W.J. Hickey Has Contract for Changes in O’Neal Block
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 14 June 1921]
Work was commenced on Thursday on what is to be one of the nicest places of business on the Main streets of Welland. The block formerly occupied by J.S. O’Neil as a grocery store and which was recently purchased by the Bank of Toronto, is to be converted into a modern and up-to-date bank building.
W.J. Hickey, general contractor, has been awarded the contract, and now has a gang of men working on the building.
The front of the building is to be one of the finest. It is to be a complete cut stone design with carved columns from the ground to the top of the building.
The entrance will be on the west side of the building, while two large windows will occupy the front of the bank. The entrance will lead into a vestibule, which in turn leads into the bank and to the floors upstairs.
The building will be ready for occupancy in the early autumn.
A.E. Nicholson, O.A.A., of St. Catharines was the designer of the plans, and they are truly a work of art. Mr. Nicholson will be remembered for his work in this city previously. He designed the First Street School, the Queen Street School and the new Empire School in the east end.
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 24 May 1921]
The success which has attended the Lookout Point Country Club in its aim to establish a country club and golf course on Pelham Heights has been so encouraging that last week the club decided to alter its plans. Now instead of a nine-hole course it will be eighteen. This decision will increase the capital outlay to nearly one hundred thousand dollars and it is the intention to increase the present membership of one hundred and fifty to three hundred.
The highest authorities have pronounced the projected golf course upon which work is now going forward, as one which for its landscape beauty, its contour and its soil as one having no superior and it is the expectation that Lookout Point will be the mecca of the golfers of the continent.
“Prevention” Was Slogan of Big Convention
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 17 May 1921]
By far the most important gathering of professional men ever held in Canada concluded its sessions recently in Toronto. This was the 54th Annual Convention of the Ontario Dental Association called into being to project intensified study in prevention of dental disease and the alleviation of suffering due to neglect of the teeth. A particular effort was made this year to get together all the most active men in the profession residing in Ontario; and that this effort was successful can be gathered from the fact that some half a thousand practising dentists left their homes and travelled many miles to get the latest curative message.
PREVENTION THE REAL NEED
“Prevention” was the real slogan of the whole convention. There were present some very fine exhibits of mechanical and other devices aiming to prevent dental disease; and the convention itself was fairly saturated with the one idea of relieving pain by anticipating and hindering disease. Some very fine lessons in prevention were taught by Professor Wallace Secombe in his lantern slide lecture on this subject; and the progressive clinic on preventative Dentistry was particularly fine. The importance of diet is particular received a great deal of attention.
The Convention put itself on record as being out and out for modern preventive measures with their saving of human suffering. The splendid work of Dr. F.J. Conboy in inaugurating a provincial school dental service was highly commended by prominent members of the profession; and in order that his valuable services be not lost to the province, the dentists decided to set aside $1000 to supplement the $4000 salary offered to Dr. Conboy to act as Director of Dental Services for the Province of Ontario.
TO RELIEVE SUFFERING
All branches of dental science were thoroughly reviewed. Not only was prevention strongly stressed, but the best restorative methods were explained and demonstrated by experts, the progressive clinics enabling the attending dentists to get a real knowledge of the best practice in the shortest possible time. The importance of the X-Ray in diagnosis was clearly pointed out; and the way to correctly interpret X-Ray photographs, shown in the minutest detail. The Hamilton Clinic Club put on a very fine clinic dealing with artificial dentures; and the correct and incorrect methods of reparative dentistry were clearly differentiated.
The Anaesthesia Clinic aimed to take the pain out of all dental operations in the future. Dr. James Cotton told of a special ether administration by means of which many major operations had been performed with the patient fully conscious but suffering no pain whatever. The application of these new methods to dental operations was made quite plain.
Dr. F.P. Moore of Hamilton, was elected president for the ensuing year, and Dr. R.J. Sprott of Barrie, vice-president with Dr. J. Fleming of Prescott moving up as honorary president. Drs. J.A. Bothwell and C.A. Kennedy of Toronto were re-elected secretary-treasurer and archivist respectively. Drs. W.L. Chalmers, C.E. Brookes, F.J. Conboy, E.L. Gausby, O.G. Plaxton, and M.W. Rutherford were re-elected Governors of the Association.
Quick Response to Call from Ice Cream Factory
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 17 May 1921]
The Welland Fire Department lost no time in getting to the scene of action. Last Saturday evening about half-past seven a motor burned out at Kabelin’s Ice Cream Factory, on Patterson Ave.
The siren sounded a quarter to seven and blew steadily for a few minutes and the trucks would have been at the fire if it hadn’t been for a train crossing on the Grand Trunk which held them up for a few minutes. When they arrived the chemicals soon extinguished the blaze and all there was to be seen was the smoke from the smoulderings.
Mr. Kabelin arrived on the scene a short time after the fire and found that there wasn’t a great deal of damage done.
U.S. Court Denies Injunction Asked by Falls Bridge Companies Against Order Issued by Customs Collector.
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 26 April 1921]
The United States Circuit Court of Appeals at New York City has handed down a decision affirming the order of United States Judge John R. Hazel of Buffalo, which denied the motion of the International Railway Company, owner of the upper steel arch bridge and the Queenston Lewiston suspension bridge and the similar motion of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company, owner of the lower steel arch bridge for an injunction restraining Customs Collector Geo. C. Davidson, of Buffalo, and his agents here from closing the international bridges Sundays and holidays. The litigation followed Collector Davidson’s threat to withdraw Customs inspectors from service on the bridges Sundays and holidays unless the bridge owners would pay the inspectors for such overtime work. The bridge companies contended that payment of the inspectors for this work was up to the United States Treasury Department and that any claim which might be against the bridge companies in the matter must lie in an action by the Treasury against the bridge companies for reimbursement.
The order of Collector Davidson for closing the bridges, which was issued but suspended during the litigation of the case, provided that all trolley, automobile or other vehicle traffic, as well as foot traffic across the bridges on Sunday and holidays should be permitted to continue only on the regulation that all automobiles and other vehicles hand baggage and other dutiable things in possession of those crossing the bridges be left at the United States Customs Office in this city until the day following such Sunday or holiday for inspection. This in effect would be a virtual closing of the bridges to the bulk of their customary traffic.
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 5 May 1921]
A representative of the Tribune and Telegraph had the pleasure to witness the innovation of the scheme for the distribution of the eight hundred gallons of milk, which is being donated to the children by the Welland District Producers Association, at the central School on Tuesday afternoon.
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 24 March 1921]
Somerville & Dilworth, contractors, have commenced the construction of a two storey brick store for George Jarvis. The store will be located on the north side of east Main street, between Patterson and Myrtle Avenues, and will be occupied when completer by Mr. Jarvis.
Cars Will Not Cross Canal Bridge-Passengers Will Take Transfers
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 5 May 1921]
“The street car service on the west side of the canal will be inaugurated on Wednesday of next week,” so stated Alex. Griffiths, one of the prominent shareholders of the Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway Company, to the Tribune-Telegraph yesterday.
“The contractors tell us,” continued Mr. Griffiths, “the tracks will be completed to the bridge next Tuesday. The cars are ready, and the motors which were found to be defective have been replaced.”
The car service on the west side has been long deferred, and not a few have given up all hope of ever seeing it in being.
At the council meeting on Tuesday night Mayor Diffin brought in a report that indicated he was entirely without hope.
Ald. Scott in view of the general symptoms was somewhat more hopeful and the proposal to apply to the Railway Commission for an order to compel the Company to inaugurate the service was laid over to await developments.
In view of the statement of Mr. Griffiths, immediate action seems likely.
It will be of interest to patrons of the trolley to learn that cars are not going to run over the canal bridge. North ward cars will stop at the bridge shanty. The bridge is thought to be too narrow and traffic too congested to permit of operation of cars on it.
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 5 May 1921]
A motion was passed at the meeting of the City Council on Tuesday instructing the City Engineer to get estimates on the cost of paving North Main Street from West Main Street to Mill.
Alderman Scott stated that it was an injustice to patch up the road as the city had been doing in the past. The majority of the citizens in the city would get the benefit from the road. Concrete was the only system.
“Welland has fallen behind in permanent paving,” continued Alderman Scott, “and the residents of this part of North Main Street are very much in favor of paving the section of the road.”
He favored putting down a concrete pavement and indicated that he would take action to have future pavements put down on the 100 per cent basis.
Solicitor Gross explained that to do this a vote of the people would be necessary.
Historic Old Fire Hall Is To Torn Down
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 28 April 1921]
The old fire hall beside the court house is shortly to be torn down. The present building is in fact a land-mark as it has seen Welland grow from a village to a city. In olden days the council used to sit within its walls and if it could speak it would tell of many tales, private and public. After great investigation and interviews with a number of Welland’s oldest inhabitants we present the following article regarding its history:
The first agitation for modern firefighting equipment was after the Tremont House, situated between the new and old canal, was burned on December 17, 1872. This was a great fire for the village at that date as the “Tremont” was considered quite a select hostelry.
The question of better fire-fighting appliances laid dormant till 1876, when the question was again brought to the minds of the people of the village. A public meeting was held and the council was asked to submit a by-law to the rate-payer for the purchase of a fire engine. In September 1876, a by-law was submitted to the rape-payers and on the 16th of September it was carried by a majority of 97 votes, only 45 rate-payers voting against it. The total number of ballots cast were 187. On the 19th of September the by-law was approved by the council on motion by James Griffith and Wm. Hill.
On November 9th, a heated discussion took place in the council chamber as to where the hall should be built for the engine and firemen. The two members on the west side of the canal, Messrs. Jeffrey and Hill wanted in on Frazer St., and the two members on the east side, Messrs. Griffith and Lamont, wanted in on Cross, where it now stand, and they won out by the casting vote of the Reeve, Mr. Hendershot.
On December 8th the council passed a resolution purchasing the fire engine, on motion of Griffith and Jeffrey, Mr. Lamont voting nay. On a motion by Griffith and Jeffrey the reeve was authorized to issue his check in favor of J.O. Ronald for the sum of $3,150 in full for purchase money of the fire engine and hose carts. On motion by Lamont and Griffith the fire engine was place in charge of A.O. Beatty until a hall could be procured. The fire engine arrived on December 8th and A.O. Beatty and John Van Wyck were appointed to be a committee to make a test, which they did to the satisfaction of all present even to the few who were in opposition to the purchase.
The tender for the construction of the fire hall was let to Freeman Hodgson on November 9th, at a meeting of the council on motion of James Griffith and O. Jeffrey.
The hall was partially destroyed by fire on two occasions. In 1877, Tuesday, January 30th, the fire company met in the hall for the first time and on Friday evening, February 9th, the firemen held their first ball in the new hall. On Wednesday, March 7th. The new fire alarm bell was purchased and placed in the hall. On Thursday, September 19th, 1884, the Frazer House, which was on the corner across from the Woolworth Building, and the fire hall caught fire and was burned. The bell was also destroyed and in the same year, 1884, the hall was rebuilt.
At the time of the terrific cyclone which blew the upper suspension bridge down at Niagara Falls, about 20 years ago. The tower of the hall was twisted out of place several feet. The contract was let to Jim Stevens to repair and put into place.
No doubt, many of the early inhabitants of Welland can recall many memories, pleasant and otherwise, connected with the old Welland Fire Hall, No. 1.
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