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Volume 076-3 - July 2022 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
James H. Hutchison’s
Reminiscences of a
Nevada City Volunteer
Firefighter, 1880-1930
Edited by Tanis C. Thorne
in collaboration with Cathy Wilcox-Barnes
Introduction
“Manfully and bravely did ...they fight
the fiery elements....””!
The wooden structures of the bustling gold
camp of Nevada repeatedly caught fire in the
1850s, spurring construction of brick buildings
with metal-shuttered windows. The 1856 fire
_ devastated the
business district,
and many people died. The
first permanent
volunteer fire
fighting companies were
formed in 1860.?
With money
raised by the
townswomen,
a brick engine
house, manned
by Pennsylvania
Company No.2,
was built on
Broad Street; another was built for the Nevada Hose Company #1 on Main Street. Two
iron-wheeled hose carts were purchased for
each company, and an old hand pumper for the
Pennsylvania Engine Company No. 2. These
two fire houses survive into the present day.
James H. Hutchinson at age 86. Hutchinson
(1869-1958) served as a Nevada City
volunteer firefighter for 72 years; he was
assistant chief engineer in 1907-1908.
Searls Historical Library.
' Daily Transcript, Sept. 11, 1886.Vol. LIH, 3.
> For an excellent historical overview see Sven Skarr’s “Nevada
City Volunteer Fire Department 1860-1960 (Centennial Issue),”
Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin, 14:1, April, 1960.
‘Nevada County Historical society
Bulletin
eee 76 NUMBER 3 JULY 7,
Nevada City was far less likely to face total destruction after the organization of these
firefighting companies, the acquisition of
equipment and the connection to a good water
supply. Nonetheless, fires remained a constant
threat. From 1860s to the 1930s, many thousands of dollars in losses were sustained though
there was remarkably little loss of life or injuries. Acute fire danger in town was due to
multiple causes: the many wooden structures;
brush fires during hot dry summers; storage of
explosives and other combustibles common to
mining towns; cold winters where sparks from
wood fires constantly lit roof shingles afire;
accidents like malfunctioning oil furnaces and
kitchen fires; and several acts of arson. In 1877
an arsonist tucked packages of matches and
black powder saturated in kerosene in fire traps
throughout the city during the dry season, but
fortunately these were discovered and removed
by the firemen. In the month of December 1909
alone, 24 chimney fires had to be doused by
firemen.
Although the services of firefighters were indispensable to the town’s survival, the chronically
underfunded city government could neither
provide pay or much money for equipment
replacements or upgrades. Confronted by refusals by the city for funding, the fire departments
became proactive. Justly praised for their heroism and gallantry under dangerous conditions,
the volunteer firemen were also notably public
spirited, self-reliant, and innovative. As historian Sven Skarr summarized it, the volunteer