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Before the Fire > The
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19th Century Media> Documenting
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Shock
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Nothing was out of the ordinary on Martha's Vineyard
during August 1883: summer tourists poured onto
the Island, new houses were being built along
the coastline, and a never-ending stream of ships
stopped at port. The only oddity seemed to be
a month-long lack of rain. However, on the evening
of Saturday August 11, 1883, it was unseasonably
cool-due to the heavy clouds and strong winds
that had descended over the Island that day. A
persistent drizzle began mid-day, at which the
farmers breathed a sigh of relief. The Cottage
City Star stated that by nightfall in Vineyard
Haven "there was one of the most contented
and happy collections of people… snugly nestled
under the hillside."
Suddenly at 9:00pm, church bells
rung out a frantic alarm alerting the people of
Vineyard Haven to a great danger. As residents
emptied their homes to determine what was disturbing
the cool night, they discovered that R.W. Crocker's
harness factory on Main Street was the origin
of the blaze. It was reported that the engine
room first caught fire and then quickly spread
throughout the large wooden building. A strong
northeastern wind blew the flames to neighboring
businesses. The stored materials in these shops,
including a paint store and a livery stable, only
fueled the hungry flames. As the fire swiftly
spread along Main Street, some townspeople hurried
to the waterfront with their buckets.
Unfortunately, Vineyard Haven possessed
no fire fighting equipment. The Vineyard Gazette
wrote, "No facilities for extinguishing the
fire or checking its progress were at hand, however,
and the people were compelled to content themselves
with removing their valuables from the probable
track of the fire and from any localities to which
there was reason to believe it might extend…"
Cottage City, three miles away, had recently purchased
two chemical fire engines. Telephone lines had
also been installed earlier that summer. As a
result of this new technology, Vineyard Haven
was able to make a call for help to its neighbor.
The Cottage City Star reported,
"The Champion No. 1, chemical engine company,
and the Hook and Ladder No. 1… manned by
brave and energetic 'fire laddies' were on hand
as quickly as possible…[who] did effective
service on different parts of the fire line during
the night…" Aiding the firemen were
harried bucket brigades of Vineyard Haven citizens,
filling leather pails down at the harbor and passing
them down the line until they reached the buildings
in the fire's path. Most used their buckets for
wetting down the roofs and wooden exteriors of
surrounding houses rather than applying the water
directly to the flames.
For six hours, the fire raged while its townspeople
watched in despair as private dwellings, retail
stores, and summer homes disappeared. Around 3:00am,
after the Mansion House collapsed in a pile of
fiery embers, the Cottage City fire company finally
gained control. In all, 32 homes, 26 stores, 12
barns, 2 stables, the town inn, and the Baptist
church were all destroyed. Fortunately, there
had been no loss of life from to the fire itself-although
one elderly lady was supposed to have died of
a heart attack due to the excitement.
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