Humberstone News
[Welland Tribune, 8 December 1910]
T.E. Reeb & Sons will not rebuild their burned machine shop and foundry in Humberstone. They will build in Port Colborne, however, if the village will grant certain concessions. One of the chief inducements to move to Port Colborne was to secure fire protection. Had Port Colborne and Humberstone united and the waterworks been extended to this place, there is no doubt they would have remained here. If it is supposed that the proposed village will install a waterworks plant, it will be found a surprisingly expensive undertaking, while the only cost of joining with Port’s system would be for piping, saving the cost of pumping plant, stand pipe and running expenses. The only logical and business proposition is a union of the two municipalities.
Fenwick News
[Welland Tribune, 7 September 1900]
On Saturday, Sept. 1st, Richard Dawdy of Fenwick reached the 78th anniversary of his birthday. Unannounced his relatives and friends to the number of one hundred gathered at his home to do him honor and wish him many happy returns of the day. In the happy company were residents of the counties of Welland and Lincoln and the cities of Hamilton, Toronto, Erie, Pa., and Chicago. Tables were spread and bountifully laden with the contents of many baskets. All sat down, and in joyous mood ate and drank together until the company was called to order by Rev. George E. Honey, Mr. Dowdy’s pastor, who, in a few appropriate words, presented the guest of this day with an old gentleman’s staff, the gift of his sons, Joseph and Harley; also a purse of money, the gift of his brothers and friends. This kindness so touched him that when he arose to thank the friends he was hardly able to speak. After dinner there was a general good time in conversation, songs, recitations and instrumental music. The first item of the programme, conversation, gained the active participation of the whole company. The other parts were rendered very acceptably by Wesley Dawdy, Harmon and Chauncey Dawdy’s families and Mr. Tritton.
When the time came to separate all said, “We have had an enjoyable day!”
[Welland Tribune, 7 October 1892]
The Toronto Chemical Company’s smelting works will positively be located here. That is a settled fact, and work will at once be begun to erect the necessary furnace, sulphuric chambers, etc. The new process by which the nickel ore will be treated has been experimented upon and found successful, and it now remains to be seen if the same success will attend smelting on a large scale. A thorough trial will be given, and if it pans out as its projectors believe it will, it will be a grand thing for the village of Port Colborne. We fervently hope that the results will exceed the most sanguine expectations of the company. In addition to the Messrs. Richardson and English of Toronto, who have been the most energetic pushers in this undertaking, the Messrs. Shepard (of the Toronto opera house and of the Georgian Bay Lumber company), Scott and others have an interest. The only local man who has taken stock in the enterprise is D. McGillivray of the Provincial Natural Gas company who believes the chances are good enough to warrant him in putting a good enough sum of money in it. The furnace, sulphuric chambers, etc., will cost considerable money, but the buildings will not be very extensive until success is assured. The factory will probably be located next to the Erie Glass company’s works. The capital stock of the Toronto Chemical company is $100,000, and it will cost in the neighborhood of $20,000 to give the smelting works a fair chance to prove whether or not they can be made to pay. Port Colborne may well congratulate itself on the new acquisition to her hive of industries.
[Welland Tribune, 4 September 1900]
The Hamilton Herald says:-
A Welland paper says that the Cataract Power company is attempting to buy out the company which proposes to develop electric power by conveying the water of the Welland River to heights near Jordan. The primary object of this company is to develop power for transmission to Toronto; but as Hamilton would be in the line of land transmission, and as power could be transmitted to Hamilton at less cost than to Toronto , the company, would of course,, be a formidable rival of the Cataract power company.
We do not know how much truth there is in the statement of the Welland paper; but if it is true, there is no doubt that the object of the Cataract people is to choke off competition –in short, to clinch its monopoly. They have no cause to embrace the Welland-Jordan enterprise in order to acquire another source of power. By tapping the Chippawa river at their present source of water supply they can get water enough to yield them 50,000 horse power in addition to what they now have.
If they can get control of this rival enterprise, they will be fortunate indeed, for they will have command of the electrical situation in Toronto, as well as in Hamilton-or at least until the Niagara Falls power becomes a factor in competition.
[Welland Tribune, 4 September 1900]
The Welland High School opens today with the following highly qualified teaching staff-
- H.M. McCuaig, principal, classics
- James McNiece, mathematics
- Miss Laven, moderns
- Miss Foster, commercial work.
In this school is taught every grade of high school work, including senior leaving (or first class) work.
The large number of successful candidates at the late examinations, from the Welland High School, places this institution ahead of all other high schools in the Niagara district, and the results of the past year’s work were equal, if not better, than at the Niagara Falls Collegiate Institute.
The progressive board of trustees are doing everything in their power to still further “advance” the standing of the school.
During the holiday season just closed, several hundred dollars were expended on the building. Metal ceilings have been placed on the three class-rooms and vestibule of the second storey; all of different and very neat designs and painted white. The walls throughout have been painted a gray shade, and the woodwork an olive green. A convenient vestibule has been partitioned off from the main hall, and in the partition are placed large double-swing spring-hinged doors finished in natural wood.
Besides these, minor repairs and changes have been made.
Every room in the building now presents an appearance of cleanliness that will be an incentive to the students to work with neatness and despatch.
The board is to be complimented on their economic arrangements which have enabled them to make these improvements without requiring an increased appropriation.
East Main St. Will be Reached by End of this Week.
[People’s Press, 17 October 1911]
Providing the weather permits during this week, the work on the street railway, will round the corner of East Main street. Only three weeks have expired since the operations were started, and the work has already reached the Methodist church on Muir street.
Between the M.C.R. and Beatty’s crossing, the track is laid and the road has been levelled up. The rails and ties are laid down as far as Griffith street, and with the exception of a short section at the turn in the road at Beatty’s crossing, where the curved rails are being placed, the road is being put back into condition for driving.
Over sixty men are on the working force. Rainy weather is the only thing that can delay the progress, and if that does not occur the expectation of having cars running on the road within thirty days will be possible.
[Welland Tribune, 31 August 1900]
An interesting bicycle race took place on East Main street last Friday afternoon between High Constable Dowd and C.J. Page of the Electric Light Co. Mr. Dowd being a guardian of the law, it might be said just here that the rate of speed attained did not violate the statute against furious speeding. Page spurted and had a good lead at the half, but getting winded and finding Dowd fast overhauling him on the straight stretch, slid off his wheel and shoved the vehicle in the direct line of Dowd’s route. The chief saw the dodge when several rods fell off, but whilst he rides well in a straight line, he has not learned to turn yet-at least not in less than a five acre lot-and so the inevitable crash occurred, the contestants and their wheel s performing some ground and lofty tumbling. Friends interfered and prevented the chief from getting vengeance, and put an end to a pretty scrap. Undertaker Cronmiller saw the contestants start off, and having an eye to business put a couple of coffins in a rig and started to follow, but fortunately the affair ended without any fatalities, and, like John Gilpin, When next they ride a race, may we be there to see.
Wainfleet News
[Welland Tribune, 25 February 1910]
When Mrs. Wesley Ellsworth struck a match to light a fire in the back kitchen store on Saturday something happened. It was an explosion, and the building shook as the stove blew to pieces and bricks tumbled down off the chimney. It seems the stove had not been used this winter and the gas was leaking, unbeknown to Mrs. Ellsworth, so that when she struck the match the fireworks commenced. No person was hurt. The Ellsworths live on the Forks Road about a mile from Marshville.
The Wreck at Lewiston Will be Replaced by the Upper Suspension Bridge for Electric Cars-To Make a Complete Belt
[Welland Tribune, 4 June 1897]
Niagara Falls, May 27-Though it has been quite generally known for a long time that the days of the upper suspension bridge, which spans the gorge near Prospect Park and is used for carriages and foot passengers, were numbered, and that the bridge company had even gone so far as to build the massive foundations of masonry for a proposed new steel arch bridge to replace it, there was considerable surprise here today when it leaked out that the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge company’s officers were holding a secret session at the Hotel Lafayette at the Canadian end of the bridge, and were opening bids for the construction of the proposed steel arch.
At the meeting were representatives of the various bridge building companies, and among them were those from the Buffalo Bridge & Iron Works and the Pennsylvania Steel Company, the latter concern being the builders of the arch bridge, now nearing completion that replaces the old railway suspension bridge at the north end.
Four weeks ago the company’s officers quietly called for bids for the construction of the new bridge, for which plans had been drawn some time ago, and the date fixed for opening the bids were at that time fixed on Thursday, May 27, at the Lafayette hotel. The officers met at 11 o’clock this morning and continued in session for several hours, going over details carefully and adjourning only for a brief period for luncheon.
When one of them was asked for the result of the meeting he answered that the contract would not be awarded today, and then gave the reason for keeping the matter quiet by saying: “It was known that the building of a new bridge on the plans prepared would involve a large expenditure of money and it was the fear that the bids would all be too high to warrant the company is going ahead with the project that made it desirable to keep the matter quiet for the present.”
From the remarks of the Bridge Company officials after the morning session, however, it is reasonably certain that the figures submitted will be very satisfactory and that it was practically certain the work would be proceeded with.
In regard to the proposed new bridge, much has already published, and from the plans it is certain that the structure will be a magnificent one. It will be built on different lines from the arch bridge for the Railway Suspension Bridge Company, in that the arch will be built on the parabolic principle, and the structure will undoubtedly be one of the greatest engineering feats of the year.
Under the provisions of the contract the new bridge must be completed by April 1, 1898, and this appears to be taken as an indication that the actual construction will begin early in the fall, though the first of it will not interfere with the traffic of the present bridge to any serious extent.
When the new bridge is completed many changes will take place in its vicinity on both sides, which will be necessary to meet the larger demand upon it.
The plans provide for a double track electric railroad, and ample room for a carriageway and also for foot passengers. The trolley track will, it is said, connect the trolley railroads on both sides of the river and an interchangeable service will be inaugurated that will mean much for tourists as well as for the community here.
The sole object of this enterprise is to connect the Gorge railroad and the Canadian Park and River railroad at Lewiston and again here at the new arch bridge, forming a belt a electric cars that will carry passengers along the top of the gorge on the Canadian side and along the bottom of the gorge on the American side.
It is understood that the new bridge will be built on a higher grade than the present structure and thus avoid the steep decent now necessary to reach the entrance from the river way in front of Prospect park.
[Welland Tribune, 6 July 1900]
The petition for the amalgamation of Humberstone and Port Colborne was ready for circulation on Wednesday. From the map attached we learn that about 500 acres will be taken into Port Colborne. Just what proceedings will be necessary to incorporate that amount of land into Port Colborne has not been decided, but it can certainly be done by getting a special act granting permission from the legislature. The petition will be circulated immediately.
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