Don Canney

It’s a new year and time to make those resolutions that we will all probably break within a few days or weeks and time for many of us to count our blessings and be grateful for what we have as we embark on 2023.

Like many in the greater Nashua area, my wife and I lost power on Christmas Eve, Eve (if there is such moniker) for about seven hours and had the misfortune to have a large pine tree come crashing down on our house, poking two holes in our roof, crushing a solar tube and chimney cap, and leaving large branches impaled in our yard. But thankfully, no one was injured, and we will recover. It is now a matter of managing the painful mode of documenting it all and working with our insurance company.

We are all New Englanders, and foul weather is just a part of life. As the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.”

We’ve been subject to many major storms in the past, with the biggest I remember being the Blizzard of ’78. The area was pretty much shut down and it took most of us over a week to recover. But a look back into the archives of the Telegraph brings back memories of another blast we received only one year prior on January 10, 1977.

Nashua was just in the process of recovering from a 17 plus inch hammering that hit the area on January 7, 1977, when another foot or so blanketed the area. But for the Gate City, this one came with a bit of a twist.

Seven out of the city’s 28 snowplows along with a grader (one quarter of the snow removal equipment on hand) were out of service. Most needed major repairs for anything from engine failure, slipped clutches, (back when most trucks were equipped with standard transmissions) or faulty drive shafts, to defective oil pumps, damaged plow mounts and major transmission failure. Heavy wet snow is especially hard on snow removal equipment. At the time, there were 256 miles of city streets to service, each needing to be travelled twice to cover both sides.

It wasn’t clear how the trucks got to that state of disrepair, be it reduced funding, political bickering or residents refusing to accept the need. But nonetheless, it created major havoc.

More critically, fire hydrants had disappeared under the blanket of white and fire officials were pleading with residents to help clear away their hydrants in case of emergency. Back then, the “finder” flags on poles we see today on many hydrants didn’t exist.

There were reports of residents calling the police and fire departments to help dig them out or give them rides to work because their cars were buried. City officials had to remind residents that the police and fire departments were not a taxi service. And bear in mind that ambulances at the time were not SUV or truck like vehicles we have today. Most were converted station wagons that were low to the ground and not very effective in that much snow. In fact, they still used tire chains back then, which meant that speeds much over 25 miles per hour were out of the question.

Doing research for this column got me thinking about my own personal grumblings when the town or city government asks for funding for new equipment. Am I okay with a tax increase, or do I prefer to risk a situation where an ambulance or fire truck could not access my home in an emergency? What’s that adage, “Penny wise and pound foolish?”

But, not to worry. My snowblower is ready to go and several shovels hang in my garage, which means we will not see any major snow storms this year. And if you believe that, I have some real estate in Florida that I can give you a great deal on.

By the way, I noticed that chicken back then was 37 cents per pound, a three-piece living room could be had for $388, and gas was 62 cents per gallon. Yup, the good old days.

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.

Newsletter