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[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 3 March 1921]
The Fire Department received a call about ten minutes to six on Monday evening for a fire at the residence of B.J. McCormack, East Main street. When the company arrived the roof near the chimney was afire. It is believed that the cause was from a spark from the chimney. The firemen soon had it extinguished with the assistance of the chemical. The damage was light.
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 4 January 1921]
The peaceful citizens of our fair city were disturbed from their daily routine by the clanging of a bell on a foreign fire engine on Friday. Investigation showed that this truck is the newly acquired property of Crowland Township. This truck is a Ford one ton engine which we believe will fill the need of the industrial section of Crowland very nicely. As yet there has been no use for the engine, and although Chief Jones states that they don’t want any, we believe that in their hearts there is a desire to give the thing a tryout.
Little Housekeeper Used Coal-oil to Help Kitchen Fire
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 12 May 1921]
A startling fatality occurred in Smithville on Monday afternoon when Alice, the eleven year old daughter of Jacob Sames, was so severely burned about the body that the little one passed away within 24 hours after the occurrence. In the absence of her father, who was taken away from home teaming gravel at the lake shore near Beamsville, the child in company with her two younger sisters, aged 7 and 9 was keeping house and after doing a day’s washing and cleaning, attempted to light the kitchen stove, and finding the fire not burning as she desired, used a coal oil can full of oil to make the wood burn.
After applying the oil the can was left on the flat oven door, while she retired to a nearby lounge to lie down for a short rest. Being tired, the little one dozed into a light sleep, the coal oil can became overheated and exploded, throwing the oil all over the room and over the prostrate child, igniting her clothing and the contents of the room.
She immediately ran screaming to the street and the alarm was at once sounded by the nearby townsfolk who rushed to her assistance and with coats smothered the flames as the little on rolled in the ditch. She was carried into the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Downey and Drs. Zumstein and Robinson hurriedly summoned who gave her every assistance.
The clothing was burned off the body and the skin peeled off with the little clothing that was left. Her condition was pronounced hopeless and she passed away the following afternoon remaining quite conscious near the end. Her sisters, who were playing outside, were unharmed. The room in the house suffered considerable damage before the flames were extinguished by willing hands who hurriedly gathered at the alarm of fire.
The loss of the contents of the house is covered by insurance.
Mr. Sames was sent for at once and he arrived home a short time after the accident. He is heart-broken over the sad occurrence.
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.
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.
[Welland Tribune, 18 December 1872]
Misfortunes, it is said, seldom comes singly, and, in accordance with the time-worn proverb, we have again to record the visitation of our town by another serious conflagration. This time it is the Tremont House, a large frame hotel nearly new, situate on Main street, between the canals owned by Mr. Henry Minnis and occupied by Mr. Henry Wilkerson, that has become food for the flames. The conflagration took place yesterday, (Tuesday) commencing about 10 o’clock in the forenoon, the ignition taking place from the kitchen chimney, which is supposed to have been defective. The alarm was at once given and our townspeople responded nobly to the call but the fire having got a good start between the walls and over the ceilings before being discovered, were unable to save the building. Some of Mr. Wilkinson’s furniture and fixtures were got out, though mostly in a damaged condition. Morwood’s bakery, adjoining, was most unexpectedly saved by dint of hard, brave work. It was, at one time, however, thought impossible to save the building, and it was in consequence completely gutted and had the street front taken out. The total loss will probably be about $4,000-$3,500 for the Tremont and contents, and $400 damage to the bakery and Morwood’s stock. The hotel building was insured for $2,000 and Mr. Wilkinson’s furniture for $1,000. We have been unable to ascertain whether the bakery was insured or not. The $1,000 insurance was in the AEtna Company. Mr. Goodwillie’s shop, and buildings south of the hotel were saved with much difficulty. We regret to have it to say that some of the property was rescued from the flames but to fall into the hands of thieves; we hope, however, that the wretches who were mean enough to steal under the circumstances will be caught and punished as severely as the law will warrant. Before ending our report we must not omit to pay a tribute to those who so nobly showed their bravery and good will by endangering their limbs and lives in fighting the flames. We don’t believe better work was ever done in this respect with the inadequate appliances at hand.
Alderman Brittin and Dawdy Secured Permission From Government
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 21 April 1921]
During their recent trip to Ottawa on the deputation for Hydro, Aldermen Brittin and Dawdy took advantage of the occasion to try to secure permission from the Government to lease the property on the west side of the canal, to enable them to enlarge the present west side Fire Hall, to make it possible to accommodate the team which is at present stationed on Cross Street, in the old Fire Hall.
The permission for the lease was in the city just twenty-four hours after the request was made to the authority.
The building will probably be enlarged at once and the horses and wagon be removed to this fine position across the canal where they will not be interfered with in case of fire by passing boats, when the bridge is swung.
Occupants Were Absent at The Time and Cause of Fire is Unknown
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 3 May 1921]
A two storey frame house on Dain Avenue, Maple Leaf Park, in Crowland Township, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. T. Putshire, was razed to the ground by fire art an early hour on Friday morning.
Mr Puthsire is a night employee of the Electro Metals and had gone to his work as usual. Mrs. Putshire was in Welland visiting friends. Neighbors who live in the vicinity of the house state that they had seen Mrs. Putshire going down town in the early evening. Nobody was in the house at the time of the fire.
About 2.45 on Friday morning the Crowland Police station received a telephone call notifying them that a house on Dain Avenue was in flames. The Crowland Fire department made a quick response and after putting up a stiff fight for two hours, were unable to save the building.
The cause is unknown, and the Fire Department can give no clue to what would have caused the fire.
Solomon David’s Property With Four Tenancies Destroyed
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 22 February 1921]
Quite a serious fire occurred in Crowland township in the early hour of yesterday morning, when what is known as the old cheese factory, occupied by Solomon David, was completely destroyed by the conflagration.
About a quarter to three yesterday morning a local doctor returning from a call reported to the Crowland police that he had seen a blaze on Ontario Road a short distance away. The Crowland fire department made an immediate response, but upon arrival found that the fire had secured a good start. Good work was done by the department, but they were unable to save the building.
Solomon David, the owner, who lives in the rear of the building, together with his wife and three children, was asleep at the time, and were not aroused until the arrival of the fire department, thus having a very narrow escape.
The property had been rented out to different parties, who controlled a pool room, restaurant, grocery store and barber shop, and nothing of these four stores remain now except the burned ruins.
[The Welland Tribune and telegraph, 10 February 1921]
About eight o’clock on Tuesday evening, the Fire Department received a call to attend a fire at the High School. The fire was caused by defective wiring under the class room used for Domestic Science Instructor. Very little damage was done, and the blaze extinguished with the use of the chemical apparatus. The fire broke out while the Industrial evening classes were in progress, and with the halls filled with smoke caused no little anxiety.