The Books we have Lost--"The Lost Arts"--The Libraries of St. John
which were Burned--The Pictures which were Lost--The Few that were
Saved--A Talk about Books and Pictures--The Future--What St. John
men must Do--Acknowledgments--Conclusion of the Story of the Fire.
It is only when we come to look around us that we can discover how much
we have lost. In one's lifetime a thousand little things are gathered
and put away, and we find ourselves turning to them every now and then.
Money cannot supply these. Many of them are endeared to us through
association. Some are the gifts of friends who have since passed away,
never to return, and others again came into our possession in various
ways. We may supply, with a portion of our insurance money, a few books,
copies of the ones which we have lost, but these will not be the same.
They will not be our copies. We love to read our own books. No Suckling
can be the same as the one we lost the other day. It was not a rich
copy, but it was a whole-souled, generous old fashioned volume, full of
the old Knights daintiest bits of melody. We used to love to linger over
the little age-stained page, and recover lines we had lost. And dear old
Shenstone, too, is gone. We can easily get another Shenstone, but it
won't seem at all like the old copy. In our own books we know just where
to find what we want, and new copies never seem the same. And then there
are books we like to take up now and then, just to fill in the odd
moments of our lives; books of engravings and the like, and volumes of
_Punch_, and great volumes of cartoons of say forty and fifty years ago.
These are all gone now and few can be replaced.
What great inroads the fire has caused among our private libraries, what
a wreck it has made of those precious books we all loved so dearly. And
those pamphlets, too, upon which we placed so much value, and the
thousand little odds and ends of literature which we so tenderly
gathered year in and year out. And our scrap-books--great, good-natured
fellows, with broad sides and liberal pages, ready to take in all sorts
of matter. These are no more. And whole hosts of unbound magazines,
which we had tied together, and expected every day to send off to the
binders. These are ashes too. We hesitate before we turn over the books
we rescued from the burning, lest we discover greater losses, and miss
fairer treasures. How many sets of books have been destroyed, how many
massive tomes have been withered by the heat, how many dainty books of
poetry have been swept away!
What lovely companions books are. What glorious friends they make. How
kindly they speak to us and tell us what they think. We read gruff Tom
Carlyle, and pause at his estimate of Cromwell, and hunt through the
histories of England to see what Smollett and Hume have to say about the
same grim protector. We run through a few pages of Taine and discover
how grandly he criticises the masters of English literature, but after
all we go back fondly to our own Arnold, and read what he has to tell us
before we quite make up our mind that the clever Frenchman is right. We
sit at the feet of Holmes and read a chapter or two of his matchless
Autocrat, and then with our mind full of the delicious sweets, we get
down our copy of Hunt and after skimming a page or two of his "Seer,"
dip into the crisp and sparkling pages of Hazlitt's _Round Table_. Ah,
yes! the fire may take all else we have if it will only leave us our
books. True, a man, as the bard hath it--
"May live without books--what is knowledge but grieving?
He may live without hope--what is hope but deceiving?
He may live without love--what is passion but pining?
But where is the man who can live without dining?"
But after all the mind craves as much for food of its kind, as the
stomach does for meats and bread.
Though in St. John we had no public library, there were very many
private collections of books in the city. Some of them were very large
and well-selected. Dr. Wm. Bayard's collection, not one volume of which
was saved, was beyond all question the fullest and ripest medical
library in the Dominion. It was the accumulation of many years. The
collection was begun by his father and added to largely by the Doctor
himself. Some rare medical works, rich in plates, costing as high as L30
sterling each, were to be found here, besides books covering the whole
range of medical thought and practice. The English classics, exhibiting
the very cream of letters, and some fine specimens of modern literature
filled acceptably the doctors shelves. Not a volume was saved. Indeed a
photograph album was the only article rescued from the burning house.
Mr. James R. Ruel, the Collector of Customs had a fine library, rich in
theology and literature of the higher class. Controversial works, books
of science, and the whole range of British Poetry, ever found a welcome
on Mr. Ruel's library table. In the departments of History and Geography
this library was especially rich and full, and every work of character
about the Reformation in England could here be consulted. Mr. Ruel's
reading in this department was extensive, and he made writings of this
kind his especial study. His whole collection, rare and costly as it
was, and representing the labour of many years, perished before a hand
could be raised in its defence. Mr. B. Lester Peters's library showed
great care and culture in its selection. It too was very complete in
History, Biography, Belles-lettres and Theology. Mr. Peters's fine
literary taste served him well in making his collection of books, and
nearly all his volumes displayed wonderful skill in rich bindings. In
old play-wrights, such as Shakespeare, Jonson, Massinger, Beaumont and
Fletcher, and the other famous ones of that glorious age in
literature--The Elizabethan--Mr. Peters's library was ample. Indeed, in
works of this class no finer collection existed in the city. And in
poetry which exhibited the rarest thoughts of the bards, in the works of
such poets as Milton, Chaucer, Spenser, Dryden, Pope and Clough, Mr.
Peters's shelves contained a perfect mine of wealth. His collection of
pamphlets, the labour of thirty years, was unique and full. He had the
whole of the famous Connolly and Wilmot controversy, the scattered
papers of the late Dr. Gray, the Maturin pamphlets, the Colenso
pamphlets, the notes on the Lost Tribes of Israel, and a thousand
others, neatly and carefully put away in cases specially prepared for
them. Those are all gone, and not a fragment remains. The gorgeous
library of John Boyd, Esq., of Queen Square, with its enormous
collection of works belonging to modern literature, its rare list of old
books, its magnificent sets of presentation volumes from the authors,
its numberless volumes that come from the publishers to Mr. Boyd as
gifts, were swept away in an instant. The books in Mr. Boyd's cases were
a reflex of the owner's taste and judgment. He had not a poor book among
the whole. The entire range of English and American essayists, the whole
course of British and American poetry, the cream of historical books,
the ripest thoughts of the philosopher, the most delightful gems of
fiction, the works of the scientists, and the great tomes of biography,
clad in the most luxuriant of luxurious bindings, were the companions of
Mr. Boyd's study. His lectures, common-place books, scrap-books, in fact
everything which he possessed of a literary character were burned. Even
the literary notes which he made from time to time in his record books
during the odd moments of his too unfrequent leisure, and the bits of
criticism on new poems which he occasionally made for future use on the
platform and elsewhere, perished in his desk. His entire intellectual
labour vanished in an hour. Mr. A. L. Palmer's splendid library with his
own valuable annotations, Mr. A. A. Stockton's voluminous and admirable
library, begun by his late uncle, and Mr. Chas. W. Weldon's Law and
general library were destroyed before their owners could save a single
book. The Rev. Dr. Watters's library, so rich in theology and biography,
was burned almost entirely. Lately large additions had been made to this
delightful collection. A good many of the late Judge Chipman's best
books found their way here, and the most of these were lost. Rev. Mr.
Stavely's books were all burned, and not one of Rev. Mr. Carey's fine
collection escaped. Some of his books were very rare and high-priced.
Mr. Robert Britain's books were of general and private interest. The
former embraced almost the whole range of English literature, and the
latter included the best books on chemistry and science. Indeed in books
belonging to the latter class, it will be difficult to find so large a
collection anywhere. Mr. J. D. Underhill possessed a library of rare
beauty and value. It was very large in historical works and the writings
of the principal British, American and French authors. In biography and
fiction of the higher order there was a good supply. Mr. Underhill, for
several years, had been a great book-buyer, and hardly a trunkfull was
saved. For costly books, handsomely bound, no richer collection existed
in St. John than the splendid library of Mr. Fred. R. Fairweather. He
had the entire set of Balzac's works in the original, luxuriously and
massively bound. His Shakespeares, for he had several editions,
copiously illustrated and exquisitely finished, were bound in heavy
antique morocco. His books of plates, his dramatic library, his
collection of plays of the Cumberland edition, his books on costumes
from the time of the Saxons to our own day, represented large value, and
a refined and cultured taste. In dramatic literature alone, Mr.
Fairweather's library was probably the fullest in the Dominion. Indeed
his loss in this department is a positive loss to literature, and a
collection such as he owned can never be again supplied. Many of the
books are out of print, and cannot be purchased to-day at any price. The
books lost in the city, on the day of the fire, will number many
thousands of volumes. No city of the size of St. John could boast of
finer private collections of books, anywhere. It will be many years
before collections as rich, as unique, and as delightful can be procured
again.
In pictures, the loss met with is really irreparable. We had no public
gallery, because our citizens, whose means admitted it, purchased for
the walls of their own houses a charming bit of colour now and then, or
a delicate engraving or a drawing. A few of the masterpieces of the
English and American artists found their way here from time to time, and
in the way of engravings the collection was really quite large. We can
only give a tithe of the pictures lost. Dr. McAvenney possessed a
decided gem in water-colour, by Birket Foster, and a charming landscape
in oil from the brush of Mayner, an Irish artist. The latter was a
twenty pounds' picture, and one of the prizes which came to St. John
last year from the Irish Art Union. It was exceedingly vigorous, and,
though small in size, every detail was perfect. In addition to these,
Dr. McAvenney lost several fine engravings and one or two exquisite
drawings. Dr. Wm. Bayard's loss in pictures is quite large. He owned a
capital landscape, _The Vale of Strathmore_, by John Cairns, of
Edinburgh. This was burned, with some others of lesser note, together
with a good many engravings, chiefly London Art Union subjects. Mr. R.
M. Longmaid lost all but one of his pictures. Some of these were of
great value, and included, among a number of others, _Francis I. and
Henry VIII. on the Field of the Cloth of Gold_, by the late G. F.
Mulvany, R.H.A., and one of Cairns' Scotch subjects, showing a striking
bit of Highland scenery, called _Glen Cairn_. The one picture saved was
a Welsh Landscape, by A. Vickers. This had been lent to a friend in the
upper part of the town, and was accordingly not burned. Mr. Charles
Campbell managed to preserve a number of his pictures; among them the
bold _Coast Scene_, by John Cairns, which will be remembered by many who
saw it as a very striking study. Mr. W. C. Perley, among the very few
articles rescued from his house, saved two very pretty little
landscapes, one an Irish scene and the other a delicious specimen of C.
C. Ward's art. Mr. B. Lester Peters lost nearly all of his engravings,
but succeeded in rescuing a study by F. W. Hulme, and a little gem by A.
Vickers. Hon. George E. King saved a few water colours by eminent
British artists, which he had. Mr. Donald G. MacKenzie, who had
half-a-dozen striking oil paintings, recovered them all a few days
after the fire. Mr. John Sears lost heavily in the Department of Art,
but saved his one great picture, a portrait which is an undoubted
Rubens, and one or two family likenesses. Mr. Stephen J. King, whose
treasures consist in drawings by McKewan, Philps and others, and some
oil-paintings, saved them all. Mr. W. P. Dole lost a pair of very
beautiful water-colour drawings of Canadian scenery, by D. Gale, and
three or four excellent engravings. He was fortunate in saving however,
two charming works by Hulme, two small bits by Vickers, two by G. A.
Williams, one of C. C. Ward's pieces, and one of the late John T.
Stanton's best works. Mr. Stanton was a New Brunswick artist of fine
taste and decided skill. Mr. Dole also saved some of his water-colours,
notably those by Bell Smith and Frantz. The author lost an excellent
drawing illustrating an idea in Thackeray, and a number of clever
caricatures from the pencil of an amateur artist, Mr. Forbes Torrance,
of Como, besides several engravings of merit, and a massive bronze
figure representing Painting. Mr. Henry Vaughan lost his large costly
painting from the John Miller collection, of Liverpool, England. Mr.
James Stewart lost his whole collection of paintings; several of these
were of his own work, while a number were by foreign artists. Mr.
Stewart copied a landscape painting by an English artist which came out
here as a prize, some years ago, and when his work was finished and the
two paintings hung side by side, the owner did not know which was his
own picture. This copy was for some days in Mr. Notman's studio before
the fire, and it is believed that it is lost, as no trace has been had
of it. The reader will see from this scanty enumeration of known losses,
how great has been the destruction in art-treasures alone. We have not
even hinted at the wholesale destruction of bronzes, bas reliefs and
bits of sculpture and statuary. In these departments the loss has been
also very severe. No money can replace these treasures. These were the
things which rendered home bright and happy. It is the love of art and
literature which refines and beautifies mankind. It is the book and the
picture, and the figure of pale marble which rouse a thousand new
delights. They take away the brutal in our nature. They lift us up as it
were. We look around the room and the eye rests on something beautiful.
We feed our tastes. The picture on the wall refines us, the open book
fills the mind with a hundred delicate, footless fancies. We breathe a
new air. The etchings on the table, the portfolio of drawings and the
books of engravings give to our mind a delight as wonderful as it is
delicate and delicious. Can money replace these? Can money buy for us
these pictures and books which have been for so many years our
companions and friends? Can money replace the bronze figure? Can money
bring to us again the portrait of the dear one who lies out there in the
green wood buried? Can money supply us with that precious volume of
poetry which the author gave us just a year before he died? We may make
our homes bright again. We may hang pictures on the walls. We may fill
to the full our book-cases and hanging-shelves once more with the great
things in literature, but our thoughts will wander back to the days
before the fire came and robbed us of all those delights which peopled
and filled our homes. But we must not give way altogether to gloom and
despondency. We must try and forget the past and devote all our
energies, all our brains and skill to the rebuilding of the homes and
workshops which have been scattered to the winds. We must never rest
till the great end is accomplished; we must never cease working. As
Christians, as men, as the proud descendants of a sturdy and stalwart
race, we must show the world that we are not a generation of pigmies,
and that from these very ashes and ruins a brighter, a more glorious and
more prosperous city will arise and resume her old place as the
metropolis of the Lower Provinces.
I have told the story of the great fire in St. John in my own way. I
have tried to do justice to my theme. Like many others I have passed
through the flames, and received as it were my first "baptism of fire."
My book has many imperfections. It was necessary that it should be
hastily prepared. My publishers demanded this, and gave me a fortnight
to write it in. I can therefore claim nothing in favour of the book from
a literary point of view, but this I can claim--the history is reliable
in every particular. Not a statement within its pages was committed to
paper until it was thoroughly and reliably avouched for. I have verified
every word which this volume contains; and while the haste in which it
was prepared precluded my paying much attention to style, the book is a
complete record of the fire as it was, and not as a lively imagination
might like it to be. Before taking leave of my readers, I must publicly
thank Mr. Joseph W. Lawrence for the splendid aid which he gave me in
furnishing the data and historical information about our old churches
and other edifices. I had full access to his records and commonplace
books, and through these means was enabled to verify much that had come
to me in an imperfect condition. To Mr. Gilbert Murdoch, C.E., and Mr.
Wm. Murdoch, C.E., of the Water Works and Sewerage Departments, I must
also return my thanks, for valuable information about the water supply,
for the capital map which accompanies this volume, and for facts
connected with the acreage and streetage of the district burned. General
Warner, Mayor Earle, Mr. A. C. Smith, Mr. John Boyd, Mr. A. P. Rolph,
Mr. Dole, Mr. Hiram Betts, Mr. Elder, Mr. J. L. Stewart, Mr. McDade, Mr.
O'Brien, Mr. Stanley, Mr. G. B. Hegan and others, also largely rendered
me assistance in collecting information, and to these gentlemen I return
my grateful thanks.
The little picture of the ruins, by moonlight, of the Germain street
Baptist Church, was very kindly supplied by Mr. John C. Miles, a St.
John artist of good reputation. I have great pleasure in acknowledging
his politeness here, and at this time.
In conclusion, I might add, that to Mr. E. Lantalum belongs the credit
of sounding the first alarm of our great fire.
ADDITIONAL LIST OF DONATIONS.
MONEY.
A friend $2 00
Ailsa Craig Presbyterian Church, Ont. 18 60
Ayr Knox Church and Sacred Concert 76 00
Allendale, Ont. Methodist Church 6 60
Augusta, Me. 820 40
Barrie, Ont. 166 00
Baltimore, Md. 80 62
Bobcaygeon Orangemen 15 00
Bangor, Me. 5,000 00
Belfast, Ireland L300 Stg
Buffalo, N. Y. $179 83
Chicago Union Stock Yards 105 25
Chippawa, Ont. Trinity Church 38 65
Chicago Apollo Musical Club, Concert 990 75
Chicago, Ill. 2,050 00
Chatham, N. B. 250 00
Capt. Thompson, ss. "Britannia," 500 00
Charlottetown, P. E. I. 500 00
Charlottetown Odd Fellows' Entertainment 208 00
Departmental Clerks, Ottawa 445 53
Edinburgh, Scotland L100 Stg
Ed. L. Evans, Rondeau, Ont. $2 00
E. & J. Burke, Dublin, Ireland 250 00
Fredericton, N. B. 2,000 00
Fergus, Ont. 20 50
Geo. M. Fowler, British Consul, Aenfuegos $100 00
Glasgow, Scotland L1,000 Stg
Great Western Railway Employees $450 00
G. W. Davis, Boston, Mass. 14 11
Galt, Ont., Churches 114 69
Greenville, Nova Scotia 16 00
Huron Co. Council, Ont. 2,000 00
Hayden, Gere & Co., New York 25 00
Hastings Co. Council Ont. 1,000 00
Jacob E. Klotz, Hamburg, Ont. 25 00
Mackenzie, Flatlands, N. B. 2 00
M. McLeod, Cardigan, P. E. I. 18 20
Miss Logan, Orillia, Ont. 10 00
Mansfield, P. E. I. 55 50
New York 2,105 90
Oshawa Benevolent Society 30 00
Petrolia, Penn. 200 00
Presbyterian Churches, Wentworth, N. S. 13 00
Pictou, N. S. 5 00
Portland, Me. 4,500 00
Philadelphia, Penn. 1,109 80
Picton, Ont. 300 00
P. E. I. R. R. Employees 62 45
Stewiacke 40 00
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Chelsea, Mass. 5 00
Springhill Mines, U. S. 18 95
Toronto 400 00
Uxbridge, Ont. 51 40
Victoria Co. Council, Ont. 400 00
Wingham, Ont. 15 50
Woodstock, Ont. Literary Institute 37 25
Waterloo Co. Council, Ont. 1,000 00
Woodstock, N. B. 151 00
Wm. Ingalls, Bolton, England L5 Stg.
Wroxeter and Fardwick Presbyterian Churches $55 24
Windsor, Ont. 500 00
Yorkville, Ont. 300 00
SUPPLIES.
Augusta, Me, clothing.
Brunswick, Me, clothing.
Carter & Co., Elora, Ont., potatoes.
Chicago Union Stock Yards, large quantity supplies.
C. Fawcett, Sackville, N. B., stoves.
D. Fiske, Fredericton, N. B. tracts.
D. G. Smith, Chatham, N. B. clothing.
Isaac M. Bragg, Bangor, Me., clothing.
J. Borland, Bowmanville, stoves.
James Stewart & Co., Hamilton, Ont., stoves.
J. C. Risteen, Fredericton, supplies.
James Hamilton, Port Elgin, potatoes.
J. L. Goodhue, plasterers' hair.
Milwaukee, Wis., supplies.
Montreal, supplies.
Mount Stewart, P. E. I., supplies.
Prof. John Owen, Cambridge, Mass., offers books and magazines
for a library.
Salem, Mass., supplies.
Stewiacke, clothing.
Thurston Hall & Co., Cambridgeport, supplies.
Wm. Openheim & Son, New York, clothing.
ADDENDA.
SUPPLEMENTARY DONATIONS.
MONEY.
Bridgetown, Maine $70 00
Dungannon 29 10
Cornwall, Ontario 300 00
Portsmouth, N. H. 697 00
Salem 70 00
Newfoundland Government 2,000 00
Kingston, N. B. 20 00
Stayner, Ontario 75 00
Detroit, Michigan 427 81
Baden, Ontario 2 00
Stewart Henry, Montreal 25 00
Bear River, Nova Scotia 105 00
Hughes, Thomas, London, England L10 00
St. George's Church, Trenton, Ontario $15 00
St. John County Agricultural Society 400 00
Winnipeg _Free Press_ 53 05
Chesterfield, Ontario, Presbyterian Church 57 00
Bailey & Noyes, Portland, Maine 25 00
Port Hope 8 00
Sydney, C. B. 295 40
Musquodoboit 5 25
Listowel, Ontario 140 35
Coristine, James & Co., Montreal 100 00
" " Employes 71 60
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 100 00
Bark "Cedar Croft," Captain and Crew L5 3 0
Mayor of Brooklyn, New York $50 00
Loeser & Co., Brooklyn, New York 50 00
Winnipeg 300 00
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia 128 25
Norfolk County Council, Ontario 500 00
Ward & Payne, Sheffield, England L10 0 0
Kingston, Ontario $340 00
Oakville Odd Fellows' Open-air Concert 75 00
Victoria, British Columbia 800 00
Caledonia Restaurant, Winnipeg 21 50
Mount Stewart, P. E. I. 25 50
Virginia City, Nevada 250 00
Thomas Frith & Sons, Sheffield, England 250 00
Nellie H. Carleton, St. John, N. B. 3 64
Chicago, Illinois 601 75
Windsor, Nova Scotia 23 00
Attleboro 15 21
Westmoreland and Botsford Parishes, New Brunswick 95 25
J. J. Ronaldson & Sons, Sheffield, England 97 76
Diocese of Huron, Ontario 2,000 00
Toronto "Sons of England," Kent Lodge 30 00
Trenton Concert 61 00
Quebec 4,558 85
Great Western Railroad Employes 300 00
Methodist and Baptist Churches of Caledonia, N. S. 3 37
Sent to G. Sidney Smith, Esq., for distribution,
from Major-General and Mrs. Beauchamp Walker L15 0 0
Mrs. A. G. Foley, Peterboro', Ontario $5 00
Sent to Rev. Dr. Maclise for distribution:--
From Houlton, Maine, by John McMaster 250 05
From Goodwill Church, Montgomery, New York, by
Rev. J. M. Dickson 20 00
Sent to Oddfellows' Fund:--
Lynn, Mass., Providence Lodge 50 07
Clinton, Ontario, Warriner Lodge--Per J. B. King 75 00
Westville, Nova Scotia, Scotia Lodge 50 00
Boston Oddfellows--Per Grand Master Perkins 340 00
Humboldt Bay, Cal., Eureka Lodge 20 00
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Woonsocket Lodge 20 00
Empire Lodge, St. Catharines, Ontario 50 00
Sarnia Lodge, Sarnia, do. 43 00
Cuyahoga Lodge, Cleveland, Ohio 50 00
Romeo Lodge, Stratford 25 00
Monami Lodge, Mechanics' Falls, Maine 25 00
Crystal Wave Lodge, Pugwash, Nova Scotia 11 00
E. Ashley, Wilmot, C. E. 20 00
Engineering Department I. C. Railway 492 67
Locomotive Do 1,281 68
Traffic and other Do 347 70
J. S. Fry & Son, Bristol, England L10 Stg.
John Carruthers, Kingston, Ont. 100 00
From returns in detail, just furnished by the Oddfellows' Lodges, the
results of the fire, in relation to its effects on individual members
appears to have been as follows:--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
NAME OF | Present |No. of | Dependents | Total Suffer-| Approximate
LODGE. | Member- |Suf- | on | ers and | value of
| ship. |ferers.| Sufferers. | Depend's. | Property lost
| | | | | by Sufferers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pioneer, | | | | |
No. 9 | 198 | 78 | 182 | 260 | $392,860 00
Beacon, | | | | |
No. 12 | 118 | 36 | 94 | 130 | 113,550 00
Peerless,| | | | |
No. 19 | 83 | 10 | 34 | 44 | 26,560 00
Siloam, | | | | |
No. 29 | 44 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 24,440 00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals | 443 | 152 | 338 | 490 | $557,410 00
Less Insurance | 140,052 00
---------------
Net approximate Loss | $417,358 00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of the sufferers had _no_ insurance. The supposed superiority of
the fire department, and general efficiency of the water supply, having
led to a false security--to a popular belief that it was impossible for
St. John to be scourged by fire, as Boston and Chicago had been.
SENT TO MASONIC FUND.
Grand Lodge of Quebec $200 00
A Brother, Newcastle, N. B. 4 00
National Lodge, Chicago 23 62
Knights Templars, Portland, Maine 117 00
Germania Lodge, Baltimore 18 93
Grand Lodge, Louisiana 189 00
Carleton Union Lodge of Carleton, N. B. 50 00
Grand Lodge of Wisconsin 94 50
St. John's Lodge, Toronto 150 00
Phoenix Lodge, Nashville, Tenn. 947 00
Grand Lodge, Utah 56 70
St. Andrew's Lodge, Frederickton, N. B. 25 25
Loge des Coeurs Unis, Montreal 50 00
Rising Virtue Lodge, Mount Moriah Chapter,
and St. John's Commandery, Bangor, Me. 284 25
Detroit Commandery 94 50
Springfield do. 500 00
SUPPLIES.
Halifax, N. S., 25 Stoves.
Boston Y. M. C. Union, Clothing.
Montreal, Clothing.
Musquodoboit, Clothing.
Toronto, Meats.
Taylor, Robert, Halifax, N. S., Boots.
Peke & Eaton, Halifax, N. S., Tea.
Hart, R. T. & Co., " Supplies.
Victoria Corner, N. B., 12 pairs Boots.
Canterbury Ladies, Bedding.
Bridgetown, N. S., Supplies.
Rev. C. McMullin, Hartland, N. B., Butter.
Norwich, Ontario, Clothing.
Philadelphia Maritime Exchange, Clothing.
Gibson, Alexander, York County, Supplies.
A BRIEF ACCOUNT
OF THE
FIRE IN THE TOWN OF PORTLAND,
SATURDAY MORNING, 20TH OCTOBER, 1877.
Just four months after the great calamity in St. John, the people of the
Town of Portland were called upon to endure a hardship of almost equal
dimensions. In one sense their endurance demanded even greater strength,
for their trouble came, not in summer when the grass was green, and the
air was soft and balmy, but in the very heart of a New Brunswick Fall,
when the wind pierced the coarsest garment, and the ground was white
with frost. It was in the small hours of the morning too, that men and
women, half asleep and palsied by terror, rushed wildly into the street,
shivering with cold and trembling with fear, as they heard the mad bell
tolling the alarm. They lived in the merest tinder boxes, and in many of
these were domiciled three, and sometimes four and five families. It was
a fire of terrible importance, and at one time the destruction of the
whole town was feared. But the lesson which the fire of June 20th
taught had a salutary effect on the people, and, aided by a brave band
of firemen, they made every effort to stay the onward march of the
flames, and in this, success was partly attained. The fire destroyed
seven blocks of buildings, and threw into the street two hundred and
ninety-five families, which numbered, in the aggregate, fully three
thousand persons. Of buildings swept away, there were ninety-seven
dwelling houses, the Methodist Church and the Temperance Hall. The
actual loss is estimated at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and
the insurance scarcely reaches the sum of seventy thousand dollars. One
man suffered a horrible death, and a number of people were injured more
or less seriously. The fire was indeed a sore and bitter trial, and had
it not been that the community had only a short time before experienced
the horrors of the greater conflagration, the present calamity would
have ranked as one of the great fires of Canada. Coming so soon after
the St. John's scourge, men failed to realize at once the magnitude of
destruction which it caused. But those who had twice passed through the
flames knew to their cost, and realized in an instant, what it was to be
burned out a second time. Seven hundred persons from the burnt district
of St. John's had taken up their residence in the suburban town. They
were in most cases poor in a pecuniary sense, but their bands were
strong, and their hearts were not downcast. The flames had carried away
all their earthly possessions, and they found themselves the day after
the fire comparatively penniless. But there was work to do, and these
men and women sternly resolved to do it. They removed to Portland,
secured quarters there, and had just completed their arrangements for
the winter, when this fresh trouble broke out, and once more they found
themselves, with twenty-three hundred others, in the street without a
home, and no sheltering roof over their heads. Their lot was indeed a
sad one, and no wonder is it, that some of them were loud in complaint,
and that many, women walked down from Fort Home that day, and wept
bitterly at the heartrending sight which met their eyes. They saw
desolation on the plain below, and tall chimneys kept watch and ward
over a field of smouldering embers. The steam engines still continued to
play on the dying flames, though the sixth hour of the fire had long
since passed away, and men in command hurried along the streets now
giving orders, and now working with the rank and file, striving to save
what remnants of property yet remained unburned, and caring for the
immediate needs of sufferers.
The fire broke out at a quarter to three o'clock in the morning, and
originated in a wood-house in the centre of the block, between Main and
High Streets. This wood-house was in the rear of Henry Pratt's house,
and as fire had been discovered in this locality, twice recently, many
believed that it was the fiendish work of an incendiary. The fire spread
with great rapidity, though there was little wind at the time, and by
three o'clock the entire block, Main Street on the north, Chapel Street
on the south, Acadia Street on the east, and Portland Street on the west
was one mass of flame. In another hour the fire raged more violently,
and was extending to the lower streets. The firemen, who were early on
the spot, worked with untiring energy, and displayed almost superhuman
endurance and wonderful courage. Aid from the city came very soon after
the fire was observed, and the new contingent also worked with admirable
nerve, and exhibited splendid skill in preventing the conflagration from
spreading. Members of the Town Council, with Chairman Henry Hilyard at
their head, made extraordinary efforts to keep the flames back, and
indeed the whole arrangements for fighting the fire were excellently
conceived and well carried out.
At five o'clock the fire had reached its height. The blocks from Main
Street to High Street, inclusive, were completely obliterated, and only
gaunt chimneys remained. From High Street to the very water's edge the
flames sped on unresisted. Camden Street was burning, the large houses
on the foot of Portland Street, the houses from Temperance Hall, in
Simonds Street to Thomson's slip were consumed. Rankin's wharf with
immense piles of dressed lumber was threatened with immediate
extinction. The steamers "Ida Whittier," "Xyphus," and "Victor," were for
a time in danger. Three tug boats arrived opportunely, and the water
which they threw saved the wharf and lumber. At half-past eight the fire
was subdued.
The property destroyed consisted of all the houses in Main Street
between Jones's corner and Orange corner; all on Chapel Street, all on
Acadia Street except a small block and the greater part of Chapel
Street; all along the east side and part of the west side of Portland
Street, the east side of Simonds Street from High Street to the water,
and both sides of Camden Street. Of course a great deal of drunkenness
prevailed and numerous arrests were made. Thieving, as usual, was
largely indulged in.
The saddest event of the day was the loss of life. George Baxter, a ship
carpenter, who dwelt in High street, was found in a charred state in the
ruins of his house. It is thought he went in to save some of his
effects, and being unable to make his way out again he was smitten to
the ground and suffered one of the most terrible of deaths. The other
casualties were John Henry Maher, slightly injured, James Ennis badly
cut on the head. Nicholas Ryan fell off Dickinson's house, Chapel
Street, and sustained serious bruises. Mrs. Reed was struck by a falling
ladder. John Cobalan, jr., had one of his fingers broken, and Mrs.
Nowlan was slightly hurt. Wm. Carr and James Kennedy were injured
slightly.
The destruction of the Methodist Church is a very serious loss. It was
built in the year 1841, and succeeded the structure built in 1828, which
was destroyed in the former year. The first trustees were Alex. McLeod,
Samuel H. McKee, George Whittaker, William Nesbit, H. Hennigar, Robert
Chestnut, Robert Robertson, G. T. Ray, John B. Gaynor, George Lockhart,
James Bustin, John Owens and Francis Jordan, Rev. Messrs. R. Williams,
J. B. Story, and S. Busby were strong supporters of the church in its
young days and were long identified with its interests. On the first
Sunday after the fire of 1841 the congregation met in the open air and
prayed and sang hymns. The Rev. Mr. Allen addressed the people from a
rock. Rev. Mr. Teed was the pastor at the time of the present fire. When
he came to preside over its destinies he found the church struggling
with a debt, and he worked with great zeal to free it from this burden.
The Temperance Hall was one of the most useful institutions in the town,
and many will deplore the destruction of this building.
The following is a complete list of the buildings burned. The first name
mentioned in each case is that of the owner, the other, that of the
occupants:--
_Main street, south side, from Acadia street to Portland
Street._--Mr. Woods, occupied by self as a boarding house, and by
R. Jones as a grocery store--two families.
Andrew Pratt, by self as a dwelling; Miss Pratt as millinery store;
Henry Pratt, as dwelling; and by Mr. Hopkins as a book store--4.
Chas. Long, James Meally, tin shop; Robt. Adamson, and John W.
Perkins--3.
Wm. Gray, by self, Gray & Scott, meat store; Mrs. Cotner--4.
Widow Gordon, by self as a grocery store and dwelling--1.
Widow McJunkin, by self as a boarding house, and by Robert C.
Gordon, as a liquor store, and by John S. Mitchell--3.
John Bradley, by A. G. Kearns, as a grocery and liquor store--1.
Thos. McColgan, by T. M. & S. B. Corbett, groceries; Thos.
McMasters, hair-dressing saloon; John Carlin, S. R. Lindsay, Wm.
Hooper, Messrs. Kyle & Tait--7.
_Portland street, east side, from Chapel to Main street._--Thomas
McColgan, by self as a liquor store; Edward Brown, Joshua
Russel--3.
_Chapel street, north side, east from the Pond to Portland
street._--Wm. Dickson's house (damaged), by self, Robert Currie,
Widow McAnulty, Arthur McCauslin--4.
Widow Farson, by self, Wm. Conway, Widow Gallagher, Geo. Kimball,
Daniel Leary, John Mohan, Jas. Daley, Mrs. Daley, Mrs. Knowles,
Chase & McCallum--11.
Charles Long, by self, John Law--2.
Barn belonging to Wm. Gray.
Barn belonging to Robt. Gordon.
Barn belonging to John McJunkin estate.
Barn belonging to John Bradley.
_Chapel street, south side, from Portland street east to
Water._--Miss Mary Long, by Mrs. McArthur, Mr. Appleby and Mrs.
Gorral--3.
Chas. Long, by self and son as grocery and dwelling; Chas. Colwell,
Alex. Long, Abraham Craig--5.
Mrs. Nancy Lackey, by Local Preacher Oram, Miss McJunkin, John
McJunkin--3.
Joseph Reed, by Samuel Baker, Frank Crawford--2.
Barn belonging to Sarah Irvine.
Arthur Rodgers, by self, Mrs. Clancey, Arthur Desmond and Mr.
Long--4.
Widow Sullivan, by Thos. Sullivan--1.
John Damary, by self and Thos. Damary--2.
John Corrigan, by self--1.
Thos. Currie, by self and John Quinn--2.
Wm. King's house, damaged considerably.
_Acadia street, east side, from High street to Main street._--Mrs.
Sarah Irvine, occupied by self, Thomas Kerr, Nancy Irvine, Messrs.
Campbell & Hartt--5.
Geo. McMonagle, by self as a grocery and dwelling; Widow Nelson,
William McGuire, John McGuire, David Smith--5.
Mrs. Farson, by Mrs. Gallaher, Mrs. McCacherin--2.
Geo. McMonagle, by Thomas Sharp and Patrick Bogan--2.
Alex. Duff (house damaged considerably), by Thomas McGill and Henry
McCarthy--2.
_Acadia street, west side, from High to Main street._--Joseph Reed,
by self, Andrew Crawford, Wm. McConnell, Mrs. Wark--4.
Widow Farson, by self as grocery and liquor shop and dwelling;
Jeremiah Sullivan, James Brown, David McBurney, Jeremiah Speight,
widow Marley--6.
_Portland street, east side, from High street to Main
street._--John Connolly, by Messrs. Smith, as a grocery store,
Capt. Rawlings, of the Portland Police, and by David Speight, as a
boarding house--3.
Methodist Parsonage, occupied by Rev. Mr. Teed, Pastor of the
Portland Methodist Church--1.
[The houses of Mr. McColgan are mentioned in connection with
buildings on Main and Chapel streets.]
_High street, north side, from Portland street east to
water._--John Brooks, by George Wetmore, Wm. C. Dunham--2.
Thomas Polly, by self, John Alcorn, John Humphreys--3.
George Smith (brick cottage), by self and Robert Smith--2.
George Ruddock, by self and George Brown--2.
Widow Ruddock, by Mr. Ellis--1.
Andrew Myles, by self, Messrs. Porter and Rogers--3.
Edward Sergeant, by self and Mr. Stantiford--2.
George Young, by self and Mrs. Upham--2.
Robert Ewing, by self, Walter Brown, R. A. H. Morrow--3.
Edward Elliot, by Geo. Jenkins, John Green, Frank Wallace--3.
Capt. Aubrey, by self and Mr. Reed--2.
Edward Elliott, by self and Mr. McAllister--2.
_Portland street from Rankin's wharf to Camden street._--Alex. --
Ferguson, by self, Captain Buckhard, and Wm. Sleeth.
Hugh Montague, Robert and Joseph Carson--3.
John Irvine, by self and Widow Craig.
John McCachney, by self, mother and Jas. McCachney.
Geo. Carter, by self, Joseph Murphy, Geo. Carter, Jr.--3.
T. Travis, by self, as grocery and liquor store and dwelling.
August Mavison, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Riley and another--5.
_Camden street, south side, from Portland street to Acadia
street._--James Bartlett, by self, Henry Bartlett, Archibald
Tatton, Capt. Bartlett, James Tubman--5.
John McJunkin, by self, Capt. Charles Harper, Harry Bassett--3.
Arthur Kyle, by self, John Cunningham, John O'Connell, Mr. Rebels,
Mrs. McDormott, William, John Hammond--6.
_Acadia street, from Camden South to water._--Daniel O'Hara, by
self, and Chas. Hara--2.
Patrick Dawson, by self, Peter Nelson, and a family from the City
burnt district--3.
Mrs. Hamilton, by self--1.
Wm. Carter, by self--1.
_Portland street, west side, from Camden to High street._--Wm.
McIntyre, by self, Geo. Giggy, Geo. Morgan, James Power, Harry
Stephens, Wm. Gillan, and a family from the City burnt district--7.
[In rear house belonging to David Breen, occupied by self and N.
Frizzle.]
Thomas McMasters, by self, John Boyd, Widow McJunkin, James Ryder,
Messrs. Mullay, Brown and Christopher--7.
Widow Kerr, by self--1. [Mr. Murdock's house in rear, by one
tenant--1.]
Wm. A. Moore, occupied by self as a dwelling, John Currie,
groceries; James Pender, Joseph McIntyre, the Misses Darrah--5.
_Portland street, east side, from Camden to High street._--Richard
Anderson, by self and Samuel Devennie--2.
Richard Anderson, by William Hill, as a grocery store and dwelling;
John Rubins, tailor shop, James McCord--4.
Robert McIntyre, by Bernard Gallagher, dwelling and grocery store,
Samuel ----rett, Richard McIntyre--3.
Robert McIntyre, by self, Ike Munroe, Oliver Colwell, Robert Black,
Ca---- ----rrington--5.
Wm. McIntyre, by Wm. Maxwell and Robert McMurray--2.
Wm. McIntyre, by Jacob Brown, Misses Sharp, Duke Brown, Geo.
DeLong, Levi DeLong--5. [House in rear occupied by Joseph Lee and
John Mullay--2.]
Benj. Lawton, by self and brother--2.
_Camden street, north side, from Simonds east to water._--Thos. W.
Peters, by Thomas Mansfield, as a dwelling and a grocery store,
John Nowlin, Jeremiah Sullivan and two others--5.
Thos. W. Peters, by Mr. Leonard and Edward Cutten--2.
John Higgins, by self--1.
George Grear, by self, John Ross, John Cooper, Mr. McLean--4.
Richard Anderson, by Harry Laskey, John Thompson, Miss Osborne--3.
Widow Wilson, by self, H. Brockings, Widow Bailey--4. [Unoccupied
house in rear.]
Stephen Murphy, by self, Messrs. Hamilton, Ralston and Hoolahan--4.
_Acadia street, west side, from Camden to High street._--Wm.
Searle, by Hugh Hutchinson, Wm. Bell--2.
James Bartlett, by David Doherty, Mr. Fitzgerald--2.
Robt. McKay, by self, Messrs. Irvine and Munroe--3.
Mr. Reed, by Thomas Graham and another--2. [Rear house owned by Mr.
Reed.]
Thomas Youngclaus, by Messrs. Stayhorn, Kirk and Beaton--3.
James Kyle, by self and Mr. McGee--2.
Widow Ruddock, by self and a family whose name could not be
learned--2.
Wm. Elliott, by self, James Smith and John Devennie--3.
_Acadia street, east side, from Camden street to High
street._--John H. Crawford, by self, as a grocery and dwelling--1.
Thomas Gillespie, by Mr. Tait, Joseph Allen, Widow Garvey and Widow
Boyne--4.
_High street, south side, westward from water._--John McDermott, by
self, Patrick Carlin and Thomas Smith--3.
Miss Daley, by Wm. Peacock, Widow Knodell and Joseph Speight--3.
George Baxter, by self as dwelling and grocery store; and by Mr.
Dunham--1.
Geo. Baxter, by Messrs. Wilson, and Kirk and another--3.
Widow Young, by self, Wm. Young, and George Easty--3.
Patrick Flynn, by Messrs. Stack and Thompson Kennedy, and Widow
Logan--3.
James Scott, by self, and James Barbour--2.
Joseph Sullivan, by self--1.
Joseph Logan, by self, Widow Buchanan, Widow McDermott--3.
Temperance Hall, owned by Governor Tilley, J. C. Edwards, and
Portland Division, S. of T.
_Simonds street, east side, from High street to water._--Andrew
Johnston's house, occupied by four families--1.
Paul Gillespie, by John Buckley, James Gillespie, and Mr.
Akerley--2.
Widow, by self, James Spence, and Charles Brown, and two others--5.
Widow Crawford, by self, as dwelling and grocery shop, and by James
Buckley--2.
Alex. Urquhart, by self--1.
Thos. W. Peters, by Widow Morrison, John Morrison and Mrs.
Wilson--3.
LOSSES OF INSURANCE COMPANIES.
PROVINCIAL.
Thos. McColgan, $1600
Methodist Church, 3000
Wm. Elliott, 1200
Chas. Long, 1200
Mrs. S. J. Young, 500
R. Jones, 600
------
Total, $8100
LANCASHIRE.
Capt. Aubrey, $800
Thos. Travis, 800
Other claims about, 1400
------
Total, $3000
NORTHERN.
Methodist Church, $4000
Mrs. Buchanan, 1000
Geo. Baxter, 800
Robt. McHarg, 800
------
Total, $6600
NORTH BRITISH AND MERCANTILE.
Mrs. Gordon, $900
John Connolly, 1600
T. W. Peters, 2500
Methodist Church (re-insurance), 1000
------
Total, $6000
QUEEN.
Geo. Ruddock, $1200
Methodist Mission House, 2400
James Scott, 1700
H. Montague, 800
John McKechnie, 800
Robert Rankin, 2000
Do., 1500
R. Ewing, 1200
E. Sargent, 800
E. Elliott, 1000
A. Johnston, 700
Jas. Pender, 500
Estate Jas. Kerr, 600
------
$15,200
Partial losses, 1000
------
Total, $16,200
CITIZENS'.
Messrs. Corbett, 400
Mrs. Farson, 1200
Wm. McIntyre, 1250
Chas. Long, 1100
John Bradley, 400
David Breen, 300
Wm. Gray, 200
Mary Long, 400
Thomas McMaster, 600
R. McIntyre, 700
Arthur Rodgers, 700
Thomas Youngclaus, 800
------
Total, $8050
ROYAL CANADIAN.
Mary Ann Daley, $600
CANADA FIRE AND MARINE.
Thomas Aubrey, $100
Mary Long, 300
John McDermott, 600
Ann Leckey, 500
Margaret Curry, 200
R. C. Gordon, 1200
G. F. Smith, 800
Gertrude Farson, 1500
F. C. Dunham, 550
G. F. Jenkins, 500
John Greer, 500
John Reed, 200
------
Total, $6950
AETNA.
G. McMonagle, $1000
McIntyre, 600
James Bartlett, 300
A. R. Ferguson, 2000
------
Total, $3900
HARTFORD.
Jos. Stubbs, $500
Jas. Boyle, 400
John Brook, 1000
Geo. R. Rigby, 300
Richard Anderson, 1000
------
Total, $3200
IMPERIAL.
R. A. H. Morrow, $200
R. Flynn, 1000
Samuel Gillespie, 1200
John Brook, 1000
Wm. Ruddock, estate, 1400
Mrs. Sarah Irvine, 800
Robert Rankine, 1500
------
Total, $7100
BRITISH AMERICAN.
James Bartlett, $400
Mrs. S. Osborne, 100
------
Total, $500
ISOLATED RISK.
R. Jones, $ 500
Chas. Long, 400
------
Total, $900
The Guardian, $4000
The National, 500
Western, 200
At eleven o'clock the Portland Town Council met to consider the best way
in which relief for the sufferers could be administered. The Mayor of
St. John, Dr. Earle, the High Sheriff, and Harris Allan, Esq., of the
Relief and Aid Society, were present. On motion it was resolved that
the council should attend to the wants of the homeless, and committees
were immediately appointed to perform the various duties incumbent on
them. These were Couns. Chesley and Munro, to look up school-houses;
Couns. McLean and Holly, clearing engine house; Couns. Puddington and
Cochran, securing cooking stoves; Couns. Purdy and Hamilton, supplying
provisions; Couns. Gilbert and Austin, straw mattrasses; Chairman, H.
Hilyard and Couns. Chesley, Shelter, His Lordship Bishop Sweeny, and
Messrs. Robert H. Flaherty, and F. Hazen having offered the committee
the use of their buildings, were publicly thanked for their kindly
forethought. On the night of the fire upwards of fifty families were
provided with shelter by the authorities.
On Monday, 22nd October, at a general meeting of St. John Relief
Committee, it was decided that temporary relief should be at once given
to the poor. This lasted one week. At the expiration of that time the
Board of Directors, consisting of the whole Council of the Town of
Portland were in a position to administer their own relief. The
committees of the societies are as follows:--
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The Chairman, and Messrs. Chesley, Duff, Puddington and Cochran.
SHELTER COMMITTEE.
Messrs. Gilbert, Austin, Purdy and J. H. Parks.
VISITING COMMITTEE.
Chairman, and Messrs. Holly and Maher.
SUBSCRIPTION COMMITTEE.
Messrs. Puddington, Cochran, Maher and Holly.
A very efficient ladies' committee was promptly organized, and through
their noble efforts a vast deal of suffering was prevented, Mrs. Simon
Baizley, Mrs. Barnhill, Mrs. D. B. Roberts, Mrs. Thomas Hilyard, Mrs.
Teed, Mrs. Almon and others comprised this committee.
Up to November 28th, 1877, the following donations have been received in
aid of the people who were burnt out:--
CASH.
St. John Relief Committee $5,000 00
Hon. Isaac Burpee 100 00
Rev. Wm. Armstrong 25 00
Rev. Geo. Armstrong 20 00
George A. Schofield 10 00
A. Cochran, Halifax, N. S. 1 00
Mrs. Parnther 5 00
Rev. T. Partridge, collection taken at Rothsay 30 50
G. Sidney Smith, Esq., 10 00
Draft from Wheelright, Anderson & Co. Boston,
Mass., $50 American currency 48 50
Norman Robertson 10 00
Wm. Wright, Esq., Liverpool, England, L100 stg. 479 32
Wm. Shives Fisher 4 00
Proceeds of entertainment at Fairville 50 70
Proceeds lectures by Bishop Fallowes of the
Reformed Episcopal Church 45 00
Collection from St. Jude's Church, S. S.
Thanksgiving Day 12 75
George W. Roberts, Liverpool 100 00
SUPPLIES.
P. Nase & Son, twenty barrels potatoes, one chest tea.
Vroom & Arnold, thirty barrels potatoes.
James J. Follows, two barrels cabbages.
Chas., Fawcett, (Sackville, N. B.) four stoves.
Manchester, Robertson & Allison, goods to amount of one hundred
dollars.
Geo J. Fisher, thirty rolls roofing paper.
Thomas Cusack, blankets to value of $75.
Transcriber's Note
Illustrations have been moved near the relevant section of the text.
I have used "=" in the text to denote use of an ornamental font.
Inconsistencies have been retained in hyphenation, punctuation,
spacing between initials, spacing between alphabetic sections in
lists, italicization and capitalization except where indicated in
the list below. Alphabetization of list items has been left as-is
as has double punctuation such as ".:". The author has stated that
this book "has many imperfections" due to the speed in which it was
prepared in order to meet the publisher's timeline. It is clear that
some sections of the text were more carefully edited than others
prior to publishing. Consequently, I have made (and notated)
typographical corrections only for sections in which the majority of
the text adheres to a general standard of hyphenation, punctuation,
etc.
Within Footnote "M," there is a picture of a pointing hand within the
text. Instead of the hand symbol, I used "==>".
Here is a list of the minor typographical corrections made:
- "1831" changed to "1841" on Page iv
- "Palace" changed to "Place" on Page v
- "Andrews" changed to "Andrew's" on Page v
- Period added after "Cent" on Page vi
- "Elgir" changed to "Elgin" on Page 32
- Period removed ampersand on Page 32
- "D. D." changed to "D.D." on Page 43
- "to day" changed to "to-day" on Page 45
- "hun" changed to "hundred" on Page 57
- Text before "Legislature" is unclear and has been replaced by a
long dash
for Footnote E at the end of Chapter V
- Long space removed between "priests" and "who" on Page 75
- Period added after "Friary" on for Footnote E at the end of
Chapter VI
- "gronnds" changed to "grounds" on Page 85
- Comma added after "Esq." on Page 87
- "The" changed to "the" for Footnote "M" at the end of Chapter
VII
- Comma changed to period after "Holmes" for Footnote "M" at the end
of Chapter VII
- Comma changed to a period after "eyes" on Page 102
- Period added after "A" on Page 111
- Period added after "BANK" on the caption for the illustration that
is now on Page 113
- Extra space removed after "that" on Page 117
- Period added after "Capt" on Page 126
- Double quote added before "O" on Page 132
- Comma added after "&c." on Page 132
- Period added after "Mr" on Page 134
- "Esq,," changed to "Esq.," on Page 135
- "Esq,," changed to "Esq.," on Page 137
- "the" added before "loveliest" on Page 140
- Period added after "St" on Page 141
- Period added after "Street" on Page 143
- Period added after "side" on Page 151
- Period added after "Rev" on Page 165
- "p 166." removed from the anchor to Footnote S on page 165 since it
refers to placement of the footnote in the printed version of book
- "citty," changed to "Citty" followed by an emdash on Page 167
- Period added after "present" on Page 167
- "depart ments" changed to "departments" on Page 182
- Comma removed after "Mouldings" on Page 185
- Comma removed after "Brunswick" on Page 185
- Comma removed after "Scotia" on Page 185
- Comma removed after "Montreal" on Page 185
- Comma added after "Cameron" on Page 185
- Comma removed after "Co." on Page 185
- Comma added after "Coughlan" on Page 186
- Comma removed after "jr." on Page 186
- Comma added after "Torre" on Page 187
- Comma removed after "Logan" on Page 192
- Comma added after "Leonard" on Page 192
- Comma added after "Lipman" on Page 192
- Comma added after "Littlejohn" on Page 192
- Comma added after "May" on Page 193
- Comma removed after "Pengilly" on Page 196
- Space added after "Stewart" on Page 200
- "Auctioner" changed to "Auctioneer" on Page 200
- Comma added after "Wetmore" on Page 201
- "Oddfellows" changed to "Odd Fellows" to match
Table of Contents on Page 203
- Period added after "due" on Page 203
- "bbls." changed to "bls" on Page 220
- "ORTH" changed to "NORTH" on Page 221
- Comma removed after "McNamara" on Page 223
- Comma removed after "Homer" on Page 233
- Comma removed after "McLaughlin" on Page 233
- Colon after "$1,250" changed to a semicolon on Page 239
- "fir" changed to "fire" on Page 241
- "hese" changed to "These" on Page 248
- Comma added after "happy" on Page 248
- "1,000" changed to "$1,000" on Page 252
- Period changed to a comma after "volume" on Page 259
- "iscover" changed to "discover" on Page 260
- Comma added after "works" on Page 262
- "a a" changed to "a" on Page 264
- Comma changed to a period after "Ont" on Page 271
- Comma changed to a period after "Me" on Page 271
- $ added before "2" on Page 271
- There is an initial after "Alex.", but it is unclear. I have
replaced it with a short dash on Page 286
- The name after "Samuel" is unclear. I have replaced the missing
section with a long dash on Page 287
- Both names are unclear. I have replaced the missing sections with
long dashes on Page 287
- Period added after "Mrs" on Page 288
- Comma added after "about" on Page 288
- Comma removed after "stg." on Page 292