Bristol's Hydes celebrating 175 years of volunteer service

By Manuel C. "Manny" Correira
Posted 7/15/18

The Hydraulion Engine & Hose Co. 1 is celebrating a milestone — the 175th anniversary of its proud existence.

An anniversary dinner is planned for Friday, July 20, from 6 to 10 p.m., …

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Bristol's Hydes celebrating 175 years of volunteer service

Posted

The Hydraulion Engine & Hose Co. 1 is celebrating a milestone — the 175th anniversary of its proud existence.

An anniversary dinner is planned for Friday, July 20, from 6 to 10 p.m., at the Herreshoff Marine Museum dock. The event is open only to social members and invited guests. Attire is Newport casual.

Better known as the “Hydes” to Bristol Fire Dept. members and friends, the event will be more of a social gathering, according to dinner committee chairman and Hydes Captain, Barry Carinha.

“It will be a gathering of the members to celebrate our 175th year of service to the town of Bristol,” he said. “Everyone is looking forward to it.”

Serving on the dinner committee with Capt. Carinha are Assistant Chief James D. Annis, 1st Lt. Adam Medeiros, 2nd Lt. Marc Proulx, Wayne Zina, company treasurer Dani Boutin, and Herman Martin.

The Hydraulion Engine and Hose Company No. 1 has a rich history. According to company documents, it was first organized on May 11, 1836, during a town meeting and formally organized on July 22, 1843. During this meeting, $1,000 was appropriated for the purchase of a new Hydraulion Engine. The first Hydraulion Engine Company was comprised of the members attached to this new Hydraulion Engine, which was purchased in New Bedford, Mass., from the Richmond Company. The population of the Town of Bristol during this time was 3,400.

A fire at the Ice House of John A. C. Gladding, located on Easterbrooks Avenue, in 1896, was the last time the Hydraulion Engine saw service. Prior to the purchase of the Hydraulion Engine, all of the fire apparatus in Bristol were of the Bucket Tub Type, in which people would fill the tub with water from buckets. The Bucket Tub Type could deliver water, but it couldn’t draft water. The new Hydraulion Engine was the first in town to do both.

History also tells us that on July 2, 1834, the news reached this town, not by radio, telephone, telegraph or airplane, but by a messenger with horse and carriage, that there was a big fire in Fall River and the officials of the city requested assistance to stop the flames which were leveling the business section. The town sent the best it had, the Hydraulion Engine and its company of men. A sloop lying at the wharf was pressed into service, the engine and a supply of hose was placed on board, with a good sized company of men, and it set sail for Fall River.

A meeting was held in what was then a sail loft on the upper floor of a building which was once owned by the J.T. O’Connell Lumber Co. on the west side of Thames Street. At this meeting, held July 22, 1843, an organization was formed known as the Hydraulion Engine and Hose Co. No. 1. Previous to this meeting, the members of the company were chosen by the town council and voted upon at the town meetings. Officers were chosen and Amos Crandall was elected foreman.

The company eventually moved to a building on Hope Street, located on the land where once a Boy Scout building stood. The company remained in this building until it moved to the new building the town had built for the company. The company held its first meeting in the new station at the corner of Franklin and High streets on June 28, 1899.

Hydes go high-tech

The company’s first motorized apparatus was a 500-gallon triple combination pumper built by the Seagrave Co. At the time, only certain members were allowed to ride the new engine. Several were told that they would have to respond to a fire with the old hand drawn engine.

The Seagrave truck was in use for several years, and that was replaced with a 1,000-gallon piston pumper built by Ahrens-Fox Company. The Hydes’ next truck was a 1,000-gallon pumper built by the American LaFrance Company. It was retired in 1986 and was replaced by a 1986 Emergency One 1,250-gallons-per-minute (gpm) pumper. In 2011, the Emergency One was re-designated as Engine 5 and replaced with a 2011 Pierce 1,500 gpm pumper.

On May 12, 1969, the station, a home away from home for many of its members, and a building filled with so much history and many memories, was destroyed by an accidental electrical fire. The heroic efforts of George C. Lima, Sr. and then Deputy Chief Manuel Vieira saved both pieces of apparatus from certain destruction.

Getting the Tub back

In 1963, a committee was formed called the “Old Hydraulion Back to Bristol” Committee to work on getting the old hand tub returned to Bristol from the New Bedford/Dartmouth, Mass. Historical Societies. In October of 1977, the 14 years of dedicated efforts by the “Old Hydraulion Back to Bristol” Committee came to fruition when a judge in New Bedford, Mass. ruled that the company’s first pumper, built in 1836, would be returned to the company within 30 days.

On Nov. 2, 1988, the last meeting was held in the station at the corner of Franklin and High streets, which had been home for a little over 89 years. The present station, located at the corner of Annawamscutt Drive and Metacom Avenue, was dedicated on Sunday, Nov. 13, 1988, and the first meeting was on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 1988.

Pride is a key word used most often when any talk of the Hydraulion Engine & Hose Co. No. 1 is on the table.

Throughout the years, many changes have occurred to the Town of Bristol. Major industries have come and gone, the population has grown and roads have been built, but through it all the Hydraulion Engine and Hose Co. No. 1 and the other dedicated members of the Bristol Fire Department have stood their watch and protected the citizens of this community.

On Friday, July 20, the company’s members will gather to celebrate the past and present and renew its commitment to serve the town of Bristol with honor and dignity.

“It’ll be an evening that all of us will be proud to be a part of,” said Capt. Carinha.

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