FIRE-DALTON’S BLOCK

Niagara Falls Village

[Welland Tribune, 11 March 1898]

A destructive fire made havoc in F. E. Dalton’s block, on Ferry street, at 7 o’clock on Tuesday evening, causing heavy loss to the building and its occupants, W. J. Manuel, bakery, and Miss Forde, millinery. The fire started by pure accident, as follows: – The electric lighting company having failed to turn on their lights, Mr. Manuel was obliged to hunt up the discarded coal oil lamps, and with four of these on a tray he was coming down the back stairway. One of the lamps slipped, and in an effort to prevent its falling the whole lot fell. The lamps of course broke, the flames ignited the oil, and in a moment the stairway was ablaze. Attempts were made with clothing and pails of water to extinguish the fire, but this could not be done and the alarm of fire rang through the streets. The smoke and heat was soon almost unbearable, and the large plate glass windows in the bakery were all broken by the heat. The fire department responded promptly, but the smoke was so dense that egress by the way of the front stairway was almost impossible. In the meantime goods from both Mr. Manuel’s and Miss Forde’s apartments were being moved in a damaged condition. Candies and cakes and hats and feathers and ribbons are tender goods to rush out in the street amid smoke and heat and flying cinders and falling water, and the condition of such stock can better be imagined than described. Mr. Manuel carried a choice stock, and Miss Forde had just received an extra large consignment of new spring goods – and not a yard of goods or a hat were left in the building. The cakes were turned into dough and caramels and gum drops and taffy joined hands and coursed down the shelves and along the floor a delightful syrup. The wreck was complete in the bakery, and the loss in Miss Forde’s and in both living apartments will be quite heavy – as will also be the loss on the building. The adjusters had not arrived at this writing (Wednesday}, and it would be idle to guess at the loss. With the exception of Mr. Manuel’s loss, however, the damage will be covered by insurance. The policy on the bakery was for $600, and would have expired today (Friday.) Miss Forde has $300 on stock and $600 on furniture, and Mr. Dalton is insured in the Waterloo for $2,000. The firemen did good work, but the fire was that of deceptive, stubborn character that is difficult to subdue. It got between the partition, along the cornice and under the metal roof, and the latter had to be torn up to reach the seat of the fire. It was fully an hour and a half before it was under control. The firemen worked well and the pressure on the hydrants was all that could have been desired. The citizens, too, did all in their power to assist the victims of the fire, and the fire-sufferers fully appreciate the many kindness shown.

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