02314—THE LONDON FREE PRES5, Saturday, August 30, 1952
Vividscri u i
'.'Ca, ro°i In Eady
fine hundred years ago Ingersoll
was Incorporated as .a village —
00 years ago it ,was a flourishing.
.townwith a population of 2,766,
nearly. double that of 10 years
earlier — 80 years ago catastrophe
struck the thriving community,
Details of the holocaust which
wiped out most of the ,business
section of Ingersoll about May 8,
.3.872 are :given In a clipping from
The News of May 10 in that year.
The loss exceeded $300,000 as fire
destroyed practically the entire
block bounded by King, Oxford,
Charles and Thames streets. In
addition - to the heavy damage to
property two persons lost their
lives in the flames.
Hn Headlines
The News headlines read:
"Great Fire in Ingersoll"
"TV`O LIVES LOST"
"IMMENSE LOSS"
"The Business Part of the Town
M
e�3 —
s
Of Fatal '1872 Ingersoll Fir
Paper; Great Area WipqdOull
fa'e Y `—
Once Church, Escape�rYngersoll Firl
$1,000; Masonic Hall, loss $1,0,
insured for $500; Perkins Eata'l
loss $3,000, insured io $2$2,200.
Buildings owned by C. K Chs
wick, loss $4,000, insured $1,51
Occupied by Brewett and Bark,
hardware,,. loss $9,000, insured f
$3,000; N. D, Bank, loss $1,400;
E, Chadwick, as dwelling, loss ,
orniture $1,400; insured for $1,40
andL. J. Chadwick, who lost all.
Brick building owned by Jol
Boles, lose $4,500, insured for $2,5,
Occupied as follows:
Dry Goods
O'Connor, dry goods, le
$2,300, Insured. for $1,000; J. a
H L'ttle, grocers, loss $3,000, i
sured for $1,400; Odd Fellows' HP
loss $800, insured for $400; A. G
din, clothier, loss $1,400, ni sur
for $1,000, 1
Buildings owned by G. W. Wt:0
ley and occupied by him as cro,
ery store, loss $7,500, insured 1
$3,000 on stock and building. S,
In:.,.,a:•.--.m�,rr..c.zaaan;;,s",aia..u*.,s;•..,"...zas;,+".�a
�,i -2,s;
ta,,,.i'u,.::;.:ea r 3"�mr,.,: amk ...,:_ and storey occupied by J. n
"ASHES"
This building, one of those in Ingersoll still standing after
the disastrous fire of 1872, Cam as law office, and th
"FULL PARTICULARS"
was originally the community's Roman Catholic Church.
storey m Good Templar's-hall, 7
The first Catholic Church in
Blasts Council'
G. T.'s loss $350 and Mr. A
Cause of the fire was given as
Ingersoll, it was listed in a directory of 1862 and stood originally
with the end towards' Caughey $600.
Pncendiarism but tile story says
the It now houses apartments. Many Ingersoll buildings
were lost in the Chronicle office building a
,nothing about arresting anyone for,
street.
great contents, loss $8,000, insured I
the crime. However, The News!
fire which is described on this page.
$3,200. Third Storey ocupied by f
strongly criticizes the town coun-
- _
Young Men's Christian Assuciati,
cil in terms which newspapers to-
-
- loss $130.
' day would never do, having regard
were ca riled three and four miles foundry, and almost a stranger
eon. Our niggardliness and care-loss
to pos-sible libel suits.
distance, and in no part Of the here. We understand that he was
owned by �G. Lev
lessness have resulted in loss of ._
But the old clipping tells the
town east of Thames street were a hard skilled worker at fires, and
human life, and loss $1,000, insured for $465. Oc,
poverty the
story e completely and :with embel-
the buildings safe. Almost every that at the last meeting of one of
'
town. Where on Tuesday afternoon pied by Mrs, rt milline
er
loss $500, insured for Me
]ishmenta which do not appear.in
housetop was necessarily kept the fire companies, he was pro-
were rows of handsome business �, grocery, loss $800, Ins lnaured
modern news writing. It follows:
swept and dampened. The people posed as a member; Although not
houses, now there is chaos. On $500.
-
worked nobly in carrying out exactly a firemen, he wore and
Tuesday afternoon there were those
Newspaper Account
goods from the stores on the west died in the harness. He was with
amongst us who were doing pros- Curtis' Shoe Store, stock save
On Tuesday evening, at 8 o'clock
side of Thames street, but placing several others, all of whom it is
perous businesses and were in easy Morrey� & Barker's furnitr
there commenced a fire in the
them on the opposite side of the feared had not escaped, in Fawke's
circumstances, but who, today, are w eai• -coma, loss $3,000, insured
stables in the -rear of the Royal
street, they were almost entirely building at the .time a brick wall
poor indeed. On Tuesday after- $1,000.
Exchange Hotel, which afterwards
destroyed by the flames which fell on the roof partly covering him
noon there were two hale, hearty Building owned by Mr. Wat
proved to be the most destructive
crossed the street, The contents in. Every effort was made to save
men with us who are notl with us worth, loss $1,000, no insuran
that has ever taken place in any
.of the Chronicle office were nearly him but without avail. '
now, and we believe these things Occupied as follows: Byrne & T
town in Canada. A majority of
all destroyed In .this way- Council Censured
would not be recorded today, had
Gelrick, saddlers, loss $700, insu
le have no hesitation in
the people
supporting the idea that the ter-
Double Fatality
In the face of the great destruc-
proper attention been paid towards for $70$700; Miss Webster, millin
the safety of the town and Its
- rible destruction of life and prop-
. Although the loss of property tion of property, which has corn-
loss $100, no insurance. F. G. Lf .
people. We have had a lesson —let
erty-has been caused by an in.
has been terrible, and very hard for pletely destroyed Thames street, a
us profit by it. loss $1,000, insured for $800. ;
cendiary. The idea is especially
the sufferers to bear, ,the regret street second to none, in appear-
Destroyed M. B. Holeroft, grocery,' .
supported by those living close to
caused by these is nothing com- once, in anyplaceoutside of large
DESTROYED —East aide $2,500, msurance 6,000.
/4 the starting place. The flames
pared with the terrible end of two cities —in the face of the awful
B
'deaths
qP andOx- i
ford street. between King and J. O'Neillgrocer, building a
spread veryquickly and in a very
4 Y. Y
of our citizens, C. C. Payne and which have taken place —is
John Omand. The former a been it possible that the members of the
Charles, south side of Charles be- stock insured for $7,500, loss $2,C
few minutes all the frame buildings
g
Oxford between
Ingersoll for many late council can have quiet con-
a rosy,
tween Thames and Oxford, and Building owned by H. O'Conn
on the east aide of
and h
Years, and has always borne a- sciences. When their neglect to
(nearly) both sides of Thames be- loss $400, Insured for $2,000.
Kin and Charles and on the south
S
re
honorable character. Intimately ac- pay necessary attention to our fire
tween King and Charles. The fol- copied by R_Agur, banker, L
aide of Charles between Oxford
de-
quainted with most people in town brigade has been so plain to every-
lowing are the names of the losers light; W. Harris, boots and she
loss —insured
and Thames,. were completely
before
and county, one, we think not. hope, after
with the nger
and amounts of each person's loss. $2,M� for $3,000.
Strayed, but not, however,
inrcum-
d even
stances of his death, will linger in this severe lesson, even though we
OXFORD STREET-4 buildings
(To Be Continued)
making, great headway amongst
buildings
their memory for all time. In en- do feel poor, that something will
owned by C. P. all, valued at
the line of commencing
deavoring to save the property of be done to prevent a future scene
$1,700, insure Occupied by J.
with the Royal "Exchange Hotel on
others' he' lost his life —an awful of the kind we have been forced to
JA.Qt, Silversmith, lose $200; -13;
the west, aide of Thames street,
sacrifice! He was engaged In get- witness.
MarrfaorIdwelling, loss $400; R
With. the rapidity of lightning the
'in
ting his arms full of goods, and What a different tale we. should
C a ton wagon shop, loss $200;
flames, all the time Increasing
although called to leave the goods have been able to have told today
Mnse Doyle, dwelling, lose $400, no
fury, rolled along the front and
and hurry out, he remained too had we had waterworks! Let us,
insurance. '
rear of the brick buildings on this
long. He. was seen to fall but help have them, and let other towns
Building owned 6y C. E. Chad-
side of the street, and then cross-
could not be sent him. When his have them. We should be sorry to
wick, loss $600. Occupied by Barret
Inge over.'to,;.the,liaa&Ome Stores.
body was recovered, there was hear of any one of our sister towns
and'. Mrs Syith, as dwellings,
on the other side, the whole •Street
scarcely-- anything.' about It that suffering as we now are; 'and -we
whose -losses were 1400 each.,.- -•
became .a perfect sea of Mire,
would make It recognizable, its ap- hope they will study our hard les-
- Prince of Wales:. Hotel, owned by
throwing out a light to be seen In
pearance being so awfully changed. an and be benefitted. Neighbors,
Jas. a loss $1,000, 'in-
all the •- towns for loony miles
John Omand, gate of Brantford, do not keep a "penny wise and
sure for $600. Occupied by J
around, probably as a warning,to
was a young man employed in the pound foolish" set of men in officn
Bowman, loss $600.
the councils and people of those,;
moulding. department - of Noxo 'a to manage, your affairs —take a les-
� �
CHARLES STREET — Frame
places to be prepared in case of
building owned by C. P, Hall, Ian
the appearance of a blaze- than i1
$1,000, insured. Occupied by a,
careless: and unfortunate Ingersoll.
Bowers loss $300; Mr. D'bbs loss
Wired for help
$100; Bridgman, loss, $50; C.Me-
Although the firemen worked as
, $100; ii. Kelsie, $100; Mrs,
hard and willingly as any men on
-THAMES
the face of the earth could, they
WEST SIDE OF
were awfully unequal to the coca-
STREET —Royal Exchange Hotel,
sio n, on account of the want of
and four other buildings, owned
sufficient quantity and good quali-
by John Walsh, loss $8,000, no in.
ty of hose. The firemen mid citi-
surann. ,
Tens were all becoming exhausted
Other Buildings
in their to all appearance useless
efforts, and the mayor telegraphed ',
Buildings occupjed as follows:
F.. 1__ nn W—d.f n4 f— "v-:
'14otel-by
Air. Arles (moved 1n