Fire of 1898

Just after midnight on July 1, 1898 a fire was detected at the Courthouse. There are varying stories about how it came to be noticed and how the fire brigade was alerted. The updated report by the London Daily Free Press on July 4, 1898 provided the following details for readers:
The most disastrous fire that has occurred here in many years – brief particulars of which appeared exclusively in this morning’s Free Press – was discovered shortly after 12 o’clock by After the Fire, C13 Sh1 B3 F15 2Mrs. R. McLachlin, who resides a short distance from the scene. She hastily gave the alarm and when your correspondent arrived upon the scene a few seconds later a cloud of smoke could be seen issuing from the cupola of the court house. As the city has no fire alarm system, the nearest telephone in the building was at once brought into play in order to send in an alarm to the fire brigade, but owing to the effect of the trolley cars on the telephone system, it was impossible to send in an alarm and a young man was sent a distance of about eight blocks to summon the brigade. All this time the fire was making rapid headway, owing to the very inflammable nature of the interior, and when the brigade arrived, twenty minutes after the fire was discovered, the roof fell in. The firemen lost no time in bringing out four streams to play on the massive pile, but it was quite apparent to all the building was doomed to destruction.

The cause of the fire has never been fully determined, although the theory about an incendiary device remains the most popular. After all, it was Dominion Day.

Read the full reports:

London Daily Free Press Fire in St. Thomas, July 2, 1898

London Daily Free Press The Court House Burned, July 4, 1898

The Advance The Burned Court House, July 14, 1898

The fire destroyed the roof and upper portion of the Courthouse and the entire building was damaged by water. Furniture and the law library were also badly damaged.

 

Winter 1899, D-7 Slide

 

Work on repairing and expanding theCourthouse took place as soon as possible.This image shows the Courthouse in the winter of 1899, with construction in progress on both the east and west wings. The new and larger cupola is already raised. Note the two curious kids.

D-7 Negative