Worst Storm in Years Sweeping Over Welland
[Welland Telegraph, 23 February 1912]
A real live blizzard, the worst this winter, was raging in Welland on Wednesday and Thursday, and up to Thursday noon had not subsided. Snow drifts are piled everywhere and some of the streets are almost blocked with drifts.
A great deal of snow fell and the strong wind whirled it in every direction. At times it was almost impossible to be out of doors, the whirling snow filling one’s eyes and the wind almost taking away one’s breath.
All railways were badly affected by the storm. On all the lines the trains were late and on several the service was completely tied up. There were no trains running on the T.H.&B on Thursday morning, and on Wednesday night the mail from Toronto did not come in.
The snow shovel has regained its prominence.
(T.L. NICHOLS, ARCHITECT)
[Welland Tribune, 28 March 1912]
The above sketch hows how the Welland County Industrial Home will look when it is rebuilt, according to the plans of Architect Nichols. Several contractors are figuring on the job, and the tenders must be in by the middle of next week.
The original building ended with the projecting walls and towers on each side. It will therefore be seen that a substantial addition has been put on each side.
The new section includes basement and two floors. In order to make the building much more safe in case of fire, all the basement work up to and including floors of the porches on either end are to be constructed of solid concrete.
In the basement on the south there will be two cells, store room, cold storage for vegetables and apples. On the north there will be the septic tank.
The ground floor on the south will contain the old men’s bedroom, men’s bathroom, and in the front the doctor’s office and private bath. On the north the ground floor will contain the women’s bedroom and bath in the rear, and in the front the rooms for the hired help, and baths.
The second floor will contain men’s sleeping rooms and toilet and the front bedrooms on the south, and the north addition will contain the women’s sleeping rooms and toilet and two front bedrooms.
City Engineer Prepares Plans and Estimate
[Welland Telegraph, 9 February 1912]
City Engineer Black has prepared plans of the paving of East Main and Muir Streets from the M.C.R. and the G.T.R. He has also made an estimate of the cost of such and improvement. This report will be presented to the council tonight and how it will be received a great deal depends.
The engineer refused to state just how much the work will cost, but it is learned that it will not greatly exceed Ald. Burgar’s estimate of $100,000.
Big Extension to be Made to Plant of Canada Steel Foundries-
Crowland School Board Agrees to Sell Site Adjoining Plant for $3,000
[Welland Telegraph, 9 February 1912]
The action of a meeting of the ratepayers of the school section in Crowland, adjoining Welland, on Monday night to sell the present school site to the Canada Steel Foundries for $3,000, will in all likelihood result in the erection in Welland early next spring of a blast furnace to cost $1,500,000 and to employ one thousand men.
B.J. McCormick, in addressing the gathering, stated that he wished to buy the property on which the school is located for the Canadian Steel Foundries who were making arrangements to erect a blast furnace in either Welland or Montreal next spring. The company were not particular whether they built in Welland or not, and would not do so unless given a square deal by the ratepayers. They had purchased all the territory between their plant and the canal with the exception of the school and another small tract.
Mr. McCormick showed where Welland had lost thirteen industries last year through other towns offering them a bonus. This company would put up a plant to employ one thousand men, and Welland should not lose it through a hold-up on the part of the people of the school section. They asked for no bonus and the school taxes alone from the new plant in one year would amount to $4500.
Mr. McCormick explained with figures just what a wonderful advancement Welland had experienced from the factories it secured.
Several ratepayers then advocated extending the glad hand to the industry and a motion was moved and passed that the school site be sold for $3000 on the understanding that it be used for manufacturing purposes.
E. Wade and Elias Baker advocated giving the company the property if they would put up such an industry.
The question of a new site was then discussed by the ratepayers. An offer was made from the Welland South Company of a free site in their subdivision, but the offer was not accepted.
Another meeting will be held to consider the erection of a new school.
NICHOLSON , ARCHITECT, ST. CATHARINES
[People’s Press, 13 February 1912]
The above is the front elevation of the new Henrietta Hotel, which is to be erected in Welland this spring. The hotel will cost about $200,000 and will be modern in all its appointments. The contracts for the erection of the building will be let in few weeks, possibly at an earlier date.
The officers of the company are-President, Wellington Downing, Erie, Pa., vice-president, C.J. Laughlin, jr., Welland; treasurer, G.C. Moore, Welland.
The design above submitted was prepared by A.E. Nicholson, St. Catharines.
Five stories and basement
117 bedrooms
Dining room 34×80 feet
Rotunda 38×92 feet
Ball room 34×80 feet
These are a few of the outstanding features gleaned from the plans of the Henrietta Hotel to be erected in Welland this year. The plans are on exhibit in the window of the Laughlin Realty Company, Limited, and are well worth the inspection of the citizens of Welland, for the structure to be built should be not only be one of the greatest boons, but also one of the most effective advertisements that Welland will have.
A photograph of the stately front appears above, and will at once appeal to the lover of beauty in architecture. There is an aristocratic air to the building that stamps it as an institution of the highest class, which it will be. The cost is estimated at from $125,000 to $150,000, and the furnishings will bring the total up to $200,000.
The front as shown in the photo is 100 feet wide and the height of the building from the street line to the peak of the tower is about 125 feet. The depth of the building in 133 ft. Just grasp these dimensions and get an idea of the size of the new hotel.
The beauty of the design will be enhanced by the materials used in the construction. The entire structure is to be built of white terra cotta, the most beautiful of all modern building materials and thoroughly in keeping with the style of the building. The roof will be tiled, completing a rich and harmonious combination.
The Henrietta Hotel will be by all odds the finest and most beautiful building in Welland.
There are five balconies for the second floor at the front, one side and rear, and balconies are provided for the third and fourth floors at the rear also. The porte cochere is shown at the extreme right side of the picture.
The entrance in the centre leads directly to the magnificent rotunda 38×92 feet, which occupies the centre of the first floor. This is roofed with glass and above it is the open court, the floors above being built around it. The entrance at the left of the picture leads to the bar-room, which is 16×42, and in the rear of that are smoking rooms, etc. The ladies entrance at the opposite side, where the fair sex are provided with a parlor on the first floor. In the rear of this is the spacious dining room 30×80 feet. The ladies are also provided with a reception room, nursery and music room on the second floor.
No feature is omitted, for in the basement is a splendid ball room 34×80 feet, with dressing rooms, billiard room etc., in connection. In the basement is also located the kitchen, beer and wine cellars, servants’ hall and dining room, cold storage and other rooms.
Two elevators are provided, one for the employees and one for the guests.
There are 117 bedrooms, all with running hot and and cold water, and a large proportion with baths in connection. Provision is also made to throw rooms en suite. The open court in the centre of the building makes all the bedrooms outside rooms. All floors are liberally equipped with toilets and baths.
The accommodations of the modern hotel to cater to the wants of those seeking luxury, to facilitate the transaction of business by the man of the world, in fact to provide for every possible whim or desire of its guests, are all to be found in the Henrietta Hotel.
The officers of the Henrietta Hotel Co. are: President, Wellington Downing of Erie, Pa.; vice-president, C.J. Laughlin, jr.; secretary-treasurer, G.S. Moore; directors, above officers, with A.M. Moseley and G.W. Sutherland.
There is somewhat of a story in connection with the establishment of the big hotel in Welland. To a certain extent the institution is intended as a memorial to Mr. Downing’s mother, whose name was Henrietta. Mr. Downing is furnishing the capital with which to finance the proposition. Some time ago he built a splendid hotel at Erie, called the Gerome, which was named after his father.
A LAUGHLIN PROJECT
The Henrietta Hotel can really be termed another Laughlin project. It was owing to the fact that Mr. Downing is a close personal friend of C.J. Laughlin that induced the former to consider Welland as the site for the Henrietta Hotel.
It is a very evident fact that Providence conferred a great favor on Welland when Mr. Laughlin was guided this way, for, in addition to the project described the street railway which he has promoted will supply another of the greatest needs of our young city. This railway company is known as the Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway Company. Its officers and directors are: Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P. Of Guelph, Ontario, president; Mr. C.J. Laughlin, jr., Welland, vice-president and managing director; H. Rooke of Toronto, Ontario, secretary-treasurer. Directors-W.W. Near, president of Page-Hersey Iron Tube & Lead Co., Toronto; W.W. Butler, vice-president of Canadian Car & Foundries, Ltd., Montreal; H. Rooke, secretary-treasurer of Page-Hersey Iron Tube & Lead Co., Toronto, Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P., and C.J. Laughlin, jr. It is the intention of the company to compete the entire line as soon as weather permits.
Mr. C.J. Laughlin has also organized the Laughlin Realty, Limited, with a capital of $100,000.00, which company has purchased five large blocks of land in, and adjacent to, the town. Great judgment was exercised in purchasing these different properties, as they are among some of the best buildings in and around Welland. The officers and directors of the Laughlin Realty, Limited, are: C.J. Laughlin, jr., president; Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P., vice-president, and H. Rooke, secretary-treasurer. Directors-W.W. Near, Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P., and C.J. Laughlin, jr. These are practically the same men owning and controlling the Niagara, Welland & Lake Erie Railway Company. The Laughlin Realty Co. has opened a Toronto branch at 32 Adelaide St.
Mr. Laughlin’s chief business has been the conducting of large real estate sales in all parts of the States, and in every case the investors have made splendid profits. A big sale was put on at Dunkirk, just across Lake Erie, and the lots have doubled and trebled in value since Mr. Laughlin’s disposed of them.
In his wide acquaintance Mr. Laughlin has been closely associated with many prominent business and financial men, and Welland may look forward to profiting still further from this connection, as Mr. Laughlin, after having a choice of many of the best centres on the continent, has decided to make his permanent home here. His opinion of Welland is expressed as follows-
“From the date of my first visit to the town I was greatly impressed with the transportation facilities, cheap power, natural gas, excellent water supply, and its general geographical position. There is also a live and hustling community of business men, which means a great deal to a town. I have interests in many towns of greater size than Welland, but cannot think of one that possesses the combined business facilities that you have here. Realizing that the next twenty-five to fifty years growth belongs to Canada, I decided that Welland afforded the best opportunity for business of any kind, in fact, better than any other city of town in the Dominion. I believe that Welland, inside of five years, will more than triple its population.”
Contract for New Building to be Let Soon
[Welland Telegraph, 9 February, 1912]
While the company will not make a direct statement regarding the matter, it is learned that the site for the new Henrietta Hotel Company has been selected.
“We will let the contracts for the erection of the building within a short time and work will be started early next spring,” said C.J. Laughlin to The Telegraph on Thursday.
Plans for the building are now completed and on exhibition in the company’s office.
[Welland Tribune, 8 February 1912]
Mr. C.J. Laughlin has received the plans of the new Henrietta hotel from the St. Catharines architect and has them displayed in the Laughlin Realty Co’s window. The proposed building will be something after the style of the Chateau Laurier of Ottawa in it exterior design, having two towers on the front corners. Its interior arrangement is elegant. No town of this size in Canada will be able to boast of a finer hostelry when the new building is finished.
The hotel will cost about $200,000 and will be modern in all its appointments. The contracts for the erection of the building will be let in a few weeks, possibly at an earlier date.
The officers of the company are-President, Wellington Downing, Erie, Pa.; vice-president, C.J. Laughlin, jr., Welland; treasurer, G.C. Moore, Welland.
The design above submitted was prepared by A.E. Nicholson, St. Catharines.
Wellanders Hail the New Era With Delight
Street Railway Co. Waiting for Town to Commence Paving
The Henrietta Hotel Project
[People’s Press, 26 March 1912]
The first completed section of the Niagara, Welland & Lake Erie Railway was put in operation on Saturday and the people of the town were not only satisfied but delighted with the whole equipment.
The cars are modern, being fitted with electric heaters, cane seats and 50 h.p. motors & c. The road is well built and withstood the winter in perfect condition. The road was constructed by Mr. Hendrick Leitch, who is not only a contractor but a qualified civil engineer, and therefore able to combine both theory and practice. Mr. Leitch was chief engineer on the construction of the Ann Arbor and Southern Railway.
Pending the issuing of the Railway Commission certificate, the cars have been running on a half hour schedule and carrying all passengers free since Friday, with the result that the road has been well tested, the cars on many trips carrying nearly a hundred, although the seating capacity of each is only 32. Our citizens are certainly getting the trolley habit fast, and there is no doubt that the enterprise is the most popular one in the history of Welland.
The power house is located at the Page-Hersey works, and the generator has a capacity of 2,800 k.w., which will be sufficient to supply the extensions contemplated for the immediate future.
In the matter of paving the streets the Railway Company is already ahead of the town, and has received several carloads of heavy oak ties to be used in construction of the line in the pavement. Regular eight inch paving nails will be used and the present track will be lifted up in sections and transferred to the south end to be used in the extension to Industrial Park and Dain City.
When the excavation is made for the pavement the present track will be shifted to one side and the new line laid without interfering with the service on the track.
The progressive enterprise of the Laughlin Realty Company has certainly surpassed the most sanguine expectations of even Welland’s optimists, and although they have been handicapped by some pretty stiff opposition at times, we hope they will remember that the rapid rate of progress with which they have been pushing improvements would be sure to meet with a great deal of opposition in any locality where their progressive methods were not understood, or perhaps misunderstood.
Mr. C.J. Laughlin’s personal interest in the town alone ought to satisfy any skeptics of his bona fide intentions. Although he repeatedly refuses to give any information concerning his properties and operations in other localities, it is known that he holds many valuable concessions in several parts of America, but that he favors Welland in which to build a permanent residence for himself, because it has a progressive spirit, wonderful opportunities and the necessary natural elements for the making of a beautiful city.
The Henrietta Hotel project, which might be considered almost as a philanthropic one on account of our comparatively small population, is nevertheless a bona fide scheme, but there are so many property owners throwing cold water on the scheme by wandering the whole earth for every foot of ground that the company consider suitable for the purpose, that we could not blame Mr. Downing a bit of it he became disgusted and builds one at Port Colborne or Niagara Falls instead. Over $500 has already been spent in preparing the original plans and other preliminaries, yet probably nine persons out of ten believe Mr. Downing is just throwing around a few hundreds of dollars for nothing. Did you ever see a wealthy man throw away $500 for nothing?
Mr. Downing is expected in town again in a day or two, and it seems to us that the people of Welland, the town council and the board of trade, ought to wake up and take it upon themselves to see that a suitable site is offered at a reasonable price.
A hotel such as it is proposed to erect will not be seen in any city in America with ten times the population, and we venture to say that if Andrew Carnegie offered to build us a $200,000 library we wouldn’t waste much time in presenting him with a site if it cost $25,000.
With paved streets, electric railway, and a luxurious hotel, Welland would indeed be a place to be proud of.
Don’t “Watch Welland Grow,” that slogan is for the outsiders, but get busy and “Help Welland Grow.”- This is the proper slogan for the people of Welland.
INSPECTION
The Government inspector is expected here to inspect the road this morning, and the cars will immediately thereafter commence running on schedule time.
TOOK COUNCIL FOR A TRIP
On Monday at noon Mr. Laughlin took Mayor Sutherland and the members of the town council for a trip over the road. He pointed out the up-to-date characteristics of the cars, and explained his intentions concerning the future service.
Every member of the party expressed satisfaction with the line and was evidently proud of the distinction given the town by the road.
From Port Colborne East Along Lake Shore
Application Made to Cross Canal at Killaly Street
[Peoples Press, 26 March 1912]
Port Colborne, March 25- It is learned here that the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto electric railway has made application to the government for the right to build a bridge across the canal at Killaly street. With this privilege secured the railway will be in a position to carry out the extension of its line from Port Colborne east along the lake shore to Crystal Beach and Fort Erie, and it is believed that the line will be built at least as far as Crystal Beach this year.
It was at first intended that the trolley should cross the canal at its present Port Colborne terminus-Charlotte street-but these plans had to be changed on account of the Grand Trunk’s intention to build extensive yards on the east side, which the trolley would be unable to cross.
The proposed bridge places the trolley in a position to compete for the freight business of the steel plant and other industries to locate on the east side. It is also reported that the C.P.R. will build a branch line from Welland to Port Colborne, and will use the bridge with the trolley to reach the east side of Port Colborne.
With the trolley running to the east side, the railway facilities of Port Colborne will be greatly improved, and residents of the east side see in it an opportunity for a trolley service that will be a great advantage to them.
Developments are coming in rapid succession in Port Colborne at the present time.
Wrecks House and Seriously Injures Oswald Hickey
Lights Match in Gas Filled Room-Burned Man May Recover-Wife’s Hands and Hair Burned-$1200 Damage Done-House Insured for $1000
[People’s Press, 16 January 1912]
WRECKED BY GAS EXPLOSION
The above is from the photo of the house at 410 Division street, Welland, which was wrecked by a gas explosion on Sunday morning, Jan. 14th., and as result of which Oswald Hickey died on Friday morning last. The house is one of those owned by the Cozy Homes Co.
Oswald Hickey is so badly burnt that the chances of his recovery are considered about even, and his wife’s hands are painfully burned and her hair nearly all burned off, as the result of an explosion of gas, which occurred at Cosy Homes, 410 East Division St. (Welland) at 3 o’clock on Sunday morning. The explosion was caused by the lighting of a match in a room which was filled with gas.
A small gas heater had been left burning in the hallway which adjoins all the rooms in the upstairs of the house. It is believed that the pressure became so low during the night that the fire went out and later the gas came on at full pressure again, filling the four rooms of the upstairs. Either that or the changes in the pressure of gas dislocated the rubber hose used to feed the stove.
At three o’clock Hickey arose to light the gas beneath the tank in the bath room, and when he struck the match a tremendous explosion occurred. He was thrown against the ceiling and fell in the bath tub. A second elapsed before another blast sounded in the bedroom next to the bathroom, in which Mrs. Hickey was lying in bed. She was thrown from her bed half-way through the open doorway of the bathroom.
The first blow-up took the roof off the front part of the house, and the second blew the east side completely out of the building, threw half the roof over onto the next house where it hung, and bulged the back and west sides of the building out of place so they are leaning ready to fall at any moment.
Fire broke out immediately and Hickey shouted to his wife to leave the house, following close behind her. He ran a hundred feet from the house and then lay down and rolled in the snow to put out the fire which was burning his night dress. Naked and burned from head to foot he reached the boiler room of the Supreme Heating Co. His wife ran to the home of Mr. Joseph Hickey, Oswald Hickey;s brother, at James Blackwell’s, on East Main street, where the injured man was taken 30 minutes later.
In the meantime Stanley Howick, who lives next door, and three young men named Walker, had reached the scene and removed nearly all the furniture before the fire spoilt it. An alarm was sent in to the fire department and in short time the crew was on the job. Difficulties were thick in the path of the fighters though; the hydrant in front of the house was frozen up, and when water was secured from another the nozzle of the hose was choked with ice. Quick work was done by the department in putting out the flames. The verandah is unscorched and little of the interior of the house is injured by fire, but it so ripped apart by the explosion that the entire house will have to be rebuilt.
Two doctors were called to care for the wounded man and woman and after soothing the pain and mending the injuries as far as possible, they declared that Mr. Hickey has a good chance of recovery. Danger of complications setting in is all that they fear. Mrs. Hickey is only burnt on the hands and bruised by being thrown by the explosion. Her hair is also destroyed for the present. Mr. Hickey is burnt almost all over his body, very deeply in some places. His eyes he is unable to open yet.
About $150 worth of clothing and furniture was lost in the fire. The house, which is owned by The Cozy Homes Co., was valued at $1000, and was insured for that amount.
On Monday noon Mr. Hickey was resting comfortably. The physician’s report of his condition was very favorable. The burns were showing signs of quick recovery.
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