Mr. Holt was left to dejectedly walk around the outside of the firehouse. Later, Mayor Burke arrived at the station and had some conversation with Chief Whitney. [Author’s Note: This would have been the former Central Fire Station on Court St.]
The chief informed him that he had taken counsel in the matter, who had advised him that the election was not legal, and he was still chief of the department. The mayor asked the chief to turn over the keys to the station and seek remedy in the courts. The chief wasn’t having it and put the onus on the mayor to figure things out.
Word was spread that a warrant had been issued for the chief’s arrest and a crowd gathered around the firehouse. Soon the mayor, city solicitor and others came up the back alley from City Hall, stood about on the sidewalk for a while, talked among themselves and then disappeared. [Author’s Note: The back alley referred to in this piece still exists and is better known today as the Library Walk adjacent to the Nelson Block at 100 Main St.] The chief then went about his business while Mr. Holt continued to loiter just outside the station. The question was, in the event of an alarm, who would the men recognize as their chief?
A Telegraph article of January 4 noted that Holt was no longer hanging around at the fire house and “all was quiet.” Then, early in the evening of January 4, an incendiary fire was set in a shed on Thayer Court by parties unknown, but all suspected it was set by city officials or their agents, to see what would happen in the fight between Whitney and Holt for Fire Chief. Empty boxes belonging to a local fruit dealer was soaked with kerosene and set ablaze. The fire had grown fairly sizable by the time firemen reached the scene.
Being aware of the simmering political stew of having two Fire Chiefs, and the standoff between Whitney and Mayor Burke, a large crowd gathered to see what would happen. An article in the Nashua Telegraph stated, “Such a scene has not been witnessed in this city for many years since the days of intense rivalry between the old volunteer companies.”
Upon reaching the fire, Holt attempted to take charge, but the firemen would not heed him. Assistants tried to give orders but the men just stood idly by their machines – all except those on the opposite side of the shed working with Chief Whitney. Assistant Chief Pilar repeatedly ordered men on the hook and ladder company to bring hooks to the west side of the building. They responded by standing idly by asking who was in charge; Whitney or Holt? Pilar than declared that any man who shirked their duty would be arrested. The threat had no effect.
At this point, Whitney who had been working on the opposite side of the shed appeared with a large contingent of firemen and a “cheer went up from the crowd.” All the men then began working. The blaze was soon brought under control but not until the roof was burned off the barn and about $600 in damage was incurred. Additional damage was done to an adjacent barn along with a loss of feed and tools. As for the political side of things, the crowd was clearly on the side of Chief Whitney.
At a special meeting of the Aldermanic Council held on January 6, the topic of contested office of Fire Chief was again raised. It was determined that the vote taken on January 1, due to a failing of parliamentary procedure, was not legal. Mayor Burke then directed that the vote be retaken at that meeting. It was then argued by Mayor Burke and others of the Council, one in particular an expert on parliamentary procedure, that the vote could only be taken on January 1 and at no other time. If followed, this would mean that Whitney would remain Fire Chief for another year. It was decided that, despite parliamentary issues, a second vote would be taken and duly recognized as valid. George R. Holt was confirmed as Fire Chief in a 5-4 vote.
Author’s Note: This story is in conflict with the list of chiefs showing George Osborn as being the new chief in 1890. The list also shows Holt as being Chief in 1884 which seems unlikely. Because the Telegraph account can be easily found and is written as shown above, it is obvious that there are some discrepancies in this information thread. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a good amount of politics surrounded Mr. Holt, sometimes to a point of his own peril.
Excerpted from Ledoux’s book: Nashua’s Bravest: The History of Firefighting 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