Things
looked rather blue in Canada in the year 1857. The financial panic in the
United States reached over the borders, and was just as devastating in its
effects here as there. Men stood at the street corners with hands in their
pockets. Labor was scarce, both for the expert mechanic and for the man with
pick and shovel. It was drawing in toward the Queen’s birthday, and Hamilton
wanted to do its share in celebrating the anniversary in its usual loyal manner.
A public meeting was called to consider the question of ways and means, as on
account of the poverty of the city treasury, the council did not feel equal to
voting an appropriation. Committees were appointed to solicit funds, but
decided to do nothing. A resolution was passed at the mass meeting calling upon
the council to appropriate sufficient means to defray expenses, but that body
only gave $200 to the firemen. Nothing was given to the military, and this
created considerable ill-feeling. The only reason the firemen were so fortunate
as to be recognized was that arrangements had been made for a visiting company
from Buffalo, and the council thought it would hardly be the thing to have the
firemen go down in their pockets to provide entertainment for a foreign company
that was to be the guest of the city as well of the department. Dr. Ryall was a
member of the City council, and he and Dodger Gray, who was also an alderman, had
locked horns when the appropriation was up for discussion. Ald. Law had presented
a motion to devote $600 to the celebration, $200 of which was to go to the fire
department and the balance to be expended by a committee of citizens and the
council. Ald. Gray wanted control of the extra $400, and this Dr. Ryall wisely
opposed, and the council finally voted against it, giving only $200 to the
firemen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, Hamilton had a right royal
celebration after all. The volunteer military companies mustered about three
hundred men, and the firemen had between 500 and 600 in uniform, including the
company from Buffalo. Major Booker was in command of the military. Capt.
Glassco had charge of the artillery, Captains Gray and McDonald of the two
rifle companies and Captain Ryckman of the cavalry. The Highlanders wore the
kilts and were the principal attraction of the military parade. The several
companies, with the firemen, formed in the Court house square at half-past ten
o’clock and marched out to what is now Victoria park, the Buffalo firemen
arriving in the meantime. At the park, the military were reviewed by Major
Booker, and at noon the royal salute of twenty-ne guns was fired by the artillery,
and between each seven guns, the rifles fired a volley. After the usual honors
were paid, the military went through a manual of arms and skirmishing. A man
named Hunter, a member of Captain McDonald’s company, was accidentally wounded
in the muscular part of his thigh by the premature discharge of a rifle in the
rear ranks. Hunter was comforted by the surgeon pronouncing the wound not
dangerous, and the hope held out to him that he would not be confined to his
home more than three or four weeks. Some of the same boys learned actual war
four or five years later, for many of them went across the border and enlisted
in the United States army during the civil war. A slight wound like Hunter
received was considered merely in the light of a few days’ release from the firing
line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Buffalo firemen brought with them
their engine and a fine band. Hamilton had only the artillery band in those
days, with Bandmaster Grossman as leader. In the afternoon, the fire department
had a competitive trial of fire engines, and our Hamilton boys were highly
elated at their success in “washing” the Buffalo engine. In the evening, the
firemen paraded with torches, and the day closed with a fine display of
fireworks. The $200 the city gave was but a small part of the expenses of the
firemen, and each company made up the deficit out of the pockets of the
members. During the day, a handsome banner was presented to No. 5 company.
Dodger Gray entertained his rifle company at dinner at Buscombe’s saloon in the
evening.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There were a number of excursions by
steamboat and railway from the city, the largest number going to Niagara Falls.
A few went to Toronto, and some to Lake Simcoe. The Victoria ferry boat made
hourly trips to and from the beach, and was well-patronized. The only accident
recorded was Mr. Harvey, of the firm of Young & Harvey, getting a bath by
falling overboard from the Victoria. Being a good swimmer, he was able to keep
himself on the surface till help reached him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The house of F. W. Gates of this city
was entered on Tuesday night, while he was absent in Toronto. The burglars
wrenched the lock off the door without awaking any of the family, and carried
away some valuable plate and other articles. This occurred forty-six years ago
last Tuesday night. A few weeks later a man named George Thomson was arrested in
Toronto with a large quantity of melted silver in his possession. Thomson was
committed for trial at the next assizes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
About midnight, Nov. 19, 1856, a
stable belonging to John Burke, on Mary street, in the alley in the rear of Dr.
O’Reilly’s residence, was set on fire, and as there was difficulty in getting
water for the engines, the fire extended to Dr. O’Reilly’s stable, and both
were destroyed. Burke lost a horse as well as his barn. Dr. O’Reilly did not
escape so lightly. That night, Mrs. O’Reilly gave a large party, to which the elite
of Hamilton was invited. The doctor’s house stood on the corner of Mary and
King streets, which was transformed a couple of years ago into a store. There
was not room enough in the house for the furniture and the guests, so it was
decreed that the furniture be put out in the stable. Sir Allan Macnab and many
of the old families of the town were present, and in those days, age and youth
enjoyed the merry dance. The motto of the guests was : “On with the dance, let
joy be unconfined,” when the fire bells clanged the midnight alarm, and the
engines and firemen were on hand, even before the guests realized that the fire
was in the same lot with them. It was a motley sight, firemen in uniform and
young fellows in swallow-tail coats and white chokers – they hadn’t got to the
white neck tie then – hard at work trying to save a portion of the furniture
that was in the barn. Herbert Jarvis, a son of Judge O’Reilly, was injured
while getting out the horses. A deal of the furniture was saved from the fire,
but was badly damaged in the handling of it. After the fire, which lasted not
more than half an hour, the guests resumed their dancing and feasting, and it
was not till nearly daylight that they circled around and sang Auld Lang Syne.
How many of those who were guests that night at Dr. O’Reilly’s hospitable home
are still living? Of more than 300 that responded to that midnight alarm, it is
doubtful if 20 are living today in Hamilton. Among the veteran firemen who have
recently organized an association for the carnival parade, less than a dozen of
those who were active in the department in 1856 have responded at roll call.
Forty-seven years is a long time to look forward to, yet to the old
firefighters now living who responded to that midnight alarm it seems but as
last night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The property owners of Hamilton were
prompt in recognizing the services of the fire department, and very often their
complimentary letters contained bank checks that were highly appreciated; not
that any of the money went to the firemen individually, the donations being
saved for hiring bands for public parades and for entertaining visiting
companies from other cities, those visits being frequent from Rochester and
Buffalo. Dr. Edward O’Reilly has in an old letter book a copy of a letter sent
by his father to Chief Sawyer, in which was enclosed a check for $20, of which
the following is a copy:
Hamilton.
Nov. 22, 1856.
George O’Reilly, M.D. : I beg to
acknowledge the receipt of your note, enclosing a check for 5 pounds, in aid of
the Hamilton fire brigade, for your very generous donation, and for the very
complimentary manner in which you have been pleased to allude to their
services; and I hope that my fellow firemen will always conduct themselves in
such a manner as to merit the appropriation and confidence of their fellow
citizens.
Yours, etc.
SAM. F. SAWYER
Chief Engineer, H. F. B.
The reminiscence of a fire that
occurred nearly 47 years ago is suggested by the finding of a horse spanner
that was lost on the night, and has lately been resurrected while excavating
for the new belting factory building on the site where stood the barn. That
rusty spanner recalls the days when Sawyer and Hoodless and Eastwood, Campbell,
Ben Harte, Joe Kneeshaw and Hugh Boyd, Blachford, James Reid, Tom Bain and Dick
Buscombe were active leaders among the old fire fighters. Only three of those
named are living Campbell, Boyd and Kneeshaw. The writer was in command of No.
2 the night of Dr. O’Reilly’s fire, and Kneeshaw was the second officer. What
changes have taken place in Hamilton since those days. Probably among the old
boys who will come back in August to visit “Home, Sweet Home,” may be some who
wore the red shirt away back in the fifties.
No comments:
Post a Comment