Fire: House on Division St.

[Welland Telegraph, 15 December 1885]

A little before five o’clock on Wednesday morning, a fire was discovered in the house on Division St., owned and occupied by Mr. G.C. Campbell, barber. Mr. Campbell had barely time to get his wife and four little children out before the whole building was completely enveloped in flames.

The house was a frame one, very dry, and burned with almost incredible rapidity. Luckily the wind was blowing from the west and the lot to the east being vacant, the fire was confined to the one building. On account of the wind, partly we suppose, the alarm bell was scarcely two blocks distant from the fire hall, and many who heard it thought it was simply the six o’clock bell ringing. There was some delay in getting up steam on the engine, but under the circumstances it would not have availed much towards saving the house, had the engine been there and ready almost as soon as the fire was discovered.

Mr. Campbell is known as a hard working and thrifty citizen and many are the expressions of sympathy with him in his loss, and the destruction of the comfortable home he had made for himself by his own industry. The origin of the fire at present is unknown. We understand there was an insurance of $400 in the Norwich Union, on the furniture and $500 in the Northern Co., on the building.

CHRISTMAS

[Welland Telegraph, 18 December 1885]

Christmas, the feast of peace and good will, will soon be upon us, and one week from to-day we shall be participating in the usual festivities pertaining to the day which we celebrate.  Re-unions of families and friends will take place, and glad tidings of joy and good will, will prevail in almost every home throughout the length and breadth of our fair land. Santa Claus will as usual be busily employed in distributing his wares and filling the stockings of the rising generation whose hearts will abound with joy, and will be made glad from his annual visit.

Presents will be made and received by old folks as well as the young, each and everyone striving to out-do the other, and to add joy and happiness to the poor as well as the rich. To know what to buy, and where to buy, and what to give oftentimes puzzles one, and many an anxious thought is given as to what article would be the most suitable for a present. To overcome all these difficulties, we would advise each and everyone to read carefully the advertisements which appear in to-day’s TELEGRAPH and our Christmas number. Almost everything that is useful and suitable for a Christmas present can be had from our advertisers. Some are announcing goods bought especially for holiday presents, some are making known the arrivals of new, fresh goods for the Christmas plum pudding, whilst a number are informing the public where the best meats and poultry can be had for the Christmas dinner. As we have neither time nor space to give each of our enterprising merchants an extended notice of what they keep, we would ask our thousands of readers to look carefully over the advertisements, and go and buy of those who are not afraid to tell you through the columns of a newspaper what they keep in stock, and that they are selling at low prices.