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12. THE ENGINE HOUSE |
| Fire. It was a reality against
which the people of York fought daily to prevent. However the
odds were not in their favour due to their taste for wooden houses and
open fireplaces(1). This, combined with the only sources of water being the bay or wells, made the threat of fire a way of life. Early legislation required a ladder on every roof, two 2-gallon water buckets hung by the front door and regular chimney sweeping(2). Fire fighting suffered in these early years because the bucket brigadiers were all volunteers, meaning not every young tradesmen could be guaranteed at every fire. A second stumbling block was that the vertical pump on wheels donated by Governor Hunter in 1802 was stolen during the War of 1812, and some time later put on display in a Washington Museum(3). On January 30, 1826 a law was passed which exempted volunteer fire fighters from military duty, jury duty and other town offices(4). This enticement allowed for the formation of fire companies. The first Engine House (Fire Station) was built that same year on the west side of Church, between Newgate (now Adelaide) and the Court(5). It was brick, two-storeyed, with a small bell tower and a shed at the rear for drying the leather hose(6). The York Fire Company was created in 1826(7). The Hook and Ladder Fire Company was formed in 1831(8). Competition was fierce between the companies and between townspeople who could, by arriving early at the scene of a fire with full buckets, earn cash bonuses. Despite this the water supply remained a problem, even with the installment of water-works in 1843(9). The Great Fires of 1849 and 1904 were a legacy of the limitations of York’s early fire prevention(10). The term “Great Fire” refers to the destruction of many buildings and over a million dollars damage(11). Such fires were extensive and burned from 1500 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, creating their own wind currents and atmosphere(12). Being a country rich in lake-systems, it is surprising to learn that of the estimated 528 major fires in the world from 1815 to 1915, 290 were in Canada and America(13). More directly, between 1750 and 1917, there were 61 major fires in Canada alone(14). |
Notes
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