Park Commission Means Business-Work to be Gone on With at Once-Improvements Outlined
[Welland Tribune, 26 April 1910]
Welland’s new park commission are an energetic body.
They organized on Friday night, and on Saturday they were all out on the park site, looking it over and discussing as to the best action to be taken.
If the park is to become one in reality this summer, Mr. Plumb of Brown’s Nurseries says the trees and shrubs must be planted within two weeks.
The commissioners on Saturday found there was considerable yet to do in getting the site ready.
Mr. Beatty, who had looked the site over previously, pointed out the defects.
The southeastern portion of the site in front of Magistrate Burgar’s residence is too low and will have to be filled in, and then there are considerable hog’s backs which will have to be taken off the centre. There is a lot of earth away up at the far south end of the site, which, with what is scraped off the centre, will about do this, and the cost will run about $250 to $300.
The council will be asked to extend the sidewalk on the west side of Muir street all along the park, and the Bell Telephone company will be requested to remove a number of poles which are in the way.
The planting will cost three or four hundred dollars, and altogether the park commission may require a thousand or twelve hundred dollars this year.
The result will be an oasis right in the heart of busy Welland, and as nice a park as one could want.
Some other spots about town, such as the foot of Hellems avenue on the river, will be looked into by the commissioners.
Watch Welland grow beautiful.
[Welland Telegraph, 10 September 1910]
With the growth of the town, it is interesting to note the desire on the part of the citizens to improve the grounds surrounding their residences. Until recently the great majority of the people have planted out a shrub, or a tree or two, in a haphazard way, and as long as they had plenty of shade, no thought was given as to the varieties selected. This has changed. With the large nurseries located nearby, people are bestowing more thought as to the varieties of trees and shrubs planted. This is as it should be. There is as much taste and thought to be used in planting the grounds surrounding a residence as in planning the house itself.
Brown Brothers of Browns Nurseries have anticipated the demand for ornamental stock and have a complete assortment of all trees, shrubs and perennials such as can be grown in this district. You can drive out some day and see their stock, or phone them for a copy of “Beautiful Landscapes Quickly Produced.” Brown Brothers have in their employ a competent landscape engineer and are making a specialty of laying out parks, cemeteries, school grounds, public and private grounds of all kinds. If you are going to do any extensive planting, it will cost you nothing extra to have the work properly done. Call up this firm through the Ridgeville exchange. They will be glad to make suggestions or have their landscape architect call personally.
[People's Press, 10 May 1910]
Total Loss Between Two and Three Thousand-There Was Insurance
A bake shop and barn belonging to M.E. Schooley and a barn of Robert Doan’s were totally destroyed by fire at an early hour on Monday morning. The location of these buildings was on Randolph street, Ward II.
About 3.30 on Monday morning Mr. Schooley awoke and noticed the reflection of a blaze in a mirror in his room. He got up and found his bake shop, which was next door, was on fire, the blaze coming out of the roof.
An alarm was quickly turned in and fifteen minutes later three streams were playing on the flames.
In the meantime one of Mr. Schooley’s men had got the garden hose out and Mr. Schooley himself was up on the balcony of his house with the hose preventing it from catching fire. The heat broke the windows of Mr. Schooley’s house and scorched the top of the sewing machine inside the house.
It was impossible, however, to save the bake shop or either of the two barns.
Mr. Schooley values the bake shop at $450 and says there was $800 or $900 worth of contents, such as flour, sugars, oven, pans etc., and 530 loaves of bread, and about $16 worth of cakes. Mr. Schooley values the burned barn and shed at $500 and contents including hay, rigs, sleighs, etc., at $150. He had $1000 insurance on the shop and contents and $500 insurance on the barn and contents. Two horses in the barn were rescued.
Mr. Doan considers his loss between $1200 and $1500. He rescued two horses from the barn, but about $300 worth second-hand stoves was destroyed along with other contents. The house was damaged extensively, especially the roof, which caught fire. The one side was affected by the flames and the plaster also.
The barn and contents were insured for $950.
A shed belonging to Geo. Noxel was destroyed and Charles Blackwell’s house scorched.
Mr. Schooley has no idea how the fire started. His employees had finished their work in the shop at twelve o’clock. Mr. Schooley is undecided whether to continue in business or not, but in the meantime has made arrangements with G.T. Wright to supply his customers until further notice.
Fire: 9 May 1910
McAlpine Home Destroyed and Chief Jones Finds Remains in Debris-Loss $6,000 and no Insurance-Mrs. McAlpine Seriously Ill From the Shock.
[Welland Telegraph, 26 April 1910]
A human life was the sacrifice given for an old valise at the fire which destroyed the home of A.J. McAlpine on the River Road at half-past three yesterday morning.
Mrs. Sarah Haun, an inmate, was warned to hurry out of the building which was enveloped in flames. She said she would go back for her valise. A few minutes later her son, a lad of fifteen, said to Jacob Wise, one of the earliest arrivals at the fire, “My mother is up there,” and he pointed to an upstairs window.
Mr. Wise called for a ladder and stove in the window with a board. The flames shot out making entry absolutely impossible.
The charred remains were found by Chief Jones yesterday forenoon, the victim having evidently been caught in the hallway. Read the rest of this entry »
Woman Was Burned Alive at Welland
McAlpine Homestead Burned in the Night Time
[People's Press, 26 April 1910]
Mrs. Sarah Haun was burned alive, and her remains were found in the cellar where they had fallen. Her death was the human toll collected by the fire fiend.
It happened in the early hours of Monday morning when the McAlpine homestead on the river road went up in flames.
At the cry of alarm Mr. McAlpine got up, and found the back part of the house in flames. His wife lay very ill in bed, but his granddaughter arose.
They called to Mrs. Haun to get out while there was yet time. They went in her room and begged her to come before it was too late, but it was in vain. Mrs. Haun would not leave till she was dressed, and even then, with a lamp in her hand, she started across the hall to another room in which she had left her hand satchel. The flames were raging fiercely in the stairway and she was overcome, and her remains were not found until late in the morning.
It was a little after three o’clock when the family discovered their house was on fire. The fire was so far advanced that there was but little time to do anything. The girls, Minnie and Blanche, daughters of Bruce McAlpine, but who were staying at their grandfathers, were forced to get out in their night clothing, shoeless and stockingless, and Mrs. McAlpine, who was in feeble health, was wrapped in a blanket and taken to a neighbors. Gordon Haun, aged 14, escaped safely. It was he who alarmed the household.
Ormond Gilchriese was the first to see the fire from his residence on East Main street, about 3.15, and, while Doug Payne telephoned in the alarm, Ormond hastened to the scene of conflagration. The McAlpine girls told him Mrs. Haun was inside, and he tried to get in, but the flames made it impossible. He carried Mrs. McAlpine down to Mrs. Fischer’s and returned.
The night operator at the central station received the message of fire and telephoned to Dr. Colbeck’s office, as no answer came from the town hall. Dr. Colbeck got out and rang the bell about 3.20 or 3.25 until Officer Laing arrived.
The firemen got to the scene as quickly as possible with the aid of Chet. Tufts’ team, and it required the hose from two carts to reach from the hydrant on Burgar street to the blaze, the building being in the outskirts of the town.
Sparks were flying as far as the registry office, and it is fortunate the night was wet and not very windy.
The building was a frame one and, although old, Mr. McAlpine had put some $1200 worth of improvements upon it recently. There was no insurance on the house or contents and very little of the latter were saved. Among the losses was a valuable piano.
An inquest was held in the town hall on Monday afternoon, when the jury returned a verdict that Mrs. Haun was burned to death owing to her own negligence in not making her escape when she was told to.
Mrs. Sarah Haun, the victim, of the fire, was a widow, aged between 55 years and 60 years. She had been at Upper’s hotel, Allanburg, off and on for about 18 months, and left about three weeks ago to go to Mr. McAlpine’s where her son worked. She originally came from Stevensville. She was not considered of very bright intellect. She worked for Jno. Webber near Port Robinson, at one time.
Fire: 25 April 1910
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