[Welland Telegraph, 12 January 1912]
Every city has slums. Nor are some of the smaller places to be out done in this respect. For a town the size of Welland to have a section in which the people are crowded into houses almost like cattle, however, would seem almost beyond belief, but it is nevertheless a fact.
Several reporters accompanied one of the local police officers through two foreign boarding houses in search of a man wanted for stabbing on Thursday night.
The conditions in these two houses were surprising. In several of the small rooms at least three or four beds with two men in each were found. The bed-clothing was dirty, and the rooms close and filled with the smell of tobacco smoke and of filth. Some of the occupants, from appearances, had not used soap and water, or had their clothing changed in at least a year.
One of the boarding houses consisted of nothing but bedrooms with the exception of one room which was reserved for cooking and eating. The smell outside of the house was equally as bad as inside and the interior walls were covered with filth.
There should be a regulation prohibiting such a large number of people from sleeping in one room and the effect on the health of the inmates cannot help but be disastrous, weakening their vitality.
One sad feature was that in one of the houses a bright-eyed little girl was numbered among the occupants. In time the environments to which she is subjected would have anything but the desired effect while proper surroundings would help to make her a better Canadian woman.
Either the Board of Health or Council might well investigate.
Bell Telephone Company to Inaugurate Central Energy
New Office Ready for Occupancy-More Underground Wires to be Laid.
[Welland Telegraph, 27 February 1912]
After Wednesday morning there will be no ringing of the telephone bell when you call central. The necessary lifting of the receiver from the hook to the ear is all that will be required to get a response, or the purpose of calling your number.
Manager Douglass, whose zealous efforts have resulted in securing for Welland the modern central energy system, may now enjoy the fruition of his labors. On Wednesday the changes from the old office on North Main Street to the new one on Division Street, and from the old ring system to the new central energy system will be made. It had been intended to make this change on Saturday, but several unlooked for difficulties made it impossible.
The central energy system is a vast improvement over the one formerly in use. It is not only handier for the subscriber, but it is easier for the central girls to operate. It makes a quicker answer to a call possible and makes it unnecessary for central to cut in on the line to to find out if you secured your party or whether you have finished your conversation.
The switchboards are multiple and duplicated four times. In this manner each operator can reach any number without duplication or without the assistance of another operator.
A call is recorded by the flashing of a small light and when the party called answers, another small electric light is lighted. These burn automatically until the phone is out of use, when both lights extinguish themselves.
The Bell Telephone Company have decided to insist upon numbers only being given when asking for calls. The name of the party desired will not do. “We want to give a good fast service and to do so we must insist that numbers be given,” said Manager Douglass on Friday.
The switchboard in the new office is larger and more readily accessible than the former switchboard. There will be four separate long distance positions. Party lines are designated by opals and the wall rings are the same as in the former system.
The new office is a model. It is located in part of the Burgar block on Division Street. The entrance is into a large general room containing a number of booths for long distance or local calls. Opening off of this is the manager’s private office, and in the next room the switchboards are located. In the rear of this is the room where the wires come in and are divided. In the basement is the storage battery system capable of developing 220 volts. There are 24 volts on the wires when in service. Power is secured from the Welland Electrical Company, and there is a storage system capable of carrying enough electricity for twenty-four hours. The electrical system is a very complete and perfect one.
There are in all ten central operators, a chief operator and a supervisor.
The Bell Telephone Company, who last year took the initiative and began burying its wires, intends this year to further carry on this system of underground laying. At the present time Welland has a larger proportion of its telephone wires underground than any other town in Canada.
Frank Carrocci Having Plans Prepared for Building on Muir Street.
[Welland Telegraph, 22 March 1912]
Frank Carrocci, the well-known Italian merchant, has purchased a lot on the corner of Muir and Crowland Streets and is having plans prepared for the erection of a two storey business block, with basement.
Work on the erection of the building will likely be commenced within a month. There will be two stores on the first floor and the building will have a frontage of about forty feet.
Mr. Carrocci owns two business blocks on Muir Street and this will make the third.
The plans are being prepared by T. L. Nichols.
Have Perfected Their Invention and Will Sell Their Productions to a Local Theatre-
Only Machine of its Kind in Canada
[Welland Telegraph, 12 March 1912]
Two local boys who are of an inventive turn of mind, have invested, constructed and about perfected what is probably the only machine in Canada used for taking of moving pictures, with the exception of course, of those owned by big moving picture companies.
These boys-Arthur Cox and Gordon Kappler-are both still under fifteen years of age and the story of their work in building this very wonderful machine shows that they have a remarkable amount of perseverance for youths of that age.
Began Last November
They first got the idea, or rather the notion, to build the machine last November. An outline of the necessary requirements they found in a popular magazine and following the suggestions made, began work.
However, the scheme didn’t work as well as they hoped and their first attempt ended in a failure. Then they decided to try out an idea of their own so they set about to make another machine. Since that time they have been at work on the latter and a few days ago took their first picture.
The Machine
The contrivance fits into a wooden box six and a half inches wide, twenty inches high and sixteen inches long, with a small recess projecting on the top for the film. The only tools used in its construction were a hammer and a saw. The lens was secured from a local photographer, the gears and several other small appliances from two local factories. The total cost did not exceed twelve dollars.
First Pictures
Last Thursday afternoon they made their initial experiment taking as their subject a number of skaters at the Cordage open air rink. Being the first attempt something was certain to go wrong but even at that the experiment was really successful. Thirteen feet of film worked and pictures taken on this strip but at this point one side of the film caught and tore. The other thirteen feet developed fairly well but the lens was not set exactly correct to secure a perfect picture.
Will Be Shown Here
The film is very expensive and to meet this the youthful inventors have made arrangements with a local moving picture theatre within a short time, but have not yet selected their subject.
The pictures are taken by the turning of a handle on the side of the machine which rapidly opens and abuts the camera and at the same time pulls the film over the lens. Two films are required in the perfection of the work. Sixteen pictures are taken every second requiring one foot of film a second.
The machines such as are used by the big picture companies cost about ten thousand dollars.
Drowning Woman Rescued From Canal
Rescuer Had Difficulty in Getting Out of the Water Owing to the Ice
[Welland Telegraph, 12 March 1912]
David H. Herdman, grocer, Dain City, on Friday certainly earned for himself the right to a Carnegie medal in saving the life of Mrs. Hennessey. This lady had gone down to the canal to draw a pail of water when the ice gave way and she was plunged in the cold current.
Herdman heard her screams and rushed out, taking a rope with him. He jumped into the canal and placed the rope around her body. A number had gathered, and with some difficulty succeeded in pulling her out. Herdman himself was rescued with some difficulty for he could not get out of the ice. He was finally brought to shore by means of a rope.
Mrs. Henessey, who had been in the water for some time, and who had floated for a considerable distance down stream, was nearly gone when she was brought to land. Artificial respiration was administered by workers at the canal side and Doctor Colbeck was summoned from Welland. Many people say that Mr. Herdman was one of the bravest ever recorded in this county.
A FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
[Welland Telegraph, 27 February 1912]
Welland was not in any actual need of further demonstration of the necessity of a fire alarm system, but nevertheless such a demonstration was given at an early hour on Thursday morning, when the Lambert house took fire on Griffith Street and was destroyed.
Chief Stapf was the first to see the fire, and he at once telephoned to central to communicate the alarm to the town hall, and have the bell rung. Notwithstanding this, he was able to dress, get to the town hall and ring the alarm himself before the message had been put in operation.
Some day the country village system of raising a fire alarm will result in serious disaster.
Bell Telephone Will Mark Occupancy of New Office on Saturday with Inauguration of Central Energy.
[Welland Telegraph, 23 February 1912]
The death knoll to the old ring system of calling central on the telephone has been sounded in Welland. The familiar ding-a-ling will be a thing of the past after next Saturday for the Bell Telephone Company will move into its new office on Division Street on that date and this will mark the inauguration of the central energy system.
When this system is in operation all that will be necessary in calling central will be the removal of the receiver from the hook on which it rests and the “hello” from central will immediately (?) follow.
Workmen have been engaged for some time in installing the new system, which is a very intricate one and which is being put in at a much larger expense than the present one.
[Welland Telegraph, 2 April 1912]
Baltimore, Md., March 26-Extracting part of the brain of an ill man and replacing it with that taken from a still-born infant, was the operation recently performed at John Hopkins Hospital by Dr. Harvey Cushing. It is said to be the first operation of its kind ever performed and it is thought it will be successful, for the man is still living. The patient is William Buckner, a real estate dealer of Cincinnati, Ohio, 48 years old. Coming to the hospital on November 23, he was treated for several months before the operation was attempted.
He had suffered for some time from a peculiar affliction of the brain, which caused him to be continually drowsy.
The Drexel People Have Taken Over the Opera House
[Welland Tribune, 28 March 1912]
Theatrical matters are having quite a shaking up in the theatre this week but we are still to retain the service of the three play houses.
John Green of Galt, who has been managing the Family Theatre in the opera house, has not received the support he expected on coming to Welland, and has decided to retire from the business here. He has decided to give up the theatre at the end of next week, and the Drexel people, who have managed the Drexel theatre so successfully and given the public such unbounded satisfaction for the past two years, have leased the opera house theatre and will open it immediately on Mr. Green’s retirement.
It will not be called the Family Theatre any more, but will have a new name, and will have a strictly up-to-date, refined and attractive programme, consisting of the best motion pictures produced and the best possible vaudeville acts that can be obtained.
One seldom steps into the Drexel without seeing something good, and the public have so much confidence in the management of Messrs. Clarke that we predict a successful season for them in their double venture.
Million Dollar Blast Furnace to be Built This Year
G.T.R. To Build Extensive Yards-Vote Almost Unanimous
[Welland Tribune, 28 March 1912]
Port Colborne proved itself yesterday to be in the front ranks of the progressive towns of Ontario, by passing practically unanimously two important bylaws, with the largest vote ever polled in the town. A whirlwind campaign was carried on, and non-resident voters from far and near were there.
The vote on the Canadian Furnace Co. bylaw was 323 for and 1 against.
For the G.T.R. bylaw the vote was 322 for and 2 against.
The number of votes needed to carry the bylaws was 208.
The furnace company will build a million dollar blast furnace and ore docks and expects to be making iron by December next. The Government will deepen the harbor to 25 feet for the largest lake boats to reach the steel company’s docks. The furnace will employ at the start from 150 to 200 men, and the annual pay roll will be about $150,000.00. This plant will be greatly enlarged later on by the addition of more furnaces. The bylaw fixes the assessment of the company at $50,000.00 for 20 years. No other concessions were asked.
The Grand Trunk bylaw fixes its assessment of the company at $10,000 for 20 years and permits the company to close up certain streets by giving other streets in lieu thereof. The railway will build very extensive yards at Port Colborne, and it is reported on good authority that their plans go even much further than that. It is said Port will be made a distributing point for the entire district and that round houses and repair shops will be built. The company also agrees to build a depot and freight shed. It is likely the G.T.R. will make large expenditures on these improvements.
The blast furnaces will bring other industries to Port Colborne, two or three at least in the near future. This is Port’s growing time. Watch the town for the next year or two.
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