The Story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877

by George Stewart · English · Gutenberg #39260 · 481,740 chars · public domain (US)

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Title: The Story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877

Author: George Stewart

Release date: March 25, 2012 [eBook #39260]

Language: English

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Credits: Produced by Robin Monks, Linda Hamilton, and the Online
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE GREAT FIRE IN ST. JOHN, N.B., JUNE 20TH, 1877 ***

Produced by Robin Monks, Linda Hamilton, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

RUINS OF THE GERMAIN ST. BAPTIST CHURCH BY MOONLIGHT.

From a Sketch by John C. Miles, Artist.]

THE STORY
OF THE
=Great Fire in St. John, N.B.=
JUNE 20TH, 1877.

BY
GEORGE STEWART, JR.,
_OF ST. JOHN, N.B._

=Toronto:=
BELFORD BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS.

ST. JOHN, N.B.: R. A. H. MORROW; MONTREAL, P. Q.:
DAWSON BROS.; TORONTO, ONT.: JAS. CLARKE &
CO.; DETROIT, MICH.: CRAIG & TAYLOR;
BOSTON: LOCKWOOD, BROOKS & CO.

[Illustration: PAPER MANUFACTURED BY CANADA PAPER COY MONTREAL]

Entered according to the Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year one
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, by BELFORD BROTHERS, in the
office of the Minister of Agriculture.

HUNTER, ROSE, & CO,
PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
TORONTO.

TO
_GILBERT MURDOCH, C. E._,
MY FIRST FRIEND,
I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME.
=The Author.=

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
PAGE
The Great Fire--Its Extent--Its Terrible Rapidity--A Glance
Backward--What the People Passed Through--The First Fire--
Protective Movements--The People who Lent the City Money--
Minor Fires--Fire of 1823--The Great Fire of 1837--The
Calamity of 1839--The Trials of 1841--The King Street Fire 9

CHAPTER II.

The Late Fire--Its Origin--Bravery of the Firemen--The High
Wind--The Fire's Career--Fighting the Flames--Almost Lost--
The Escape from the Burning Building--Destruction of Dock
Street--Smyth Street in Flames--The Wharves--Demolition of
Market Square--Something about the Business Houses there--
The Banks--Fire Checked at North Street 19

CHAPTER III.

The Fire in King Street--Recollections--The Old Coffee House
Corner--The Stores in King Street--The Old Masonic Hall--The
St. John Hotel--Its Early Days--The Bell Tower--King Square--
A Night of Horror--The Vultures at Work--Plundering the
Destitute 27

CHAPTER IV.

The Fire in Germain Street--The First Brick House in St. John
--Old Trinity--The Loyalists--Curious Ideas about Insurance--
The Rectors of Trinity--The Clock--The Royal Arms 36

CHAPTER V.

The Old Curiosity Shop on Germain Street--A Quaint Old Place
--"Rubbish Shot Here"--Notman's Studio--The Mother of Methodism
--Destruction of the Germain Street Methodist Church--Burning
of the Academy of Music--The Old Grammar School--Presbyterians
among the Loyalists--The "Auld Kirk"--Saint Andrew's--The Grants
of Land--Legislation--The Building of the Kirk--Ministers--The
"Victoria" in Flames--Fascination of the Fire--The "Victoria"
in Ruins--What might have saved it 48

CHAPTER VI.

The Odd Fellows' Hall--The Fire in Horsfield Street--The sweep
along Germain Street--The Old Baptist Church--Some Early
Ministers--Two Fiery Ordeals--The Brick Church--The Ruins--The
Bay View Hotel--An Old Landmark Gone--The Blazing Barracks--St.
James's--The Hazon House--St. Malachi's Chapel--The First Roman
Catholic Church 65

CHAPTER VII.

A Hard-Working Manager--The Dramatic Lyceum--The Temperance
Hall--The Water-Works Building--A Hard Fight--Another Rush
of the Homeless--The Weary March of the Unfortunates--History
of the Water Supply--Early Struggles--Changes--The Old Way--
The St. John Water Company--Placed in Commission--The Company
to-day 76

CHAPTER VIII.

Burning of the Leinster Street Baptist Church--The Varley
School--Centenary Chapel--The Gas Works--$17,000 worth of Coal
burned in Ten Days--The Tall Sentinel--St. David's Kirk--The
Reformed Presbyterian Church--The Victoria School--Gigantic
Ruins--An Accident--Sketch of the School-house 90

CHAPTER IX.

Queen Square--Incidents in the Burning--The Old Pitcher--"God
is burning up the World, and He won't make another"--Saved
from the Flames--Overtaken by Fire Three Times--The Night of
Terror on Queen Square--Alone amidst Perils--The Lone House
on the Square--Three People under a Table--The Sailor--"If I
die to-night, sir, hunt them up"--The Escape--The Deserted
Streets--An Anomaly--The Marine Hospital--What a few Buckets
of Water did--The Wiggins Orphan Asylum--The Block in
Canterbury Street--The _News_ Office--Savings Bank 101

CHAPTER X.

Incidents--An Old Corner Burned Down--The Lenders and Borrowers
--"Twenty per Cent."--The Shylocks of the Curbstone--The Human
Barometers--The Vultures of Commerce--Chubbe's Corner--The
Old Commercial Bank--The _Telegraph_ Office--The Bank of
New Brunswick--A Hard Worked Cashier--The Post Office--Not
a Mail Lost--Quick Dispatch--The Nethery House and Orangemen
--The Royal Hotel--The Custom House--The Dead of the
Conflagration 114

CHAPTER XI.

The Old House on the Hill--A Wily Commissary--The Bags of
Gold--What was Done at Midnight--The Dead of Night Deposit--
The Old Vault--A Timid Money Lender--Mr. Peter Johnson--The
Board of Commissioners--The Old Gentleman's Little Joke--The
Inspection--How it was Discovered--The Fight with the Flames
--"How much will I Get"--What he Got--The Oil Barrels--Dashing
the Water on the Kerosene--A Lively Time on Reed's Point
Wharf--The Bridge of Fire--On the Ferry-Boat--The Western
Union Telegraph Office--The First Despatch 129

CHAPTER XII.

A Thrilling Incident--The Burning House--The Tall Figure on
the Hall--Escape Cut Off--The Only Way Out--The Street of
Fire--Walking on Coals--The Open Boat--The Way to the Wharf
--Terrible Suffering--The Awful Death on the Street--Worn
Out--The Escape--Saved--The Firemen--How they Fought the Flames 144

CHAPTER XIII.

A Chapter of Incidents--Agony on Board--Coming Up the Harbour
--The Story of the Moths--The Newly Married Lady's Story--No
Flour--Moving Out--Saving the Drugs--The Man with the Corn
Plasters--Incendiarism--Scenes--Thievery--The Newspapers--
Enterprise--Blowing Down the Walls--An Act of Bravery--The Fatal
Blast--Danger and Death in the Walls--Accidents--The Fire and
the Church--The Ministers 155

CHAPTER XIV.

"I went againe to the ruines, for it was no longer a Citty"--
The Drive by Moonlight--Through the Ruins--After the Fire--A
City of Ashes--The Buried Silver--The Sentinel Chimneys--The
Home of Luxuriance--A Recollection--The Moon and the Church--
Back again 167

CHAPTER XV.

Aid for St. John--The First Days--How the Poor were Fed--
Organization of the St. John Relief and Aid Society--Its
System--How it operates--The Rink--The Car Shed--List of
Moneys and Supplies received--The Noble Contributions 175

CHAPTER XVI.

The Odd Fellows and the Fire--Relief Committee at Work--
Searching out the Destitute Brethren--Helping the Sufferers
--The Secret Distribution of Aid--List of Donations 203

CHAPTER XVII.

The Losses of the Masonic Fraternity--Great Destruction of
Masonic Regalia and Paraphernalia--Organization of the
General Masonic Board of Relief--Amount received in Aid of
the Suffering Brethren 239

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Destruction--The Loss--Estimates--The Acreage and
Streetage--Has the Land Decreased in Value?--Incomes swept
away--What is Left--Hope!--The Insurance--The Corporation
Loss--The Dominion Loss--Additional Deaths--The Wounded--
The Orange Body 244

CHAPTER XIX.

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 259

THE STORY
OF THE
GREAT FIRE IN ST. JOHN, N.B.

CHAPTER I.

The Great Fire--Its Extent--Its Terrible Rapidity--A Glance
Backward--What the People Passed Through--The First Fire--
Protective Movements--The People Who Lent the City Money--
Minor Fires--Fire of 1823--The Great Fire of 1837--The
Calamity of 1839--The Trials of 1841--The King Street Fire.

One of the most destructive fires of modern times occurred at St. John,
N.B., on Wednesday, the 20th June, 1877. It was more calamitous in its
character than the terrible conflagration which plunged portions of
Chicago into ruin, and laid waste the great business houses of Boston a
few years ago. In a relative sense, the St. John fire was a greater
calamity, and its people for a time suffered sterner hardships. The fire
in the large American cities was confined to a certain locality, but in
St. John an immense area of territory was destroyed in the incredibly
short space of nine hours, and fully two-fifths of the entire city were
laid in ashes, and one thousand six hundred and twelve houses levelled
to the earth. The fire raged with overwhelming violence, carrying in its
wake everything that came before it. At one time three portions of the
city were burning at once, and all hope of checking the conflagration
died in the hearts of men as the terrific volume of flame thundered and
crackled, and hissed in sheets over their heads. The blinding smoke
rolled heavenwards in a thick heavy mass; the flying embers were carried
along for miles, and the brisk north-western wind brought the destroying
flame to a thousand households. Men and women stood paralyzed in the
streets, fearing the worst and hoping against hope. Those who had worked
all afternoon trying to save their property now sank to the earth and
barely escaped with their lives, for the fire was upon them. Nothing
appeared to stay the march of the fiend. Immense piles, that seemed to
stand like an army of picked guardsmen, were swept away in an instant;
granite, freestone, brick and marble were as ineffectual in staying the
conflagration as the dryest tinder-box houses which fed the flames at
every turn. Even old stone buildings that had stood for sixty years, in
the outskirts of the city, and had withstood many a serious fire before,
now crumbled and tumbled before the conquering scourge.[A] 200 acres
were destroyed, all that part of the city south of King Street,
regiments of houses, stores and public buildings were burned, and the
fire was only stayed when the water-line prevented its going further.
The boundary of the burnt district followed a line on the eastern and
northern sides of Union Street to Mill Street, Mill Street to Dock
Street, northern and eastern sides of Market Square, centre of King
Street to Pitt Street, Pitt Street to its junction with the water;
thence around by the harbour-line to the starting point. In brief, this
was the battle-ground through which the grand charge of the fire was
made--unparalleled in its brilliancy by any similar exploit which the
annals of military deeds unfold. Men, horses, rows of stoutest building
material, steam, water, all succumbed and went down like chaff before
the whirlwind. Nothing was too strong to resist, nothing too weak to
receive clemency.

A glance at the earlier history of St. John will show that destructive
fires have been of frequent occurrence, and its people have suffered
much from this system of devastation. In 1784, on Friday, the 18th June,
the first fire of which we have any knowledge took place. At that time
it was considered a terrible blow, and the sparse population thought
that many years would elapse before the little city could recover from
the wreck which the fire had made. Eleven houses were burned, and a
large number of discharged soldiers of the 42nd Regiment were the
principal sufferers. About this time a woman and child were burned to
death at the Falls, and seven houses in this quarter were destroyed.

In April, 1787, the people decided to take active measures for
protection against fire, and accordingly the following document was
drawn up:

We, the subscribers, taking into our serious consideration the
alarming situation of the city for want of fire-engines and public
wells, should a fire break out in any part of it, and, at the same
time, being sensible of the present inability of the city
corporation to advance money for the purpose, do severally promise
to pay the mayor, aldermen and commonalty, of the City of St. John
(or to such persons as they shall appoint), the several sums
annexed to our names as a loan upon interest, for the purpose of
importing from London two suitable fire-engines, and for sinking a
sufficient number of public wells in this city.

"Which several sums the said corporation have engaged to repay to
each separate subscriber with interest annually, as soon as their
funds will enable them so to do, as appears by an abstract from the
minutes of the common council, dated the 20th March last:

"City of St. John, N.B., 5th April, 1787.

L s. d.
"Gabriel G. Ludlow (Mayor) 10 0 0
Ward Chipman (Recorder) 10 0 0
Jonathan Bliss (Atty.-General) 10 0 0
James Putnam (Judge) 10 0 0
Christopher Billop 5 0 0
Zeph Kingsley 10 0 0
Samuel Randall 10 0 0
Gilbert & Hanford 10 0 0
Isaac Bell 5 0 0
Robert Parker 10 0 0
BENEDICT ARNOLD 10 0 0
William Wyly 10 0 0
Mark Wright 3 0 0
C. C. Hall & Co. 5 0 0
William Pagan 10 0 0
John Colwell 5 0 0
Thomas Bean 10 0 0
Francis Gilbert 5 0 0
Samuel Hallet 3 0 0
William Hazen 10 0 0
James Ruon 5 0 0
John Califf 4 13 4
Isaac Lawton 5 0 0
Samuel Mills 5 0 0
Paul Bedell 5 0 0
William Wanton (Collector Custom) 10 0 0
Adino Paddock, M. D. 5 0 0
McCall & Codner 10 0 0
Thomas Horsfield 10 0 0
John McGeorge }
Thos. Elliot } 10 0 0
William Bainy }
Thompson & Reed 10 0 0
Christopher Lowe, (King's Printer) 5 0 0
W. S. Olive, (Sheriff) 5 0 0
Wm. Whittaker 5 0 0
Peter Quin 3 0 0
Charles Warner 5 0 0
Abiather Camp 5 0 0
James Peters 5 0 0
Daniel Michean 3 0 0
Fitch Rogers 5 0 0
Munson Jarvis 5 0 0
Nehemiah Rodgers 5 0 0
Edward Sands 3 0 0."

On the 2nd February, 1786, the corporation paid Peter Fleming L136 6s.
8d. for two fire engines. These must have proved ineffectual, for the
reader will notice that the above loan was made up hardly a year
afterward, and the present sum was raised for the special purpose of
buying London engines, and sinking wells.

The movement was not inaugurated a moment too soon, for in 1788 the
following year, a fire occurred in the store of General Benedict Arnold,
of revolutionary fame, which threatened to become very serious before it
was got under way. Arnold's store was situate in Lower Cove, where the
sewing machine factory adjoining John E. Turnbull's sash factory stood,
till the late besom of fire swept it away. A good deal of excitement was
occasioned at the time of the fire in Arnold's premises. His former
partner, Hoyt, charged him with setting fire to the store. Arnold sued
him for slander, and recovered a verdict of twenty shillings!

The next fire broke out in 1816 in a large two-story house on the corner
of Germain and Britain Streets, occupied by a military physician named
Davis. The doctor and his wife were saved from burning by the heroic
conduct of their next door neighbour. A party of soldiers were engaged
the next day sifting the ashes and searching for the silver which had
melted; not a trace of it was found however.

The fire of 1823 was a very serious one, and caused great destruction.
It began on Disbrow's Wharf and took along with it nearly both sides of
Prince William Street; the old wooden building on the latter street
lately occupied by _The Telegraph_ newspaper, alone escaped. The lot on
which it stood cost Dr. Adino Paddock five shillings in 1786. During
this fire over forty houses were burned, and the loss of property and
goods was estimated at L20,000, which in those days was felt to be
enormous.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PANORAMIC VIEW OF ST. JOHN, 1828 OR '30.]

The fire of 1837 will linger long in the memory of many of the
inhabitants of St. John. It was the most wholesale destruction of
property which the people had ever known. Many to-day contrast the
misfortunes of that day with those of the present hour. Even when the
flames were carrying death and destruction on all sides on that warm day
in June, 1877, men stopped to compare notes and whisper a word or two
about the fire of 1837. Of course the loss was not as great then, or the
number of lives lost so large, or so much valuable property destroyed as
at the present time, but the people were less able to bear the trials
which came upon them then, and many never recovered from the shock. The
city was young and struggling to gain a foothold. The city was poor and
the people were frugal. They were not able to bear the burdens which
were in a night entailed upon them, the magnificent system of relief
from outside sources was not in operation, and without help of any kind
save that which they themselves brought into requisition, the citizens
nobly worked long and hard to rebuild their little seaport town. There
was a prejudice against insurance, and many lost every dollar they
possessed. The hardships of those days are remembered by many who
passed through them then, and who once more endure the horrors of a
great calamity with almost Spartan courage. The time of the '37 fire was
in the very heart of a rigorous winter, on the 13th of January, and we
can only picture the destruction of Moscow to enable the reader to
understand how terrible the sufferings of the people must have been,
when snow and ice were on the ground, and not a shelter covered the
heads of the afflicted women and tender babes. It was a day remembered
long after by those who had passed through its trials. The fire
originated on Peters's Wharf, and in a moment, like lightning, it darted
along South Market Wharf and extended up to the ferry boat. Both sides
of Water Street and Prince William Street between Cooper's Alley and
Princess Street were destroyed. The old Nichols House was saved; it was
occupied then by Solomon Nichols and stood on the corner of Cooper's
Alley and Prince William Street, lately the site of Farrall & Smith's
dry goods store. It was originally built of wood and it was a marvel
that it was not carried away with the rest; but it stood like an oasis
in Sahara, or the old sentinel who was left on guard and forgotten after
the army had fled. One hundred and fifteen houses were consumed, and
nearly the whole of the business portion of the city, and one million
dollars' worth of property were destroyed.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

MARITIME BLOCK (1873) SHOWING VIEW OF PRINCE WILLIAM ST.

Climo, Photo.]

Hardly had the people recovered from the disaster of 1837, when another
scourge came upon them causing nearly as much destruction as before.
This was in August, 1839, when a fire started in Nelson Street and
burned the entire north wharf, both sides of Dock Street, Market Square,
with the exception of the house standing on the site now occupied by the
Bank of British North America, and a house on Union Street west,
occupied by Mr. Hegan. It didn't cross Prince William Street. The old
Government House, Union Street, escaped.

The spring of 1841, 17th March, was the scene of another fire, when four
lives were lost and much excitement prevailed. Mr. Holdsworth, of
Holdsworth & Daniel, (London House) perished while endeavouring to keep
off the sparks from the roof of his store.

On the 26th August, a L30,000 fire in Portland carried off sixty houses;
and on the 15th November, 1841, a fire broke out on the South Wharf and
burned the whole of that wharf together with Peter's Wharf, south side
of Water Street, and the large brick Market-house in Market Square,
which was occupied by butchers in the ground flat, and used for the
civic offices in the second story. This building could have been saved,
and was lost through gross carelessness. Incendiarism was rampant and
the greatest excitement filled the public mind.

In 1845, 29th July, forty buildings were burned from a fire which took
its start in Water Street, and in 1849 the famous King Street fire broke
out in a store in Lawrence's building. The Commercial Hotel, then kept
by the late Israel Fellows, father of James I. Fellows, Chemist, was
destroyed, together with the Tower of Trinity Church, which had to be
pulled down that the Church might be saved. Pilot Mills climbed to the
cupola and secured the fastenings by which it was brought to the ground.

The fire in Prince William Street of March 8th of the present year,
which broke out in the building owned by the Ennis and Gardner estate,
and resulted in the loss of seven lives and nearly two millions of
dollars' worth of property, is still fresh in the minds of our readers.

Thus the reader will see that St. John has had a goodly share of the
great fires, which, in a moment lay prostrate a city, and plunge her
inhabitants into almost hopeless ruin. We come now to that day of our
last and greatest tribulation when the city was shook to its very
foundation and was well nigh thrown out of existence.

FOOTNOTES:

[A] The exact acreage, from actual measurement is 200 acres;
streetage, 9.6 miles.

CHAPTER II.

The great fire, for we must distinguish it by that title, since in
vastness it overpowers all other similar calamities which have befallen
St. John, originated in the late Joseph Fairweather's building, York
Point, Portland, at half past two on Wednesday afternoon, 20th June. The
writer and Mr. Frederick R. Fairweather were walking down King Street at
the time of the alarm, and, in company with hundreds of others, visited
the scene of what promised at the time to be a very small affair indeed.
When the place was reached, McLaughlin's boiler shop was in flames and
all efforts of the firemen to put out the fire were checkmated at every
turn by the fierce north-west wind which was blowing a perfect gale. In
a few minutes the fire spread with alarming rapidity, and houses went
down as if a mine of powder had exploded and razed them. The wind lifted
from the roofs immense brands and sparks, and by three o'clock the city
was in flames at a dozen points. Lower Cove was on fire, and the dryness
of the houses rendered them as useless to withstand the blaze as bits of
paper would have been. The huge blazing brands were carried along in
the air for miles around, and where-ever they dropped a house went down.
The engines were powerless, and the firemen, though they worked like
heroes, availed but little. The wild, mad flames, now in sheets, now
with a million tongues of angry fork-like columns, dashed against the
wharves, levelling them to the water's edge, ripping up the pavements of
the streets, and crushing houses out of existence in a single swoop.
Nothing could be done. The leaping demon swept all before him. Hare's
Wharf with its buildings bowed before the destroyer, and with a roar
which thrilled every heart, and unnerved every man who stood there, the
whole force of the fire dashed into Smyth Street and shattered every
building in it. J. W. Nicholson's wine vaults, Harrison's flour
warehouse, Logan & Lindsay's storehouse, Robertson Place, which exceeded
in value half a million of dollars, were snapped up in a second. The
flames spread into Drury Lane and Mill Street, and soon both sides of
Dock Street were in the common ruin. But while this was going on, the
rear of the London House, in Market Square, was threatened and the old
barracks in Lower Cove were on fire. A reinforcement from Carleton and
Portland fire departments came to the assistance of the firemen at this
juncture, and every man worked with a will. The hose was directed with
admirable expertness but the high wind baffled the efforts of all who
stood before it. It could rise higher than the water, and it could
travel faster than man. A mass of flames at the end of Smyth Street and
Drury Lane burned close to an engine, but the dauntless firemen,
holding boards over their heads to protect their faces and eyes from the
heat, gave battle to the relentless foe. It was a fight of water and
human endurance against fire, and fire prevailed in the end. The unequal
combat lasted some minutes, and it was only when death seemed imminent
that the men drew away, and even then they only yielded the ground inch
by inch, till they could no longer stand up before the charging enemy.
The fire was now going with headlong speed down Dock Street. Frantic
women wildly sobbing filled the roads with the few sticks of furniture
and portions of bedding which they had managed to save. Children
hastened along crying aloud, and making the scene more dreadful as they
ran barefooted over the hot sidewalk. Men with picture frames and books
rushed past, calling and threatening, and moaning. It was a scene
terrible in its reality. People were driven from street to street, and
hurled forward, till, with horror in their blanched faces, they turned
and saw in their rear the wild flames hemming them in. With many a
shriek they dashed into the side streets. Some ran along Water Street,
only to meet the flames there, and a few sought refuge in rafts and
boats, and sped to Carleton, losing in the excitement every dollar they
owned in the world. The old McSweeney lime-stone building, which came to
a point on the corner of Union and Dock Streets, early succumbed and was
a mass of crumbling ruins. It was near this edifice that a woman rescued
her child from instant death, and pulled her away just in time to
escape being buried in a mass of stone, which came tumbling down in a
thousand pieces. The Rankine bakery, another building known far and
wide, suffered demolition, and was soon a heap of ruins. Some young men,
three in number, entered a store on Mill Street, to avoid the dust and
smoke. In a little while they saw with agony the flames burst in upon
them from the rear door, ten or twelve feet from the entrance. They
called for help, and attempted to gain an exit from the place which was
now filled with heavy black smoke. Three times they sought the door, and
every minute they began to realize the imminence of their danger. The
flames and smoke drove them back, and now the water from the hose came
tearing into their faces, knocking their breath away, and saturating
them with the wet. Two jumped with the frenzy of madmen and the wildness
of despair, and landed into the street safe, but paralysed with fear.
The other man groped his way on his hands and knees along the floor and
felt for the door. He succeeded after enduring much suffering, in
crawling into the street. All that these three saved was on their backs.
In the midst of the commotion in Dock Street, merchants were busily
engaged in securing their books and private papers, and hurrying out
with them. Some trusted to their safes and locked their doors. The sweep
in this street was a clear one. The old "Hammond House" went shortly
after the McSweeney building, and the Figaro Opera House followed
shortly after. This building was built a few years ago, as an exhibition
hall, by Otis Small, Esq., and leased to Major George Bishop, as a
concert room. He occupied it awhile, and Pete Lee succeeded him in the
lesseeship and management of the concern. Some excellent performances of
the variety kind have been given in this building. The hall was
comfortably seated and tastefully arranged. Latterly it was converted,
by Prof. Neilson, into a ball-room and dancing academy, when it received
its new name, "Figaro Opera House."

Dock Street was soon in ashes, and it was while this street was burning
that a grand rush was made by the merchants and private bankers, to the
Bank of New Brunswick. Piles of bank notes, bills of exchange,
mortgages, bonds, specie, books of account, ledgers, &c., &c., were
placed in tin boxes, when practicable, and deposited, through the
courtesy of George Schofield, Esq., of the bank, into the vaults. They
were not a moment too soon, for now the splendid front of the Market
Square was in a blaze, and Hall & Fairweather's store on South Wharf was
burning. An immense amount of damage was being done. On this square a
vast deal of business had been done for many years, and leading
merchants had made and lost fortunes on its site. The London House,
Messrs. Daniel & Boyd's wholesale establishment, represented a large
value. It stood in the centre of the square, and the gradual sinking of
this structure was a sad but grandly imposing sight. It was here where
enterprise was to be found, and Daniel & Boyd's name was ever the
synonym for honesty, integrity, and truth. It was in this spacious
warehouse where the busy merchants were to be seen, eager to help the
young men of the city, and anxious to develop the resources of the
country. In every good work, in every deed of charity, Thomas W. Daniel
and John Boyd headed the list, and to them many a young merchant to-day
is indebted for that teaching, which, in after life, made him honourable
in his dealings. This prominent house was started in 1831 by Holdsworth
& Daniel. The fire of 1839 carried their store away, and for a while the
firm occupied the store known as Jardine's, Prince William Street. In
1839, the land on the market square was purchased by Mr. Thos. Daniel
for L4,000. (In 1811 this place was used as a blacksmith's shop.) In
1847, Mr. Thomas Daniel left the firm and went to England. His nephew,
the present head of the house, Thos. W. Daniel, began business on his
own account, and soon after 1852, he admitted John Boyd as a partner in
the house, under the style of T. W. Daniel & Co. Shortly after the style
of this firm was changed to Daniel & Boyd. On the corner to the right of
Daniel & Boyd, No. 1 Market Square, was the staunch old drug
establishment of the late W. O. Smith, Esq. Mr. Smith, the father of our
present ex-Mayor, opened here after the fire of 1839, and the business
has been conducted here till the late fire, by his son, A. Chipman
Smith, since 1871, when his father died in March of that year. In the
adjoining store, so many years occupied by Lawton & Vassie, Messrs.
Manchester, Robertson & Allison, may be said to have begun business.
They left here, W. W. Jordan taking the store, to occupy their
commodious premises in King Street, which alone kept off the fire
from the north side of King Street. The saving of this building was one
of the marvels of the present calamity. It really held the key to the
whole of this side of the street. But for the laundry and the well
managed protective means employed by the firm and their friends, the
destruction of this house and the entire street would have been
accomplished. Men stood idly in the courtway folding their arms and
telling one another that the building could not possibly be saved, when
Mr. Manchester, in his short impulsive way, told them if every one did
as they were doing, it could not; but he intended to use every effort in
his power before he gave it up. The firemen here worked with a will, and
were rewarded with a splendid result. It was on this side of the street
that the Western Union Telegraph Office was situated, and it and Mr. J.
W. Hall's new building were the first to go. The Maritime Block--a
splendid structure--in which the banks, Maritime, Montreal and Nova
Scotia, were established, and which faced the Market Square, went down
while it was yet daylight. In this building the offices of the school
trustees, Dun, Wiman & Co., A. P. Rolph, Lumber Exchange, and Board of
Trade were held. While Mr. Rolph was engaged in getting his things ready
to move out, Mr. Richard Thompson's men were hastening in with
silver-ware and jewelry, thinking in their excitement that this building
was at all events safe. Mr. Thompson's loss is very heavy, and the
damage to his elegant and costly stock is considerable. The lot on which
the Sheffield House stood was offered some years ago, at private sale,
to John Wilmot, Esq., father of Senator R. Duncan Wilmot, by James
Brimner, for L2,000. Mr. Wilmot refused it, and attended the auction
sale when it was knocked down to him for L2,950. The police office went
next, Watts & Turner's, H. & H. McCullough's, and round again to the
north wharf, carrying Lewin & Allingham, Chas. R. Ray, W. H. Thorne &
Co. (retail), and Thomas M. Reed, along with it. The destruction on the
north wharf totally demolished the establishment of Jas. Domville & Co.,
and the books of the firm which had been taken to the Maritime Bank for
safe keeping, were subsequently burned there. The saving of the Bank of
British North America, the only monetary institution in the city which
resumed business the next day as usual, was one of those wonderful
events which only occur at rare intervals. The fire roared lustily in
the rear of the bank, but something seemed to command it to halt there,
and advance no further. A large barn went down, and now it was deemed
certain that the bank would go next, but no, the fire crossed the
square, dashed along Water Street, cut into Ward Street, destroyed a
slip full of schooners and wood boats, slipped into Tilton's Alley, and
rushed along with frightful rapidity on both sides of every thoroughfare
in its way. On the one side of the city the fire was stopped at North
Street, having reached J. & T. Robinson's house and store.

[Illustration: THE BUILDING WHICH PREVENTED THE FIRE FROM EXTENDING UP
KING ST.]

CHAPTER III.

The fire entered King Street in the western side from Germain and
Canterbury Streets. It began by burning down Lawton & Vassie's brick
store, erected on the site which contained the famous Bragg building.
This stout building and Bowes & Evan's premises were soon buried in the
common ruin. The fire went along King Street, destroying Mr. Sharp's dry
goods store, Jas. Adams & Co's., James Manson's magnificent palace,
including his safe and all his valuable papers, John K. Storey's and
Magee Bros., Imperial Block. This last place is quite historic. This
block was erected in 1852, by the late John Gillis. It was built on the
site where the memorable coffee house stood. Here of an evening for
years and years the old men of the place used to sit and gossip and
smoke and sip their toddy. Here in 1815 they met to learn the news of
the war between France and England, and read the story of Waterloo four
or five months after it was fought and won. In this sort of Shakspeare
tavern, the leading merchants of the day met and chatted over large
sales, and compared notes. Here a verbal commercial agency was
established, and here delightful old gossips, like busy Sam Pepys and
garrulous old busybodies, like Johnson's Bozzy, met and told each other
all about everybody else's affairs. What a time these old fellows had
every night sitting there in that quaint old coffee house, chatting and
smoking, smoking and chatting again. And there were Ben Jonsons in those
days, who wrote dramatic pieces and showed them to their friends over a
cup of hot spiced rum. And poets too, full of the tender passion, sighed
out hexameters of love in that old coffee house so dear to some of the
men we meet to-day who lost everything in the flames on that dark
Wednesday in June. Ah, yes, the grand old coffee house was torn down in
1852 to make room for the handsome pile of stone and brick which
perished only the other day. The corner is again bare, and the few who
remember the coffee house are fast passing away.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

KING STREET.]

The fire now gained great headway, and soon it was seen taking
prodigious leaps, going ahead, and then seemingly to dart back again and
finish what it had already begun. The people everywhere were in the
wildest state of excitement. In the back streets the fire was
progressing and destroying the residences of the men who were trying to
save their business property in the marts of commerce. People sent car
loads of their more valuable goods to places which appeared to be safe,
but which turned out in the end to be of only temporary security. Men
had their stores burned at four and five o'clock, and their goods burned
at seven and eight o'clock. It was only putting off the evil for a few
brief hours. Cartmen charged wildly and exorbitantly--some having to
pay as high as fifty dollars to have carted away a cartload of stuff. On
every roof in King Street clerks and employers stood with hose and
buckets of water, but nothing that man could do or devise held the
flames at bay, or kept them off for the brief space of a moment. The
fire was determined on a clean sweep, and despite the most strenuous
exertions it had its own way, and baffled the efforts of those who
attempted to stay its fierce will. Beek's corner, lately in the
occupancy of H. R. Smith, bookseller, and a perfect feeder of a fire
like this, was an easy prey, and with a loud roar its rafters fell, and
a well-known corner was no more. Mullin's shoe store, a building of
similar construction, went down in another moment, and now the only
brick building in the block from Canterbury Street to Germain Street was
attacked by the fire. This was Pine's brick building, a fine structure
which several years ago Mr. George Jury Pine built, and in which I. & F.
Burpee commenced business, and George Stewart, of Stewart & White, began
trade. Messrs. Della, Torre & Co. occupied No. 30, and Geo. Stewart,
Jr., Druggist, held the other store, No. 32. The present owner of the
building, Stephen Whittaker, of Fredericton, had lately begun the
erection of a spacious rear addition, and improvements on a liberal
scale had been commenced in the upper stories. The rest of the building
was known as the Russell House. This building went to pieces about six
o'clock. The photograph rooms were destroyed before Pine's building
went, and the flames sped quickly, carrying before them the stores of
Bardsley Bros., Scott & Binning, W. K. Crawford, Geo. Salmon, and
Hanington Bros.' drug store, formerly Fellows & Co.'s establishment on
Foster's Corner, corner King and Germain Streets. The contents of this
store were quickly snapped up by the fire, and pills and plasters, soaps
and perfumes were spilled about in hopeless profusion and confusion. Mr.
T. H. Hall's twin buildings were across the street, but a barrier like
that was an easy jump for the infuriated flames. They leaped into the
windows, attacked the wood-work, and with a strong pull the two splendid
stone buildings were borne to the ground, and thousands of dollars'
worth of property lay scattered about in all directions. Mr. Hall
occupied the corner store as a book-store, and T. L. Coughlan had the
other. Dr. J. M. C. Fiske, dentist held the room overhead.[B] The Gordon
House, Fred. S. Skinner's grocery store, a row of wooden shanties,
Landry's brick building, with a rich stock of organs in it, Logan,
Lindsay & Co.'s large grocery, A. & J. Hay's, Geo. Nixon's, Wm. Warn's
bath-rooms, W. H. Watson's, Geo. Suffren's, W. H. Patterson's, Taylor &
Dockrill's, George Sparrow's, R. McAndrew's, and the United States
Hotel, only lived a short time in the very heart of the fire.

[Illustration: PINE'S BRICK BUILDING KING ST., THE ONLY BRICK BUILDING
BETWEEN CANTERBURY AND GERMAIN STS.]

The fire closed here for a moment, engaging a building dear from long
and good service to the people of St. John, and eminently historical in
its way. The United States Hotel, as Mr. Hinch, the photographer, called
it, when he took possession of it a few years since, was known for many
years as the old Masonic Hall. It stood on the corner of King Street and
Charlotte Street, and was commenced by the Free and Accepted Masons in
1816. It was decided to erect this Temple of Masonry at a meeting of the
craft held April 1, 1816. The lot of land was leased from the
corporation of Trinity Church, and on the 28th September following the
corner-stone was laid, on which was inscribed the following:--

"This stone of the Masonic Hall was laid on 28th Sept., 1816, of the era
of Masonry 5816, and the reign of George the Third, King of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in the mayoralty of John Robinson,
Esq., by Thomas Wetmore, Esq., H.M. Attorney-General of N.B., as Grand
Master, substitute of John Pike, Esq,. Grand Master of the Society of
Masons, Nova Scotia, and the jurisdiction thereof."

[Illustration: BELL TOWER AND KING SQUARE.]

The movement was not successful in a pecuniary sense, for in 1819 the
building was sold at sheriffs sale, at suit of James Hendricks. The
purchaser was Israel Lawson. Mr. Lawson had the building completed, and
leased the third or upper story to the Masons. The room was 60 feet by
30 feet, with two large ante-rooms. It was in this room that all the
concerts, balls, public parties, and public meetings given in the city
were held for many years. Up to 1836 the house was known as the Masonic
Hall, but after this year its name was changed. The St. John Hotel
Company was formed, and the building was purchased from Mr. Lawson and
converted into a hotel. It was called the "St. John Hotel," and Mr.
Cyrus Stockwell father of the Honourable Mr. Stockwell, editor of the
_Boston Journal_, opened it on May 24th, 1837. He was its first
proprietor. A copy of the company's original seal is given below. It was
made of brass, and was two inches in diameter.

[Illustration]

This was the first hotel in St. John. It was here that Governor-General
Poulet Thompson and Lord Elgin stopped, and all the notables who from
time to time visited the city. In 1840, Mr. Stockwell retired, and
Messrs. W. & J. Scammell succeeded him in the management of the hotel.
These enterprising gentlemen set to work at once to remodel the
building, and they soon had it in splendid working order. The same
energy which the present firm of Scammell Bros. throw into their
business, was characteristic of the old firm of Scammell Bros. in 1840.
In 1851, W. & J. Scammell left the St. John Hotel, and took up their
quarters in the Waverley House, nearly opposite. The picture which
accompanies this sketch of the old hotel represents the building as
it appeared in 1837. It is taken from an old picture, and as but two or
three copies were known to exist before the late fire, it is a question
now if more then one copy was saved. The old St. John Hotel is full of
associations, pleasurable in every case, to travellers who used to come
to St. John thirty and forty years ago. Even in 1858, when Messrs.
Whitney & Adams kept it, it was still a home for the stranger. There was
a freedom about its old rooms, and a positive luxuriance which one looks
for in vain in the hotels of our later days. About 1861-62, people used
to sit in Ned Sharland's book-store, which was on the ground-flat, and
sketch the Bell-tower, which was then certainly "a thing of beauty,"
even if Mr. Warner found it the reverse in 1874, when he climbed up to
the triumphal arch and found it was made of wood, painted and sanded,
instead of solid stone, as he thought it was. This bell-tower was
erected in 1851, and the large bell which for years tolled out that fire
was at hand, was made in 1852, and came from Meneely's, West Troy, New
York. Before that day, men struck a gong from a scaffold whenever there
was a fire. The tower was useful even in its latter days, if its beauty
had departed three years ago. The cut which we supply will give the
reader at a distance some idea of the old tower, as it appeared in its
lusty young days. When the city comes to be built up again, the site of
the late hotel must not be forgotten. It is eminently adapted for an
hotel. It is centrally located, and has a frontage of 120 feet on King
Street, by 100 feet on Charlotte Street. King Square did much to stay
the onward march of the fire. It was a haven of rest for those weary
ones who were flying from the flames, with the few things they had saved
from the burning. It was the camping ground of the soldiery, and the
hospital bed of the sick and wounded, who were borne to the fresh grass,
and laid there until help was brought to them. The Square, the first few
days of the fire, was filled with furniture, and books, and household
utensils. It was in this square that half-famished women, that night,
hugged their little ones to their hearts, and rocked them, hungry and
cold, on the sward till they went to sleep, only to awaken again and cry
for something to eat. It was here that women gathered into slips the
flying feathers that danced upon the grass and were the playthings of
the wind, trying to save enough of what remained to make a rest for
their heads. It was here they sat with wildly staring eyes, looking out
into the night, while all around them the embers flew about, and the
heavens were red with the sporting flames. It was before this that the
Bell-tower fell with a deafening crash, and many a heart quailed in the
Square, for this told that another historic fragment was swept away, and
that the terrible fire was near at hand. Sobbing children ceased their
wailing for a time, and feeble mothers prayed that God in His mercy
might avert the calamity, and stay the warring flames. There was no more
sleep for the tired ones. They must wander about, ringing their hands
and crying aloud in their awful despair. Even men who had faced a
thousand dangers, quailed before the advance of the fire. The streets
were alive with hurrying pedestrians. Horses were driven at breakneck
speed, and the clattering hoofs told that danger was at hand. Human
vultures stood, with their "pickers and stealers," ready to pounce upon
everything that could be seized, and the presence of an appalling danger
did not deter them from plundering the unfortunate and the destitute. It
was the old war again, of the strong against the weak and powerless. A
female vampire helped a widow lady to gather her little things together
in a bundle, while her children stole the silver and jewelry, and made
off with their plunder. Rough half-grown men stopped children in the
streets, and snatched from their arms the treasured fragments from a
broken home, which they were trying to rescue from the elemental
spoiler. Loafers and thieves held high carnival, and despite the agony
which was felt on all sides, these miscreants never for an instant
forgot that they were thieves, or neglected to ply their calling when
chance threw anything in their way. All night they roamed the streets,
and thrived on the misfortunes of others. Ask them for assistance, and
they knocked you down. Give them something to hold a minute, and they
made off with it. The vilest scum that ever filled a penitentiary
stalked abroad that night, and their lawlessness but added to the horror
of the hour.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

VIEW OF KING ST., SHOWING ST. JOHN HOTEL, 1837.]

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

NORTH SIDE KING ST. AND BELL TOWER.]

FOOTNOTES:

[B] The Orangemen of St. John District met in this hall.

CHAPTER IV.

The fire in Germain Street--The first brick house in St. John--
Old Trinity--The Loyalists--Curious ideas about insurance--The
rectors of Trinity--The Clock--The Royal Arms.

The fire along Germain Street was of great volume, and dealt out
destruction in a thoroughly wholesale manner. A good many buildings of
more than ordinary note were situate in this pleasant street, and to
these may be added a large number of churches, some of them being of
especial importance in an historical point of view. The fire came along
briskly, carrying Foster's Corner, Foster's shoe store, and the little
buildings adjoining, till it reached Dr. Ring's residence, the old
Disbrow property, the first brick house in St. John. The doctor had
lately improved it by extensive building operations, but in an hour or
two hardly a fragment remained to mark the spot, save parts of the
well-built walls and the tall chimneys. Mrs. Chas. K. Cameron's
millinery store and Hamilton & Lounsbury's place of business were in the
two stores in this building, and they very soon were lost to sight.
Lordly, Howe & Co.'s furniture warerooms, filled with new stock, were
greedily devoured by the flames, and Geo. Hutchinson, jr., who kept the
time ball in working order, lost all his jewelry and stock. The precious
stones and gold and silver ornaments in his safe were totally ruined
also. The Mansion Hotel, a small boarding house, was soon among the
general mass of debris, and the fire whizzed across the street, and
directed its entire force on Old Trinity. First the steeple went, and
then the whole body of the old church was in a sheet of flame, and there
was barely time left to save the historic Royal Arms which Captain Frank
B. Hazen got out of the building, and a few prayer books in the vestry,
and the minister's surplices, which Colonel Chas. R. Ray rescued from
destruction. The communion plate was in a safe, and it too was saved;
but this was all. During the burning of this sacred edifice the greatest
consternation prevailed among the people who lined the streets. Now
surely there was no resisting the fire. The hoarse roar of the tornado
of flame seemed to sound like a mocking laugh, and when the rafters of
the oldest church in the city fell with a dull thud, all felt as if a
friend had been torn ruthlessly from their gaze. Many exhibited real
emotion; and there were women who cried that afternoon, as they thought
of this last relic of their loyalist forefathers being swept away in the
cruel and all-devouring fire. Trinity Church has a very remarkable
history of its own, and the picture which we supply of it will be
perhaps the most attractive of our illustrations to the great mass of
the residents of the city. It was ever a monument of the piety and
religious tenets of our first settlers. A heritage which they left to
their children. It never laid claims to architectural beauty, but it was
commodious and homely; and men felt while inside its grand old walls
that there was something more than the mere name in religion after all,
and the word which they heard was true and good. The Loyalists who
settled here in 1783, on that memorable 18th of May, were composed of
that stuff which the poet tells us warriors sometimes feel, and they
diligently set to work to build on this sterile, rocky soil a city that
future ages would acknowledge. They had thrift, integrity, great zeal,
enterprise and piety, and these attributes were their strongest points.
The man who possesses all these characteristics can give battle to the
world and he will conquer. They had true courage in them, these
pioneers. They had stability, nerve and character, and were just the men
to found a city and plant the seeds of civilization in a community. They
erected simple houses at first, and then a church was built in which
they could worship that God who had befriended them and journeyed with
them to their new homes. The first church was erected in Germain Street,
between Duke and Queen Streets, in the lot where Mr. James McMillan
lived till he was burned out of it the other day. The faith adopted here
was that of the Church of England--as the major portion of the Loyalists
were of that persuasion. When the city lots were divided, the "Old
Burial Ground" was laid aside for church and burial purposes, and at the
south-west corner--where the court-house now stands--it was intended to
build a church, and a frame for that object was obtained. The fire of
1784, however, passed over this section of the city, and the founders
changed their ideas about the locality in which the projected edifice
should stand. The Germain Street building had not been consecrated, and
the people continued to worship there until 1791, when the Trinity
Church was erected. The first church then continued to be occupied by
various denominations, by the Methodists first, and then by the
Baptists, until meeting-houses and chapels of their own could be built;
latterly it was used as a private dwelling-house and school-house. The
first sermon in Trinity was preached on Christmas Day, 1791, by Rev. Dr.
Mather Byles, rector. The following year a bell was put up, and, in 1803
or 1804, stoves, for the first time, were placed in the church. The
first Bishop of Nova Scotia, Right Reverend Dr. Charles Inglis,
performed the consecration services of the church. This eminent divine
was grandfather of Major-General Sir John Inglis, whose deeds of valour
at Lucknow will never be forgotten while glorious exploits in military
history live in the memory of men. Thomas Horsfield and Fitch Rogers
were the first church-wardens of Trinity, and the vestrymen were Hon.
Gabriel Ludlow, Ward Chipman, Munson Jarvis, Thomas Whitlock, Nathan
Smith, Thomas Elmes, William Hazen, Colin Campbell, Nehemiah Rogers,
Isaac Lawton, Thomas Bean, and Samuel Hallet; vestry clerk, Colin
Campbell; sexton, James McPherson. General Coffin and Thomas Whitlock
gave the ground for the building, and Messrs. Bean & Dowling were the
builders. This Mr. Bean was the gentleman who, in June, 1811, when the
church wanted to borrow L200, agreed to lend it that sum on the express
condition that the insurance policy then on the building should be at
once cancelled. An order was passed cancelling the policy without delay.
Thus was Trinity for a while without insurance. Had Mr. Bean's ideas
prevailed to-day the congregation would, in all likelihood, mourn the
loss of $20,000, which is the amount that was on the building at the
time of the fire. When the edifice was finished, it was found to be of a
peculiar shape, and its breadth was out of all proportion to its length.
This was not an accident, however, for the builders wisely thought the
city would grow, and that as the requirements of the people needed it,
the church might be made larger. Little change had taken place in the
interior arrangements of the church at the time of its destruction. The
same pews had stood over four score of years, and all the alteration
that was made was a slight cutting down of the backs of some of the
centre ones. The side pews remained the original height. For
seventy-three years the old organ has been in constant use in Trinity.
It was brought from London in 1804, and cost a good round sum. The
freight on it alone was one hundred guineas, but the owner of the vessel
which brought it over, Hon. Wm. Pagan, remitted the amount back to the
corporation of the church. To its last days, this organ has been a good
instrument. In 1792, Mr. William Thomson presented Trinity with a bell,
for which he received a cordial vote of thanks. This bell was in active
service till 1857, when the bell which tolled a few days ago its last
sad peals, was mounted in the belfry. The town-clock, as every one was
accustomed to call the clock which told of the passing hours, too, has a
history. In 1810, Mr. John Venning erected the tower and cupola. He
had nearly completed his work one May morning, when owing to a light
fall of snow the staging became slippery, and when Mr. Venning stepped
upon it he slipped from it to the roof, and from thence to the ground,
where he was picked up dead. In 1812, the clock was placed in position,
and has remained there, till the events of Wednesday ended its career.
Barraud, of Cornhill, London, was the maker, and it cost L221 19s.
sterling; the Common Council voted L50 towards it. Up to 1814, the
church paid for having the time-piece wound, and in this year the
winding cost L6 15s., when the church people decided that they would no
longer attend to this service, and maintained that the commonalty should
see to it. The Council, on December 24th, 1814, resolved to act on the
suggestions of the Church corporation, and took upon themselves the duty
of keeping the clock wound up and in repair. Edward Taylor assisted in
putting up the clock and assumed control of it, till Mr. Wm. Hutchinson,
father of Geo. Hutchinson, jr., took charge of it. Previous to 1857, it
had three dials, but in this year a fourth was added, and a spire was
placed upon the church.

[Illustration: TRINITY CHURCH.]

In 1811-12 the church was lengthened, and in 1857 it was enlarged again.

The first rector was the Rev. George Bisset, A. M., an Englishman.
Before the revolutionary war he was assistant to the rector of Trinity
Church, at Newport, Rhode Island. He became, two years later, the rector
of that church, and remained in that position until 1779, when the
British forces evacuated the island, and Mr. Bisset went to New York.
At the close of the war he came to St. John and was chosen rector of the
new parish. In 1786, he went to England on private and public business,
and while there raised quite a large sum to further the interests of his
church, and to assist materially in the building of the edifice. But in
1788, without seeing his hopes realized, he died, and was buried in the
Germain Street church-yard, and subsequently his remains were interred
in the Putnam tomb, in the old burial ground, where they still lie.

A Harvard graduate of the class of 1751, was the next rector of Trinity,
the Rev. Mather Byles, D.D. For fifteen years, he had laboured as a
Congregational minister at New London, and then left that church to link
his fortunes with the Episcopalians. He joined the Church and became
rector of Christ's Church, Boston, Mass. He left his charge, when the
British troops abandoned Boston, and went to Halifax, N. S., where he
became Garrison chaplain. When Mr. Bisset died Dr. Byles removed to St.
John, was made rector, and preached, as we have said, the first sermon
that was ever preached in Trinity Church. In his latter days Dr. Byles
was very infirm and required an assistant. He was rector of St. John for
26 years, and died at the age of 80 in March, 1814, loved, honoured and
respected. He was a man of fine parts, an excellent talker, of quick and
lively nature, and he possessed a rich fund of anecdote and humour. A
bundle of his sayings and doings has been published.

Rev. George Pidgeon was the third rector. He was a learned graduate of
Trinity College, Dublin, and was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1761. He
was an ensign in the rifles, and had served in America during the war.
He subsequently went to Halifax, took orders in the Church, became
rector of Fredericton and Ecclesiastical Commissary for the Province in
1795, and in 1814, on the death of the incumbent, he was made rector of
St. John. His health failed him, however, and for a time the church was
closed, when finally he died, May 6th, 1818. He was buried in the old
burial ground, and his monument may still be seen there.

The fourth rector was the Rev. Dr. Robert Willis--a Navy chaplain and a
very eminent man. His ship was at Halifax coaling, when intelligence
reached him that Mr. Pidgeon was seriously ill, and that the church in
St. John was closed in consequence. He left at once for St. John where
he officiated for several weeks, and on the death of Mr. Pidgeon was
chosen rector. The Stone Church and St. George's, Carleton, were erected
during his incumbency, and this caused a division in the Parish. Dr.
Willis became rector of St. Paul's, Halifax, in 1825, and Arch-Deacon of
Nova Scotia, which offices he held until the year 1865, when he died at
the age of 80. He was the father of Rev. Cuthbert Willis, rector of
Salisbury, who was formerly of the 15th regiment of foot.

In 1825 the Rev. Benjamin Gerrish Gray, D.D., succeeded Dr. Willis as
rector of St. John. He was born in Boston 1768, and on the departure of
the British troops from that city, while yet a child, he went with his
father to Halifax. He graduated at King's College, Windsor, completed
his education in England, and was ordained minister in 1796 by Bishop
Inglis at Halifax. Some years were spent by him as minister among the
Maroons, a discontented body of savages which the British Government
placed in Nova Scotia to the great annoyance and fear of the
inhabitants. The Doctor spent several years in connection with various
missions throughout Nova Scotia until 1819, when he became rector of St.
George's, Halifax. He laboured as rector in St. John on the death of Dr.
Willis, for fifteen years, when in 1840 he resigned his position. He
lived till 1854, when at the advanced age of 86 he died full of honours
and respect. He was a man of elevated tastes and liberal ideas. He loved
science, art and literature, and was a well informed and polished writer
and thinker. In 1833 one of the greatest calamities which ever befell
man happened to Dr. Gray. His house in Wellington Row took fire, and
before aid could come it was burned to the ground, together with the
rector's wife and a female domestic. No sympathy could alleviate the
suffering of the distracted husband, no words of man could take away the
agony of his deep grief and sorrow. It pressed heavily upon his mind,
and he was never again the same man. At this fire he lost his valuable
library which contained many rare and costly books and manuscripts,
together with the complete records of his parish.

He was succeeded by his son, Rev. John William D. Gray, D.D., a very
able man. He was born in 1798, at Halifax, and graduated at King's
College, Windsor. He became rector of Amherst, N.S., and in 1825, when
Dr. Willis resigned his office in St. John, a movement was made to get
the rectorship for Dr. Gray. This was not done, however, for the father
was appointed, and the son became his assistant. In 1840, on the
retirement of Dr. Benjamin Gray, the sixth rector received the
appointment which he held until his death, in 1868. For twenty-eight
years this eminent clergyman laboured for his church and his people, and
all remember him as a kindly, thoughtful, generous man. He had abilities
of the highest order, and, whether as a preacher or a writer, his
reputation filled no second place. He wrote with a nerve and a boldness
which carried all before it, and his extensive erudition and vast powers
of concentration of thought made his works valued and esteemed. His
notable writings were chiefly controversial pamphlets, and few entered
the lists with him and gained a victory. His vigorous pamphlets on the
Catholic question, and the Moses and Colenso controversy will be
remembered by many who read these pages to-day, and all will regret that
the great rector never published a theological book or placed his ripe
thoughts on some enduring record. He was an able exponent of the
Scriptures, and he wrote in a superior and beautiful style. His sermons
were models of elegant English and sound doctrinal ideas, and no rector
of Trinity ever filled the position so grandly and so loyally as good
old Dr. Gray. He died at the age of seventy years, and in the
forty-seventh year of his ministry. He was accounted the best reader in
the Province, and his delivery was forcible, and distinguished for a
certain gracefulness of style. The Rev. James J. Hill, M. A. succeeded
Dr. Gray. He is a native of Nova Scotia. His failing health caused him
to resign the rectorship in a few years. At a meeting of the St. John
Parish, held on the 21st of July, 1873, the Rev. F. H. J. Brigstocke, of
Jesus College, Oxford, was unanimously nominated to the rectorship. He
had been in orders twelve years, and for five years had been curate to
the Dean of Canterbury. Mr. Brigstocke assumed his duties in October,
1873, and is the present rector of the parish.

The stained-glass windows in the chancel of the old church were placed
there in 1859, and were presented by John V. Thurgar, Esq., a respected
retired merchant of this city, whose old stand was burned down on the
North Wharf during the great fire.

The old arms of Trinity Church have an historic interest of very great
importance. A glance at them will reveal the fact that they are military
arms and not those of the church. They have escaped fire once or twice,
and in the early years of their existence witnessed many a heated
controversy, and experienced marvellous escapes from destruction. The
first we hear of them was in Boston where they adorned the walls of the
Council Chamber of the Old Town House. On March 17th, 1776, they sailed
out of Boston Harbour and were carried to Halifax, where they had a
temporary abiding place in the old chapel there. They were afterwards
placed, in 1791, in Trinity Church, where they have remained ever
since, until Captain Hazen rescued them from the flames on Wednesday
afternoon. A story is current that a hundred years ago, these arms were
snatched from Trinity Church, New York, when that edifice was in flames,
but this lacks confirmation, and the best authorities are unanimous in
holding that their peculiar build unfitted them for church use, and that
they were certainly intended to adorn the walls of council chambers.
That they were with the British army, whether on its march or at its
station, is settled beyond dispute. This ends the story of old Trinity,
the most historic edifice in the city--the first church--the quaintest
structure--the last link which bound the old and the new together. The
school-house fronting on Charlotte Street was burned at the same time as
the church.

CHAPTER V.

The Old Curiosity Shop in Germain Street--A Quaint Old
Place--"Rubbish Shot Here"--Notman's Studio--The Mother of
Methodism--Destruction of the Germain Street Methodist
Church--Burning of the Academy of Music--The Old Grammar
School--Presbyterians among the Loyalists--The "Auld Kirk"
--Saint Andrew's--The grants of Land--Legislation--The
building of the Kirk--Ministers--The "Victoria" in Flames
--Fascination of the Fire--The "Victoria" in Ruins--What
might have saved it.

The fire has destroyed Mrs. Lyons's "old curiosity shop,"--an
establishment known far and near as a place where everything, from a
needle to an anchor, might be got. Mrs. Lyons is an old inhabitant, and
for years was a constant attendant at every auction sale, and her
judgment has more than once influenced and controlled the bidding. She
bought everything, and, what is more curious still, she managed to sell
it afterwards at a fair profit. Old books, old pictures, cheap prints,
crockery, bedding, carpets, furniture; all had a home in that asylum for
decayed rubbish. It was a pleasant place in which to while away an odd
hour or two. The things were, at least, worth looking at; and one could
sometimes turn over a good book or two, or dip into the pages of an old
magazine and find a bit of poetry here and there, or a pleasant essay
that was worth glancing over. Of course, nothing out of this stock could
be saved, and the curious and out-of-the-way knick-nacks of the people
were swept away in a very short time. Mrs. Lyons is a very heavy
loser by the calamity, and narrowly escaped with her life. Indeed she
was reported missing at one stage of the fire.

Mr. Notman's beautiful studio with its gems of neat things in art, and
its hundreds of elegant picture frames, went next. The premises had only
recently been opened, and the reception room was a perfect gallery of
beautifully arranged pictures and chromos, and India ink copies. A
number of oil paintings, some of them of considerable value, a good many
choice bits in water colour, some decidedly clever engravings together
with pieces of statuary, and a bronze or two perished in an instant. Not
a negative was saved, and the fine picture of Mr. John Melick's handsome
boy, which was so artistically finished in India ink by Mr. James
Notman, shared a like fate. The studio was full of handsome work, and
lovers of the aesthetic whenever they had a spare minute or two always
wandered into Notman's and inspected the new things he had there. It was
a place of resort for the cultivated mind, and the eye always rested on
something pleasing and charming. This building went so rapidly that the
occupants barely escaped with their clothes. The fire crossed the street
on both sides, and after sweeping down Mr. Edward Sears's house on the
corner, and carrying with it Mr. Tremaine Gard's jewelry establishment,
it rushed along levelling all before it, till Horsfield Street was
reached. On this corner the Mother of Methodism was situated--the old
Germain Street Methodist Church--called in olden times "The Chapel."
This structure was located a few feet off the street, and when the fire
caught and hugged it in its grasp the concourse of people beheld a sight
not easily effaced from their memory. The flames shot up, and for awhile
nothing but an avalanche of fire was to be seen. The hot, thick volume
roared out and crackled as timber after timber went down before the
whirlwind, and rent asunder in an hour, an edifice which had withstood
the blasts of the elements for seventy years. In 1808, on Christmas day,
this chapel was opened, and dedicated to the service of God, by the Rev.
Mr. Marsden. The leading layman at that time was the late John Ferguson,
an influential citizen and a prosperous merchant. He did much for
Methodism in his time, and it was through his exertions that the chapel
was built. For many years this commodious building was the only place of
worship that this body of Christians had in the city, and the various
clergymen who from time to time preached from its old-fashioned, homely
pulpit, developed sterling qualities and superior talents. Among its
body of laymen were men distinguished alike for their zeal and religious
principles. Such clergymen as Revs. Messrs. Priestly, Wood, Dr. Alder,
John B. Strong, Bamford, Wm. Temple and H. Crosscomb, will be
affectionately remembered by old members of this congregation, as
ministers whose interests were ever closely identified with those of
their hearers. The present Chief of Police, John R. Marshall, has been a
member of this church all his life, and for thirty years he has led the
singing. It was an unpretentious building with no attempts at
architectural display. A few years ago, to meet the wants of the
community, it was enlarged and extended back, and the gallery was placed
nearer the pulpit. While this building was burning the hospitable
residences of James Lawton, Esq., and Wm. Davidson, Esq., were being
reduced to ashes, and Dr. McAvenny's fine dental rooms adjoining those
houses, went down also.

The burning of the Academy of Music[C] took place almost at the same
time. Not a vestige of this splendid hall remains to tell of the
dramatic triumphs that have been witnessed on its stage, or the
matchless oratory that fell from the lips of Phillips, Beecher and
Carpenter. Here it was that a few years ago the great performance of
Richelieu took place, when Couldock enacted the Cardinal Duke, and Louis
Aldrich was the impetuous De Mauprat. Here on this stage Carlotta Le
Clercq won some of her grandest triumphs. Here Warner and Lanergan gave
their wonderful interpretations of the Moor and Iago. Here Chas. Koppitz
led his great orchestra the day before he died, and here some of the
sweetest voices have been heard emulating the notes of the nightingale.
This building, which for several years enjoyed a splendid reputation,
well stocked with scenery and properties, centrally and admirably
located, seemed to melt into nothing on the day of the fire. The walls
fell with a loud crash, and the grand temple of amusement, in which our
people felt so much pride, was a thing of the past. It was owned by a
joint stock company, and the late Dr. George E. Keator was the first
president. On his death, Dr. Allan M. Ring was made president, and he
has retained the office ever since. John R. Armstrong, Esq., has been
the secretary from the beginning of the institution. It is only about a
year ago that it was frescoed and painted and greatly improved inside.
The Academy presented a noble appearance from the street, and the reader
can form an intelligent idea of how it looked from the illustration
which we give. The Knights of Pythias, New Brunswick and Union Lodges,
occupied the upper story as a lodge room. It was neatly and attractively
fitted up, and the knights took great interest in having it properly
cared for. The loss with which this young organization has met, is quite
large and is therefore severely felt.

The last theatrical performance at the Academy of Music was on Tuesday
evening, 19th June, when Louise Pomeroy, an actress of charming genius,
sustained the _role_ of "Juliet" in Shakespeare's tragedy of the
affections, "Romeo and Juliet." On Wednesday night she was to have
performed "Rosalind" for the second time in St. John, in the delightful
comedy of "As You Like It." The company then playing were under the
management of Mr. William Nannary, with Mr. P. Nannary as assistant
manager, and Mr. W. E. Kelly, of Halifax, business agent. Mr. George B.
Waldron was stage manager, and his wife, Isabella Waldron, the leading
lady. The other members of the organization were R. Fulton Russell, F.
G. Cotter, G. T. Ulmer, Harry Pierson, Belvil Ryan, Mr. Padget, Mr.
Eberle, J. Reddy, Mr. Vanderen, Mr. Donaldson, W. F. Edwards, C. Mason,
Lizzie May Ulmer, Pearl Etynge, Little Bell Waldron, Mrs. Edwards, Mrs.
Vanderen, Miss Hill, Mabel Doane, and Florence Stratton. All of these
artists suffered by the fire. Some saved their wardrobes, only to have
them stolen afterwards.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

ACADEMY OF MUSIC.]

After Dr. McAvenny's office was burned, the fire shot into Messrs.
Miller and Woodman's double house, the late residence of Hon. A. McL.
Seely, and it was soon shattered to its basement. The fire then spread
as far as Duke Street, burning on its passage Dr. W. Bayard's house, and
the old McGrath residence, which latterly contained Dr. James E.
Griffith's office. On the other side, the Grammar School was the first
victim after the Old Chapel.

This building was a plain wooden house of rather squat appearance. It
was erected on two lots of land, 80 feet front by 200 deep, which in
1807 were sold by Thos. Horsfield for L100. The first teacher was James
Brimner. In 1818 Dr. James Patterson took charge, and remained head
master till nearly the close of his life. Rev. Mr. Wainright,
afterwards rector of New York, and who died Bishop there, was at one
time a teacher in the Grammar School. The masters who have taught here
have been judiciously selected, and the school has been very successful
from the first. Messrs. Hutchison and Manning, and Rev. Mr. Schofield,
and latterly Rev. Dr. Coster, are all gentlemen of fine scholastic
attainments and excellent imparters of knowledge to the youth. For many
years the Corporation gave a gold medal annually to the bright boys of
this institution of learning, and many of our prominent lawyers,
doctors, engineers and merchants have been educated here. H. W. Frith,
Esq., was for many years secretary to the Board who controlled this
school, and continued in that office till the new school-law came into
force. The Grammar School in its last days was a free school of the
highest grade.

It has been said of Scotchmen that next to love of country they revere
their religion. Indeed, the love is as warm for the one as it is for the
other. The Bible and Home. God and Scotland. Their religion has been
compared to their native Grampians, and some have said that it was as
hard, cold, determined and unyielding as those grand old hills
themselves, the very name of which sends a thrill through every
Scotchman's breast. Every Scottish poet has sung of home, every native
bard has written hymns and psalms. Burns's "Cotter's Saturday Night"
contains the germs of the Presbyterian faith, and Tannahill, Thomson,
Campbell, Hogg and all the other tuneful minstrels have sung in the same
key, and told of the old faith which the Covenanters felt on their
bleak hill-tops years ago, when it was deemed by some to be a crime to
worship God in more ways than one. It is as rare to find a Scotchman
unacquainted with the leading events in the Bible, the gist of the
shorter catechism, and the whole of the Psalms of David, including the
cxix, word for word, as it is difficult to enter a city all the world
over, and not find the sons of the old land filling the leading
positions in the place. Our readers may be sure that among the sturdy
loyalists not a few Presbyterians were to be found. When they reached
St. John, they settled in Lower Cove, and the first thing they did was
to consider the advisability of building a kirk. In 1784, the leading
men drew up a petition for a grant of land on which to lay the
foundation for a house of worship. It was sent to Governor Parr, and on
the 29th of June, of the same year, the grant was issued under the Great
Seal of Nova Scotia. John Boggs and others, for the Church of Scotland,
were the grantees. Their associates were Andrew Cornwall, James Reid,
John Menzie, Charles McPherson, William Henderson, John Gemmill, and
Robert Chillis, their heirs and assigns in trust. The document runs as
follows, and sets forth that the grant was, "for the erection, building
and accommodation of a meeting house or public place of worship for the
use of such of the inhabitants of the said town as now or shall
hereafter be of the Protestant profession of worship, approved of by the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland * * * and further for the
erection and building and accommodation of a dwelling house, outhouse,
casements and conveniences for the habitation, use and occupation of a
minister to officiate and perform divine service in the meeting house
aforesaid, according to the form and professing aforesaid * * * and
further for the building and erection of a public school house and
public poor house, with proper accommodation and conveniences for the
use of the inhabitants of the said Township of Parr,[D] forever, and
upon this further trust and confidence to secure and defend the said
piece and tract of land, and all such buildings, edifices, and
improvements, commodities and appurtenances, to and for the several and
respective public uses, intents and purposes aforesaid forever, but to
or for no other or private use, intent and purpose whatsoever."

It further states that in case of the lands coming into possession of
any other persons, they shall take the prescribed oath of allegiance
within twelve months, and in case of their neglect to do so, the lands
shall revert to the Crown. The grant was registered at Halifax, 29th
June, 1784, and at Fredericton on December 23rd, same year. These lands
were situate on the north side of Queen Street, extending east and west
from Sydney to Carmarthen Streets, and north from Queen Street 100 feet.
They contain 10 city lots and form a block of 100 by 400 feet.

Charles McPherson, once the owner of "Coffee House Corner," survived
the other trustees, who died before any of the buildings mentioned in
the grant were set up. A change had come over the people's views since
then, and the site was not approved of by those interested. It was not
central enough, and in 1815 it was decided to ask for a site in the
upper part of the town. Wm. Pagan, Hugh Johnston, senr., John Thompson,
James Grigor, John Currie, Alexander Edmonds, and William Donaldson were
the new Committee whose duty it was to provide "a meeting house for the
use of such of the inhabitants as are of the General Assembly of the
Church of Scotland." In this year the survivor of the trustees of 1784,
Charles McPherson, relinquished his interest in favour of the new
Committee. James Grigor selected the present site of the church in
Germain Street, and in 1815 he purchased it for L250 from J. V.
Thurgar's uncle, Mr. John L. Venner. The lot is 100 feet in width and
200 feet in depth. Mr. Grigor and wife, by deed, on the 20th June, 1815,
just sixty-two years ago, on the day of the fire, conveyed the property
to Wm. Pagan and the rest of the Committee. On June 4th, 1816, another
grant of land was given to the Committee by the Corporation of St. John.
This lot was in Duke's Ward, and known on the plan as one of the public
lots, letter B, bounded on the east by Carmarthen Street, on the west by
Sydney Street, and on the south by lots 1086 to 1077 inclusive. The
latter lots are on St. James' Street. This also was in special trust for
the Kirk of Scotland in this city, and the grant was unconditional. This
block was four hundred feet square, and a vacant field. The Committee
built houses upon it some years after, and laid out the street from
Sydney to Carmarthen, known as St. Andrew's Street. William Campbell was
Mayor, and Charles J. Peters, Clerk.

The Act 56 George III., cap. 28, passed 16th March, 1816, recites to
this effect:

"Whereas sundry inhabitants of the City of St. John and its vicinity,
being of the Protestant profession of worship, approved by the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland, have, by voluntary subscription,
aided by a grant[E] of money out of the Province (1814), erected a large
and handsome building for a place of public worship, which shall be in
connection with the said Church of Scotland: And whereas, the title of
the lots on which the said church has been erected, situated in Queen's
Ward in the said city, and fronting on Germain Street, is now in the
possession of the inhabitants of the said city, who hold the same in
trust: Be it enacted, that the minister and elders of the said church,
commonly called by the name of Kirk, whenever such ministers shall be
chosen and appointed, the said lots shall be vested in them, they being
known by the name of the minister and elders of the Church of Scotland
in the City of St. John."

In 1818, Act 58 was passed, and this statute authorized the Kirk's
ministers and elders to have full power to purchase, receive, hold, and
enjoy lands, and tenements, and to improve and use the same for the
purpose of supporting and maintaining the building erected in St. John
for a place of public worship, and of its minister for the time being;
but such rents, with the rents of pews, shall not exceed annually the
sum of L500.

An important discovery was made in 1832, when it was found that the
legislation that had been had was entirely at variance with Presbyterian
usage, which separated the spiritual from the temporal affairs of the
church, leaving the spiritual department in the hands of the minister
and his elders, and vesting the management of the temporalities in a
body of trustees to be named. A new bill was prepared, and accordingly
the following was speedily enacted by 2 William IV. cap. 18, "that
according to the form and usage of the Church of Scotland the spiritual
and temporal affairs of the said church are kept separate, and that the
present acts of incorporation vesting the temporal affairs of the St.
Andrew's Church, in the City of St. John, in the minister and elders is
at variance with the form and usage of the said Church of Scotland."

All previous acts were repealed, and the following gentlemen, who were
the committee of management then: Thos. Walker, Robert Rankin, John
Wishart, John Robertson, James Kirk, Robert Keltie, James Burns, Henry
Hood, William Parks, William Walker, James Robertson and Daniel Leavitt,
with the elders, John Paul, Robert Robertson, Thomas Nisbet, William
Hutchinson, Angus McKenzie and John Gillis, were appointed interim
trustees until the election of twelve other trustees as provided by the
Act, could be had. This Act is still in operation, and it fixes the
annual rents at not more than L500, and prescribes the proceedings as to
the election and choice of trustees, ministers, and elders, the sales
and leases of pews, lands, &c.

In 1815 the kirk was finished, and the trustees were Messrs. Pagan,
Johnston, Thomson, Grigor, and Edmond, Rev. Mr. Waddell, father of Dr.
Waddell, many years resident physician at the Lunatic Asylum, preached
the first sermon. The Rev. Geo. Burns was the first regularly appointed
minister, he had been an assistant minister in Aberdeen, Scotland, Mr.
Hugh Johnston who had been commissioned to go to Scotland for a
clergyman, chose Mr. Burns who was a young man of 26 years of age, and a
doctor of divinity. The degree was conferred on him by the University of
St. Andrew on his departure for America, and the new Kirk was called
"St. Andrew" in compliment to Dr. Burns's _Alma mater_. The young doctor
arrived in St. John on Sunday, the 25th of May, 1817, and on that day
preached his first sermon from Psalm cxxii, 1, "I was glad when they
said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord." Dr. Burns continued
minister until 1829. He left St. John May, 1831, and on the 5th
February, 1876, he died in Edinburgh at the ripe age of 86. The Rev.
Robert Wilson was the second minister of the Kirk, and he officiated
from 1830 to 1842. The Rev. Andrew Halket succeeded him from 1842 to
1848. He died in the fall of 1875, at Brecken, Scotland. The Rev. Wm.
Donald, D.D., was the fourth minister of this now influential church,
he was ordained at Aberdeen, in May, 1849, and on the 18th of June he
reached St. John, and took immediate possession of his charge. His
ministry was a long and able one, and no minister was ever loved more
and respected higher than this teacher of the sacred word. He was ever
kindly disposed towards his people and his congregation were ever
devoted to him, their interests were his interests, and his interests
were theirs. When he died 20th Feby., 1871, the whole city mourned, and
old St. Andrew's refused to be comforted. The Rev. R. J. Cameron, who
was Dr. Donald's assistant for some time, succeeded him in the ministry
of the church. The Rev. Mr. Mitchell, who began his labours on the 30th
January, 1877, was the last incumbent. During the long career of the old
kirk--the oldest Presbyterian church in the Province--it has changed but
little since it was erected. Some trifling alterations have been made in
the interior, but externally it has remained for over three score years
the same. Three memorial tablets had been placed upon the walls, the
first was in memory of William Pagan, the second William Campbell, and
the third Dr. Donald. The first Presbyterian minister who died in St.
John was the Rev. Thomas Wishart.[F]

[Illustration: ST. ANDREW'S KIRK.]

There are some interesting items in connection with Old St. Andrew's
personal history which are worth recording. The solid silver communion
service which was used was the gift, in the year 1818, of the Earl and
Countess of Dalhousie, and Miss Campbell gave the two peculiarly shaped
silver plates which contained the bread when the Sacrament was
administered. These articles were saved, and are now in the possession
of William Girvan, Esq. Mrs. James Lawton, about the year 1839,
presented the Church with the Pulpit Bible. This was unfortunately
burned, as well as the two oil paintings which hung in the vestry, and
were portraits of Revs. Drs. Burns and Donald. It was to see these
pictures that Dr. Burns's nephew came to St. John on the very day of the
fire, but before he arrived they were no more.

[Illustration: VICTORIA HOTEL.]

Very little time was lost between the destruction of Trinity, the
Germain Street Methodist, and "Old St. Andrew's." They took fire nearly
at the same time, and within an hour of each other the three were
consumed. The fire was extraordinarily rapid in its work, and the frame
buildings seemed to add zest to its voracious appetite. An engine might
have saved the Victoria Hotel, but it was far away, and helplessly the
people looked on and saw one after the other of their cherished
churches, hotels, houses of entertainment and dwellings, sink down
before the red glare of the serpent, which wound its coils round-about
and encompassed all with its fangs and fork-like tongue. It was a sight
that the eye sickened at, and the heart grew faint, and despair fell
upon the people, and many moved away. But there were others who gazed on
the tottering ruins with a fixed and glassy stare, and as the huge
boulders came thundering down from the heights above, and the half
famished flames shot out in long, thin lines from the windows, and
darted back again like a wiry thing of life, and shouts rent the air
from the lips of the wounded, these men never moved from the spot on
which they stood. The church was in ashes, and the great walls of the
Victoria were red with the demon flames. They scaled the heights, they
flew back again. They hid in the chimneys, they ran along the roof, they
melted the sashes and tore down the door-ways. The marble steps were in
fragments, and all through the long corridors of the house the shrieks
of startled women rang, and hastening refugees from the flames leapt
with the courage and skill of acrobats into the crowded street. It was a
time in which men held their breath. The fascination of that sight was
terrible. All were dismayed. All were paralyzed. The "Victoria," that
Grand Hotel which was St. John to every traveller who came here--that
massive pile of brick and stone--was no longer the standing monument of
the city's enterprise. An engine might have saved it, but the engine was
not there.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

GERMAIN STREET, SHOWING VICTORIA HOTEL.]

This spacious hotel was commenced by a Joint Stock Company in 1870, and
was built on the corner of Germain and Duke Streets. It was opened for
business July, 1871, with Mr. B. T. Creagen as Manager, and the
following Board of Directors:--Otis Small, Esq., President; John Magee,
A. Chipman Smith, John McMillan and William F. Harrison, Esqrs. The
hotel building cost one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars, and
furnishing seventy-five thousand dollars. In the Fall of 1873, the
Victoria Hotel Club assumed control, and Mr. John Edwards was appointed
manager. At the time of the fire the hotel was under the management of
Mr. George W. Swett, a very popular and courteous gentleman. Many of the
guests sought refuge in the squares, and some escaped from the building
with scarcely more clothes than they had on.

FOOTNOTES:

[C] The outside dimensions of the Academy were 190x51 feet. The
front 65 feet high, showing three stories in front. The finish was
Italian in its general style, very rich and pleasing to the eye, with
heavy and elaborate carved work. A large bust of Queen Victoria adorned
the summit of the building, while over the main entrance an excellent
bust of Shakespeare indicated the uses for which the building was
intended. The front doors were massive in style, of solid walnut, and
weighed sixteen hundred pounds. Inside.--The parquette was reached by a
wide entrance; on either side of this entrance were broad and easy
stairs leading to the balcony; while above this was the gallery for the
gods, which was approached from a separate entrance. The parquette was
furnished with 600 opera chairs, and the seating capacity of the whole
building was 1,200. The scenery, ample in supply and excellent in
character, was painted by Gaspard Maeder. The building when finished
cost the Company over $60,000.

[D] St. John was formerly called Parr Town.

[E] ---- Legislature granted L250 towards erection of kirk.

[F] Three members of the congregation of this Church were lost
at the time of the fire--Mrs. Thos. Reed, Mr. Joseph Bell, Capt. Wm. M.
B. Firth.

CHAPTER VI.

The Odd Fellows' Hall--The fire in Horsfield Street--The Sweep
along Germain Street--The old Baptist Church--Some early
Ministers--Two fiery ordeals--The Brick Church--The Ruins--The
Bay View Hotel--An old Landmark gone--The blazing Barracks--St.
James's--The Hazen House--St. Malachi's Chapel--The first Roman
Catholic Church.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a very numerous and widely
respected body in St. John. Its roll of membership embraces many of the
best names in the city, and the order has grown from a very humble
beginning to quite an influential position in the community. It is only
a few years ago that some zealous members of the order banded themselves
together and formed Pioneer Lodge, No. 9. In a little time the lodge
grew so rapidly that it became too cumbersome to work, and new lodges
had to be made--first it was Beacon, then Peerless, and latterly Siloam,
in this city alone; besides, the order is strong in Moncton and also in
Fredericton. An encampment, too, flourishes, and is largely adding to
its membership. The Odd Fellows' Hall was pleasantly situate in what
used to be No. 5 Engine House. The hall was commodious and neatly
furnished, and the ante-rooms were convenient and well adapted for
carrying on the exercises of the order. The ground flat and second story
were occupied by Mr. Richard Welch, and the Odd Fellows met in the room
immediately overhead. The loss by fire to the order was quite
extensive, though a good deal of the regalia and paraphernalia were
saved through the forethought of some of the members who managed to get
into the building in time. The fire swept both sides of Horsfield
Street, and carried along with it the dwelling of P. Besnard, Esq., and
the house where James Hannay, the historian, lived. Mr. Hannay, who was
at Oakpoint during the conflagration preparing his history of Acadia,
lost a number of valuable books, including some high-priced and scarce
volumes.[G] Some two or three hundred pages of his history were printed,
but these were destroyed in the printing houses where they were kept.
Fortunately Mr. Hannay had with him one copy of the sheets as far as
printed, so the loss is not irretrievable. A portion of the unprinted
manuscript, however, shared the common fate of everything that came in
contact with fire on that fatal day, and this the historian had to
re-write. In this street the old Theatre[H] once stood, in which
professionals and amateurs read Shakspeare and Massinger to admiring
audiences. Among the amateurs, some of our readers may remember, were
the late Richard Seely, who was accounted a good actor in his day, and
the late Col. Otty, whose Othello was a really creditable performance.
While the fire was rendering desolate this street, the other wing of it
was ruthlessly invading Germain Street, to the very water's edge. Otis
Small's corner house, the Thomson House, some of the inmates of which
had to flee in small boats, the residences of the Messrs. McMillan,
father and son, the old Bayard House, the Seed's property, the former
residence of W. O. Smith, Esq., No. 119, and then in the occupancy of
the inmates of the Home for the Aged, some of whom got away in hardly
enough time to save their lives.

Mr. Carey's Parsonage was on fire very soon after this, and all efforts
to save it or the old Baptist Church next door, proved unavailing. In a
short time only a blackened wall of smouldering ruins stood there to
tell in more eloquent language than words could relate, of the sad havoc
which the fire-king had made. For many years this church was to the
Baptists, what Trinity, St. Andrew's, and Germain Street Chapel were to
their denominations. It, too, had a history of its own, as dear to the
people who Sunday after Sunday sat within its walls and heard the word
of God spoken, as the historic data which filled every niche and corner
of the first English Church in the city. It was first built of wood
three score years ago, on the old site where the brick church stood, a
period ago since, and such men as John M. Wilmot, Thomas Pettingill, and
Jeremiah Drake, were the leading pillars and supporters of a body of
Christians distinguished alike for their charity, faithfulness, and
liberality. The church was organized in 1810, ground was broken in 1818
and the large frame building was opened for service July 12th of the
same year. Wm. Stenning and Thomas Harding purchased the site, and the
former gentleman superintended the building of the edifice. For many
years this was the only meeting-house which the Baptists had, and there
are men living to-day who remember the struggles and trials which the
denomination experienced in trying to plant a foothold in the sparsely
populated district which St. John then was. The pastors of this church
were known far and wide as earnest and faithful men, and such names as
Samuel Robinson, Casewell, Bill, Henry Vaughan, and G. M. W. Carey, live
in the hearts of all people and add lustre to any faith. When the
question of tearing down the old structure which had withstood the
storms of nearly half a century, and the replacing of it with a new one
to be built of brick was proposed, there were many in the congregation
who had grown up with the church through the long decades of time, and
who had watched the building step by step, advance to its completion,
and proudly take its place among the sacred edifices of the street of
churches. These men opposed the measure, but the march of new ideas
prevailed, and in 1863, the last of the old church was borne away and a
handsome brick building was begun. The former vestry was converted into
a parsonage, and the Rev. Henry Vaughan, son of the late Simon Vaughan,
of St. Martin's, was the minister in charge. The church cost forty
thousand dollars. Mr. Vaughan died in 1864. When Mr. Carey, the present
pastor, arrived in St. John in 1865, the church was being built and he
preached for a while in the basement, and in December, 1866, the first
sermon in the church proper was preached by the same eloquent minister.
A tablet was erected to the memory of his predecessor in the church. In
1873 this church was partially destroyed by fire, but the enterprising
congregation soon had it up again. Thus has this edifice passed through
two ordeals of like character. The church had just begun to recover from
its first disaster. The liberality of its people had placed it out of
debt, and while in the enjoyment of a splendid prosperity it was
stricken down before the very eyes of the powerless people who loved it
most. No one could do anything but watch the rapid demolition, and
behold the rafters swing and the building rock and shake, and observe
the long sinewy flames grapple with the walls and hurl them to the
earth. There were strong men that day who wept when they witnessed the
destruction. And when the sad work was done, some gathered near the
ruins and looked down upon the site that had held a church while they
were yet babes, and old gray-haired veterans who had worshipped here all
their lives, felt that death would not be so bitter now since church and
home were gone forever. The insurance on this church was very light and
the loss is very heavy. The pastor saved literally nothing of his own
effects and his fine library and the intellectual labour of twenty
years, passed from his gaze with the rapidity of the whirlwind.

The fire next crossed the street, and attacked Mr. Harding's houses,
destroying his residence, and that of Mr. Joseph Allison. Queen Street
shared the common fate; and on the side of Germain Street opposite the
church, in the building where Mrs. Crane had her seminary for young
ladies, the inmates were forced to escape in the International steamer,
and get away from the fire by water. The street was impassable, and all
hope of getting through to a locality which had not yet been reached by
the flames had to be abandoned. Terror seized the ladies for the moment,
but the courage which sometimes comes with despair, made them cool
enough to think of the water. The strength of iron came to them, and in
a moment they were saved. It was before this house that a woman fell on
her knees and offered up prayer; and here it was that another woman,
fearing the judgment day at hand, gave utterance to loud wails and
cries, that sent a pang to every heart. In the melee, an old lady
belonging to the Home for the Aged was lost, and her feeble sisters in
adversity moaned and mourned for her all through the night. The next day
she was found, and joy came to some hearts that had known no like
emotion for several years. Those kindly old ladies living so long
together were as one family, and a vacant chair at the table cruelly
reminded them of the broken homes they had too often seen. The houses
across Queen Street, on this same side of Germain Street, were not long
in following. Pagan Place, the old residence of the late Edward Allison,
Stephen Blizard's house on the other side, John W. Cudlip's residence,
in Germain Street, seemed to burn at the same time. The Bay View
Hotel--a valuable structure that reminded the spectator of the old
feudal time, when castles were residences of the great, was erected in
the year 1819, by Henry Wright, Collector, and used as a private
residence up to about twelve years ago. It was built by day's work, and
in those days the workmen received every Saturday night their pay in
Spanish doubloons. Change was very scarce, and there was no paper money.
Mr. Henry Wright died in 1829, and the house then fell into the
occupancy of the late Wm. Wright, Advocate General, and John Boyd, M.D.
Mr. Wilson was its lessee latterly, and it became an hotel under his
management. It held a commanding position, and looked far out to sea.
Strangers always paused to look up to the splendid front and defiant
head, which reminded them of the old strongholds which render historic
every inch of the old land across the blue water. And to-day, the ruins
look even more picturesque and grand than the building did in its
proudest days. Another landmark has been taken away, and it did not long
survive those who dwelt in its spacious halls in the days of the long
ago.

But while the fire was busy with this portion of the City, it was also
extremely active and equally destructive in the lower part of St. John.
The barracks were even burned down long before it was deemed likely that
the Victoria Hotel would go. The sparks travelling in this direction
with great rapidity, soon communicated with the long, low building which
was built for the troops in 1819.[I] The fire, when it reached here had
full scope. Nothing stood in its way, and it really spent its greatest
strength here. The majority of the houses in this quarter were composed
of wood, and so many of them were close together, that four or five
houses were burned to the ground in about the same space that in
ordinary times would be spent in consuming one. The burning of the
barracks was witnessed by several thousand persons, and, for a while
there were some who fancied that the blaze would cease with the
destruction of this property. But, alas, for the fallacy of human hopes.
The great headway of the flame was made, and nothing could stop it, till
from sheer exhaustion, it spent itself. But the eager wind kept fanning
it into fury whenever it shewed signs of abatement and not until it
reached the barren banks along the water's edge did it relinquish its
grasp on men's household goods and homes. Even then it did not stop at
once, for small scrubs of trees, bits of shrubbery and grass fed it for
a while. Indeed the fire may be said to have taken a new lease of life
in those back places, and the rookeries of whole streets were swept into
ruin and their inmates hurried into greater misery than they had ever
known before. In Main Street, St. James (Episcopalian) Church was
burned; it caught very soon from a flying spark. This church was erected
in the summer of 1850 by Trinity Church. The parish was set off from
Trinity in 1852, but the church was built two years before; the dividing
line of the parish was south of Queen Street; the first rector was the
Rev. John Armstrong who was succeeded by his son, Rev. Wm. Armstrong who
held the rectorship nearly twenty years. The building was of the
Gothic cruciform style of architecture and Mr. M. Stead was the
architect. It had no tower. The first wardens were the late John R.
Robinson, Esq., father of the agent in this city of the Bank of Nova
Scotia, and the late Wm. Wright. The church was situate on the south
side of Main Street, between Sydney and Carmarthen Streets and the lots
ran through to Sheffield Street. The Sunday-school building was built in
the rear.

The Sheffield Street Mission House and the Carmarthen Street Mission
House (Methodist) were structures of late origin, and for a while did
much good in the locality where they were placed. The fire visited them
very soon and they were burned in a short time. All along Carmarthen
Street the flames sped quickly, completely encircling every house with
which it came in contact, and whenever they met a crossing street the
fire drove through it with seeming greater fury and impetuosity. The
lately erected Adam's terrace--a row of comfortable dwellings just
finished within the year--burned with a tremendous roar that was heard
above the din, for blocks away. In these houses were the families of
Robt. Turner, Fred. R. Fairweather and W. C. Watson, Esqs., and so
quickly did the flames spread that hardly a stick of furniture was
saved, and hundreds of valuable books were burned. Judge Watters's
residence, the home of Attorney-General King, Henry A. Austin's, Madame
Caritte's, and the Henderson houses, hardly lived thirty minutes in the
winding sheets of flame. The fire came up Carmarthen Street, up
Princess Street, up Leinster Street, up Duke Street, up Orange Street,
to the rear of those streets and down King Street east and also in its
rear on a portion of the south side. Many believed and there seemed good
grounds for that belief, that but for the torch of the incendiary,
Leinster Street would have been preserved. No one doubts but that it was
set on fire by some miscreant either through madness or through the hope
of gain. This is beyond dispute. The fire was going in the opposite
direction, nothing could bring it up towards King Square and the head of
Leinster Street. It was out of all reason to suppose that the sparks
could be carried to these points for the wind was opposite, and the open
square had, till late in the evening, kept the flames away and broke the
connection. The old[J] Hazen House built by Dr. Thomas Paddock, which is
still standing to-day, and passed safely through the fire, stood
invincible at the head of a column of buildings. The fire was confined
to its own seething territory, and this block between Leinster and East
King Street, and the whole of King Square were safe. But as the night
advanced,[K] a house far away from the reach of flying cinders, was
observed on a sudden to be throwing out flames, and from that moment all
knew the eastern portion of the city was doomed to destruction.
Christian Robertson's mammoth stable, with its splendid livery
appointments, and large stock of feed and hay, representing large value,
was only a plaything of the moment. Old St. Malachi's Chapel, the first
Roman Catholic Church in the city, caught from the sparks which were
borne on the breeze from the stable. Its destruction was complete. The
first service held by a clergyman of the Faith in St. John, was in the
City Hall, Market Square, 1813, by Rev. Charles French. St. Malachi's
Chapel was opened by that gentleman, October 1st, 1815. Among the
priests who succeeded him in that place were Father McQuade, who in
1819, had thirty women and thirty-five men for a congregation, and
Fathers Macmahon, Carrol, and Dumphy. Mr. Carrol came from Halifax, and
was the nephew of the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Maritime
Provinces--Bishop Burk. Of late years St. Malachi's was used for school,
lecture, bazaar, and other purposes. Some of the most eloquent efforts
of J. C. Ferguson and R. J. Ritchie, have been delivered from the
platform of this Hall, on temperance and other topics. St. Malachi's was
used as a church until the cathedral was opened under Bishop Connolly's
charge. The St. Vincent De Paul Society met in this hall for several
years, as well as those other excellent institutions, the C. T. A. and
St. Joseph's Societies.

FOOTNOTES:

[G] Smith's History of Virginia, Ed. of 1627, on large paper:
Smith's History of New York, large paper edition, 1758, presentation
copy to Governor Ellis, of Georgia: and a very valuable historical
library on New England and Acadian History.

[H] This was the old Friary.

[I] Before this the troops lived on Fort Howe Hill, and the
artillery at Hare's Wharf.

[J] The lot where the Hazen House now stands (King Square) was
bought in 1790, by Mr. Thomas Horsfield for L6 5s., and sold by him five
years later for L5, to a number of gentlemen who erected a grist mill
there. In 1800, they abandoned the enterprise, and in 1818, the spot was
used as a barracks at the time when one-third of the militia were called
out for a few months, when war with the United States was threatened. A
day or two after the fire in June, 1877, the Bank of New Brunswick
opened a temporary office there for a few days, and a soldier of the
97th regiment kept guard over the building at night. Some of the 62nd
also did duty here.

[K] The fire broke out in rear of Dr. Boyle Travers' residence.

CHAPTER VII.

A hard-working Manager--The Dramatic Lyceum--The Temperance
Hall--The Water-Works Building--A Hard Fight--Another Rush of
the Homeless--The Weary March of the Unfortunates--History of
the Water Supply--Early Struggles--Changes--The Old Way--The
St. John Water Company--Placed in Commission--The Company
To-day.

The cosy Dramatic Lyceum, endeared to old theatre-goers on account of
many pleasant memories, was reduced to ashes after the fire had
destroyed the marble establishments of Jas. and Robt. Milligan and S. P.
Osgood. Like Robertson's stable it was not long in the throes of
dissolution, for it parted company with the earth in a few brief
moments. It had been built a score of years and more, and for a long
time it was the chief place of amusement in the city. Its builder was
the father of theatricals in St. John, and no man ever did more for his
chosen profession than he. He worked with the vigour which only an
enthusiast feels, and now at the close of his long managerial career,
extending over a quarter of a century, he can look back with pride and
satisfaction on the work he has done. He has taught the people all they
know of dramatic affairs to-day. He has educated and elevated their
tastes, and by the production of the great masterpieces of Shakespeare,
Jonson, Massenger, Bulwer, Goldsmith and Sheridan, he has instilled into
the minds of the citizens a love of all that is admirable and beautiful
in our common literature. He it was, who at great pecuniary sacrifice
brought such an artist as Charles Mathews here, and it was under his
management that Charles Dillon, E. L. Davenport, Frederic Robinson,
Wyzeman Marshall and the famous comedian, Wm. J. Le Moyne,[L] played
short engagements in our city. When the plain, but comfortable Lyceum
was built, it was the first step towards a regular theatre that had been
made, and in his early days Mr. Lanergan had much to contend against and
many old prejudices to break down. A hundred arguments were brought to
bear against his enterprise. Many good people, unskilled in the
knowledge of the world, and who had never in their lives attended a
theatre, were the most open in their denunciation of it and its
teachings. Fathers were exhorted to keep their boys at home, and men and
women were enjoined not to attend the performances in this "devil's
house." But Mr. Lanergan showed his patrons that he could furnish a
species of amusement harmless in its character and respectable in its
quality. He selected from the wide range of plays only those which
taught good lessons, and the ladies and gentlemen he secured to give
utterance to the thoughts of the masters in literature, were persons of
irreproachable character and conduct. He saw his efforts rewarded at
length, and during the last ten years of his career his audiences
comprised the _elite_ of the city. The old Lyceum was ever a pleasant
place. It was cosy and easy and roomy, and one could always see an
acceptable performance on its little stage. The building was sold to
the Irish Friendly Society a few months ago and it was used by them for
concerts, entertainments, &c. On the night of the fire it was under
engagement to a minstrel party.[M]

After this temple of art was overthrown the fire burned along the square
till it struck the Hazen building, now owned by C. M. Bostwick, who had
but recently renovated it from top to bottom. But this corner house was
too much for the fire, the fiend was baffled in its object, and though
late through the night it made several inefficient attempts to raise its
head, when the morning dawned, the Hazen Building was still safe and
defiant, for the flames were at its feet helpless and weak. The fire
crept along the square and passed the burned district when it divided
itself into two wings. The right body went up Leinster Street, and the
left wing proceeded around by the square, attacked the Court House, was
repulsed, when it burned the buildings adjoining No. 2 Engine House, and
made a sortie in rear of the jail. It was well nigh successful in its
object, and indeed a portion of this edifice was burned. The prisoners
were made secure, and a grand exit took place under the immediate
supervision of Deputy Sheriff Rankine. Two or three of the culprits
managed to escape, but they returned next day, after wandering about the
city, and gave themselves up, fearing lest they would starve in the
desolate and destitute town. The jail successfully resisted the flames,
but not so the old Temperance Hall which stood beside it. This
antiquated and wholly unattractive meeting-house was put up about thirty
years ago, and was originally intended for a school in connection with
the poor-house, which stood on the corner of Carmarthen and East King
Streets. The Temperance Order was organized in St. John, May 12th, 1847,
and the leading men were Hon. S. L. Tilley, C.B., Lieut.-Governor of the
Province, Chas. A. Everett, the Smilers, John Rankine, W. H. A. Keans,
S. B. Paterson, O. D. Wetmore, and of late years, Samuel Tufts, Edw.
Willis, A. G. Blakslee, J. A. S. Mott, and Sheriff Harding. The
organization met in King Street till they were burned out, after which
they settled in the Temperance Hall near the jail, where they have
remained ever since. The interior of this block was burned, and only the
Court House, which was opened for the first time for Supreme Court uses
by Judge Botsford at the January Circuit of 1830, the Registry Office,
and the City Prison were left. It was only by dint of the most strenuous
exertions that these buildings were kept proof against the levelling
qualities of the left wing, which again and again reared its front till
it was firmly laid low at eleven in the evening of that terrible day.
The old poor-house in Carmarthen Street was hemmed in by the united
forces of left and right, and it easily succumbed without even a show of
resistance. The defence of the office of the Superintendent of Water
Supply[N] was one of the memorable events in connection with the history
of the fire. In the yard people from all quarters of the city had stored
their goods in the vain hope that the fire could never reach them. The
situation of the office seemed to promise safety. It was far away from
the business portion of the town, and no one dreamed of its being
attacked from the contingent which moved along Carmarthen Street. Here
at least many persons thought, was a place of safety. From four o'clock
in the afternoon, while the rich row of buildings in the Market Square
were struggling against overwhelming odds, load after load of furniture,
merchandise and general chattels poured into the spacious yard, and even
the office itself was for a time a vast warehouse. It was only when the
work of the incendiary showed itself in Leinster Street and old
Malachi's toppled over, that the destruction of the well-equipped office
was considered imminent. Then it was that heart-sick and weary men and
women, who had worked all day, and who had lost nearly all they
possessed, and had hoped what little they had taken to the water-office
yard would be saved, began to realize the situation. Where could they go
now? Where could they take the only remnants which reminded them of the
bright home they had had that morning. Twice had they gathered up the
fragments, and in each removal the little heap grew smaller than before.
But it was worse now. In the afternoon teams could be had for five
dollars a load, and now as high as thirty, and even fifty dollars were
refused by inhuman drivers. Calamities sometimes make barbarians of men,
and the nearer the flames got, and the hotter the breath of the fire
became, the more exorbitant was the price asked by owners of vehicles,
and the more inhumanity mankind exhibited. Women cried and groaned as
they fell on all that was left, and some begged piteously for help. But
when they got a dray or a sloven, where could they go? The wild behemoth
could overtake them where'er they went. But on came the fire, both sides
of the street, back again by Carmarthen Street, up by Carmarthen Street.
Here the force united, and crushing out all before it, drove with
tremendous energy and iron-like rigour into the very heart of the
building. In an instant it was on fire in ten places, and the huge pipes
alongside that looked so like an array of mounted cannon, were all that
remained in the yard the next day. The blacksmith shop, oil-house,
stable, and everything near showed scarcely a trace of what they had
been. The great bulk of the valuable records, papers and plans and
specifications of the office were saved through the untiring vigilance
of the superintendent, his valuable aids and the workmen in the employ
of the Company. Nothing, indeed, that could not be replaced in a little
time was lost.

In this connection, a brief sketch of the water supply of St. John will
not be without interest. It is only half a century ago that the
inhabitants of this city were dependent on wells for the water which
they drank and used. Even at later date than that it used to be sold
about the streets from tall casks, at a penny a bucketful. The chief
wells were in King's Square, Blockhouse Hill--the vantage ground of many
a well-contested fisticuff battle between the rising generation;
Princess Street, near Charlotte; Queen Square, the foot of Poor House
Hill, which in winter made such a splendid coasting road; and in
Portland close by the first public hydrant, now in Main Street. In
1820, agitation was made for a better system of water supply; but it was
not until 1825 that the question took definite shape, and an Act for the
incorporation of a water company, with a capital of L10,000 passed the
Legislature. Surveys were at once made, and estimates were laid before
the stockholders, but the capital subscribed was deemed insufficient to
enable them to go on with the work in hand. The money was accordingly
lent out on interest until the next year, when each stockholder received
back the sum he had paid in, with three per cent. added. A number of new
wells were sunk at once, and every effort made to secure for the people
a fuller supply. In 1832, Hon. William Black, Nehemiah Merritt, James
White, John Ward, George D. Robinson, Thomas Barlow, Hugh Johnston, John
M. Wilmot, James Hendricks, Thomas Millidge, Robert W. Crookshank,
Zalmon Wheeler, Robert Parker, William B. Kinnear, Richard Sands,
Lauchlan Donaldson, Charles Simonds, James T. Hanford, William Leavitt,
and Noah Disbrow had an Act passed for the Incorporation of the St. John
Water Company. It started with a subscribed capital of L20,000, five per
cent. of which was to be paid in a year from the date of the passing of
the Act. The shares were placed at L5 each. Directors were to be elected
every year, and consist of thirteen in number, and seven of the old
directors were to remain in office each year. In 1834, a new Act was
passed, amending the one which was sanctioned two years previously, but
the Company was not regularly organized until 1837. Colonel Baldwin,
C.E., during this year, made surveys, and on his advice the first
practical attempt at bringing the water into the city from Lily Lake was
made. An engineer was appointed, and, under his management, the first
City Water Works were built. The water was not brought, as in the
opinion of eminent engineers it should have been, directly from Lily
Lake to the city by its own gravitation, but was taken from the tail of
Gilbert's Mill, and conducted thence by a sluice to a reservoir or a
cistern, which was placed a few yards to the south-west of the
Marsh-bridge. An engine and pumping-house was erected over the cistern,
a steam-engine and gear were procured, and the water was sent through a
ten-inch main to the reservoir, which was on Block House Hill. The water
was first brought through the pipes to the city in October, 1838. The
supply passed through a very limited number of pipes, and the
inhabitants, up to 1850, could only get water two hours each morning.
The Company, from its first organization, suffered the pangs of
financial troubles. The stock had met with many takers, who subscribed
readily, but when called on for their payments failed to respond. A loan
of L5,000 was received from the Legislature, which relieved the company
somewhat for the nonce. In 1850, an appeal was made to the citizens on
public grounds, and they were earnestly solicited to take up the new
shares which were offered. The money from this source was to be applied
to the extending of the works to, and bringing the water from, Little
River at Scott's Mill, five miles away from the city. This course had
been recommended by Chas. W. Fairbanks, Esq., C.E., of Halifax, under
whose supervision the water had been introduced into that city. The city
took up 900 shares, and private individuals bought the balance. The site
at Scott's Mill was purchased, a small dam was built, and a twelve-inch
main, four and a half miles in length, was laid. This main the company
connected with the ten-inch main that was laid in 1837-8. The same main
is still perfect, and to-day works as well as ever. In 1852 an Act was
passed, authorizing a further increase in the capital to the amount of
L10,000, to be made preference stock. This was necessary to meet the
growing demand of consumers, and to enable the company to extend their
pipes through the streets. In April, 1855, an Act was passed to allow
the company to transfer their property and works to the City Corporation
and Sessions. This step was deemed prudential for many reasons, the
chief of which was the great difficulty the company experienced in
running the water and sewerage systems separately. The conveyance was
made. The Act authorized the Commissioners to issue debentures, bearing
six per cent. interest, payable half-yearly, and redeemable at periods
not exceeding forty years from their date. Two of the commissioners, one
of whom should be chairman, were to be appointed by the Common Council,
and another by the County Sessions. John Sears, Esq.--who lost in the
great fire all his private papers, historical recollections which he had
been collecting for forty years, and a number of rare oil paintings and
portraits, an irreparable loss--was the first chairman, with the late
John M. Walker, and John Owens, Esquires, as Commissioners. In 1864,
Edward E. Lockhart, Esq., the present chairman, was appointed to the
office, and the late Thomas King, and J. D. Woodworth, Esquires,
Commissioners. On Mr. King's death, Mr. Stephen K. Brundage was
appointed, and Mr. William Seely took Mr. Woodworth's place.

[Illustration: VIEW FROM QUEEN SQUARE.]

The first step taken by the commission was the improvement of the works.
The dam at Little River reservoir was built higher and stronger, and
during the progress of operations on it, it burst twice, and Gilbert
Murdoch, Esq., the chief engineer, narrowly escaped drowning on one of
these occasions. A twenty-four inch main was laid from the reservoir,
and almost at the same time, and for most of its length, beside the ten
inch main put down in 1850. This came across the Marsh bridge, and was
connected, along with the twelve inch main, with an iron chamber, from
which the water flowed into the original ten inch main, running up
Brussels Street to the reservoir; a twelve inch main up Waterloo Street;
a twelve inch main which went by the city road to Portland, and mains
which have been put down later. The reservoir in Leinster Street was
also thoroughly improved.

A new twelve inch main was laid up Erin Street, through St. Patrick and
Wentworth Streets, to Princess, in 1868. The twelve inch main that is
laid up Waterloo street, also goes along Sydney to Princess streets, and
the Portland twelve inch main is extended nearly to the spot where the
defunct street railway stables were, on Main Street, where an eight inch
pipe joins it, and carries the water as far as Rankin's mill, by way of
the steamboat wharves.

This brings the history of the water supply down to about nine years
ago. Since that time, the progress which has been made upon it has been
great and rapid. A vast amount of money and skill have been expended to
bring the works down to the splendid state of perfection in which they
are now. The water supply is excellent, and the system of sewerage is
unsurpassed anywhere. Under great natural difficulties the work has been
prosecuted, but the engineers and their workmen, by dint of
perseverance, have surmounted the many obstacles which beset them on
every side. Before leaving this subject, a remark or two may be made
about the source from which our people receive their supply of water.
The Victoria spring is situate on a hill-side, about a mile this side of
Loch Lomond. Its waters form the head of Little River. Lake Donaldson is
near the spring, and the Victoria is supposed to drain it. The stream
from the spring flows into Douglas Lake, a sheet of water on the south
side of the Loch Lomond road, eight miles from the Marsh Bridge. It is
three miles from Lake Douglas to the reservoir. Lake Latimer, one of the
feeders of Little River on the south side, is nearly as high as Loch
Lomond. Its waters are as clear as crystal. Lake Buck, which also flows
into Little River, lies about a quarter of a mile away from it. Long's
Lake which is on the right side of Little River as it flows towards
Courteney Bay, is about a mile to the north of Loch Lomond Road, and
empties itself into the reservoir. That a still further head may be had
when wanted, the Commissioners purchased land through which they can
bring a strong supply of water from Loch Lomond. There is an abundance
of water in Little River for the immediate requirements of the city, but
the supply can be doubled easily by tapping Loch Lomond.

The water in the Little River Reservoir is one hundred and sixty feet
above high tide level; and in the Leinster Street Reservoir it is one
hundred and thirty-two feet. A good deal of nonsense, during the
excitement of the present fire, was talked about an inadequate supply of
water to meet the wants of the exigency, but this was found to be
fallacious. There was plenty of water all the time, and while there was
much reckless and needless waste, there was sufficient of the element to
meet the demands of the firemen and hose-men. It is a popular cry to
raise at a fire which cannot be got under way, that there is no water.
On the best authority the writer is happy to be able to place it on
record that the supply of water was in every way adequate to the
requirements of the hour.

FOOTNOTES:

[L] Mr. Le Moyne's second appearance in St. John was at the
Academy of Music, in October, 1876, when he appeared in a round of
favourite characters from dramatizations of Dickens' novels, under the
management of Mr. Charles H. Thayer, of Boston.

[M] As many readers take interest in the programmes used on
first nights of theatres we give a copy of Mr. Lanergan's opening bill,
at the Lyceum. It runs as follows:

ST. JOHN DRAMATIC LYCEUM.
SOUTH SIDE KING'S SQUARE, ST. JOHN, N. B.

_Manager and Proprietor_ MR. J. W. LANERGAN.
_Stage Director_ FRANK REA.
_Scenic Artist_ D. A. STRONG.
_Machinist and Property Maker_ D. J. MORIARTY.
_Ticket Master_ T. A. ALLISON.

"Those who live to please,
Must please to live!"

GRAND OPENING NIGHT!

The above new and elegant place of amusement will open for the
first regular Dramatic Season, on Monday evening, June 15, 1857,
with a full, Efficient and Talented Dramatic Company,--comprising
the following well known Ladies and Gentlemen:

Mr. W. A. DONALDSON, }
" N. DAVENPORT, } From the Boston Theatre.
" N. C. FORRESTER, }
" FRANK REA From Wallack's Theatre, New York.
" F. S. BUXTON. From the Canadian Theatres.
G. F. TYRRELL; J. C. WALLACE; E. B. HOLMES; D. J. MORIARTY; P.
MORIARTY AND J. W. LANERGAN,
Mrs. J. W. LANERGAN, }
" FRANK REA, } From Wallack's Theatre, New York.
Miss E. HOMAN From the Boston Theatres.
Mrs. F. S. BUXTON " Canadian "
" J. C. WALLACE
" N. C. FORRESTER " Boston "
and " J. C. MORIARTY " " "

_The entertainment will commence as above with the National Anthem!_

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN,

By the Orchestra.--After which an Original opening Address written,
and to be delivered by
G. F. TYRRELL.

To be followed by Sir E. L. BULWER'S Chaste and Elegant Comedy in
5 acts, entitled
MONEY!

"'Tis a very good world that we live in,
To lend, or to spend, to give in,--
But to beg, or to borrow, or to get a man's own,
'Tis the very worst world that ever was known."

Alfred Evelyn Mr. J. W. LANERGAN.
Benjamin Stout, Esq. (first appearance) FRANK REA.
Sir John Vesey " " N. C. FORRESTER.
Lord Glossmore G. F. TYRRELL.
Mr. Graves (first appearance) Mr. F. S. BUXTON.
Sir Fredk. Blunt " " N. DAVENPORT.
Capt. Dudley Smooth " " W. A. DONALDSON.
Sharp J. C. WALLACE.
Toke (first appearance) D. J. MORIARTY.
Clara Douglas Mrs. J. W. LANERGAN.
Lady Franklyn (first appearance) Mrs. FRANK REA.
Georgina Mrs. J. C. WALLACE.

_The entertainments of the evening will conclude with the Amusing
farce, with_ NEW READING, of
MR. & MRS. PETER WHITE.

Mr. Peter White Mr. F. S. BUXTON.
Major Pepper " N. C. FORRESTER.
Frank Brown " E. B. HOLMES.
Widow White Mrs. J. W. LANERGAN.
Mrs. Peter White " FRANK REA.
Kitty Clover " J. C. WALLACE.

_PRICES OF ADMISSION._
Parquette 1s. 3d.--Dress Circle 2s. 6d.--Private and Family
Boxes $4, 5 & 6 each.

==> Private and Family boxes can be secured in advance by application
at the Box Office.

DOORS OPEN AT HALF PAST 7--COMMENCE AT 8.
_Ladies unaccompanied by gentlemen not admitted._
Good order is expected and will be rigidly enforced.
PRINTED AT DAY'S JOB OFFICE, 4 MARKET STREET.

[N] On these premises was situated the St. John Meteorological
Observatory. This was destroyed, but all the instruments belonging to
the Dominion were saved. Night and day observations have been made here
under the superintendence of Gilbert Murdoch Esq., C. E., during the
last 25 years.

CHAPTER VIII

Burning of the Leinster Street Baptist Church--The Varley
School--Centenary Chapel--The Gas Works--$17,000 worth of Coal
burn in Ten Days--The Tall Sentinel--St. David's Church--The
Reformed Presbyterian Church--The Victoria School--Gigantic
Ruins--An Accident--Sketch of the School-house.

After destroying the fence which enclosed the premises of the Water
Company, the fire crossed the street, burned Mr. Wm. Murdoch, jr.'s,
house, and turned its attention to the Leinster Street Baptist Church,
which was soon brought to the level of the earth. This building was
cleanly and squarely burned, and nothing approaching to the semblance of
an edifice could be seen on the spot half-an-hour after the fire ceased.
The building was completely swept away. The corporate body of the church
was organized in 1858, under the pastorate of the Rev. E. B. Demill, son
of Nathan S. Demill, with a membership of sixteen. The church was begun
1861, and in two months and a half the basement was finished and ready
for service. In three years afterwards the church proper was completed,
and the parsonage was erected in 1874. The former cost $13,000, and the
latter $6,500. The second minister who presided over this congregation,
was the Rev. W. V. Garner, who officiated for the first time in 1864. He
was succeeded, in 1867, by Rev. W. S. Mackenzie, a trenchant writer and
an excellent reasoner. The Rev. J. D. Pope followed him in 1874, and was
the pastor of the church at the time of the conflagration. The early
deacons and prominent men of the church, were the late Nathan S. Demill
and Saml. Kinsman. Hon. A. McL. Seely, A. W. Masters, J. F. Marsters,
and Stephen E. Gerow are the present deacons. The building was fully
insured, and after the church debt of $3,000 is paid, the people will
have about $15,000 with which to commence re-building.

The old Varley Wesleyan day-school, a brick building which a prominent
Methodist--the late Mark Varley--designed for the purpose of educating,
free, the poor belonging to his faith, made a resolute stand against the
forces of the leveller. But in vain was water dashed upon the building.
The intense heat drove the people back and no efforts of man could
prevent the school-house from being in the end subdued. This property
was erected a little more than twenty years ago and served its purpose
long and well. A first-class education could be gained here. The
teachers were usually men of brains, and the system employed for
imparting instruction was simple and efficacious. After the school law
came into force this school was no longer necessary under its old
management, and the school trustees leased the building from the Varley
Trustees, and it was used as an advanced school, at the time of the
fire. The building occupied two stories. The upper room was used for
girls and the lower apartment for boys.

The rear of Centenary Chapel adjoined the Varley school, and being built
of wood and very large, it went up in a sea of flame without warning.
The church was opened on its present site, corner of Princess and
Wentworth streets, in 1839, the first Sunday after the fire in Dock
street, and was designed by Mr. Burpee, an American architect. Mr. W. B.
Frost put up the frame. The Rev. Dr. Wood, of Toronto, in 1838 preached
the sermon on the laying of the corner-stone, and after the church was
built he officiated for some years till 1846 when he left St. John. He
was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Daniel and Rev. Mr. Sutcliffe, whose
ministry lasted some three years. Rev. Dr. Knight and Rev. Mr. Cooney
followed for four years. Then Rev. Messrs. James Hennigar and Cardy were
the ministers for three years. Rev. Mr. Albrighton and Rev. Dr. Stewart,
and Rev. Mr. Botterel held service for three years more. The Rev.
Messrs. John McMurray and Wm. Wilson, were the clergymen for three
years, and Rev. J. R. Narraway followed with Rev. Dr. Richey for the
same period. After them came for two years Rev. Mr. England, who in his
turn was followed by Rev. Mr. Lathern for three years and Rev. Donald
Currie for two years. Rev. Dr. Henry Pope, who published a year ago, an
acceptable series of sermons in two volumes, entitled, "Draughts from
the Living Fountain," succeeded him for three years, and Rev. Howard
Sprague, one of the most eloquent and popular divines in the conference
was the last clergyman of this church. He was elected to proceed to
England shortly after the burning, to get subscriptions and assistance
for the rebuilding of the chapel. This church occupied the north-west
corner of Princess and Wentworth Streets. The other three corners
contained three splendid residences, those of J. V. Troop and Chas.
McLauchlan, jr., Esqs., Simeon Jones and Alexander Lockhart, Esqs. These
houses being solidly built and very strong were a good while in burning,
but they went at last and a large portion of the furniture and other
household goods that were got into the street were stolen afterwards by
the ghouls which infested the place. One lady lost in this way a
valuable box of furs, another her jewelry and a third a work-box of
ornate design and curious pattern, which contained many little
nick-nacks of value and interest. In this street depredations of a
wholesale nature went on unchecked all through the night. The houses of
Mr. W. C. Godsoe and Mr. T. Amos Godsoe were both burned, and a house
near by was pillaged by the mob even while the walls were swaying to and
fro. Mr. J. W. Scammell's house on Princess Street and Mrs. Chas.
Patton's residence caught fire from blazing brands which consumed them
speedily, and the heavens were soon alive with burning bits of wood,
which being borne on the breeze sailed lightsomely away. The fire burned
several houses in Pitt Street, and though the occupants of Orange
Terrace moved out quickly, their residences were saved, the paint only
on the doors and front being singed.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

WENTWORTH STREET.]

The Gas house which is located on Carmarthen Street was long in
catching, but when the fire did reach it, its destruction was one of the
most beautiful sights which were witnessed that night. An immense heap
of coal took fire and the flames mounted to the sky. The great blaze
lasted nine or ten days afterwards and the value of the coal was over
$17,000. Nothing was left on the spot but the tall sentinel-like
chimney, blackened in the fire, and standing like a monument over the
wreck of an institution, which the morning before represented a value
exceeding two hundred and sixty thousand dollars. The company under the
excellent direction of Robert Blair, Esq., the President, had just
received a new lease of life and impetus. Since his assumption of the
duties of the office, the stock rapidly rose in value, the price of gas
was reduced, and improvements on a large scale had been inaugurated. In
a single night these works were swept away and only blackened heaps of
ruin remain. But the energy of Robert Blair has not departed, and in
less than six months gas will again burn as brightly as ever in the less
luxuriant halls of the stricken population who can afford it. The works
were built in 1845, and in the evening of the 18th of September of the
same year, gas was first turned on in St. John. Philip Peebles, Esq., C.
E., now of Quebec, was the engineer who furnished the plans, and Geo.
Peebles, Esq., C. E., was the Superintending Engineer. The latter
remained for a time and took charge. The first Secretary Treasurer was
Mr. Robert Reed. Mr. Gilbert Murdoch C. E. was Superintendent of the
works, and had charge of the pipe-laying and distributing arrangements.
Mr. Robert Britain, the present Secretary, succeeded Mr. Reed in the
office, and was subsequently appointed Manager, Robert Blair, Esq., was
made President but a short time since. The price of gas up to 19th June
1877, was $3.00 per thousand feet.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

BURNT DISTRICT, SHOWING GAS HOUSE CHIMNEY AND SMOKING RUINS, TAKEN FROM
LOWER COVE.

Photo by G. F. Simonson.]

One hundred thousand feet of gas were in the holder's close, and the
flames not a block away. The direst danger was imminent, and an
explosion terrible in its character might occur at any minute. No one
can say how many lives might have been lost, or how much valuable
property destroyed. No provision had been made to prevent this blow-up,
when Mr. Robert Britain with a prudence and forethought wonderful in a
time like the present, sought the President and pointed out to him the
vast extent of the danger which was so near. Mr. Blair immediately gave
Mr. Britain full charge, who notwithstanding that his own private
residence was being burned before his eyes, and his furniture and books,
wholly uninsured, were being swept away, stuck to his post like a hero
and averted a calamity, which might have resulted in the instant death
of hundreds of people. Such grand conduct as this deserves more than a
mere mention. Words are weak rewards for such conduct.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

WESTERN SIDE OF CITY, TAKEN FROM LOWER COVE, SHOWING
RUINS OF GAS WORKS.

Photo. by Simonson.]

Leinster Street was burned wholly, both sides down to Pitt Street where
the fire ceased, excepting one house, on either side which were spared.
The whole of East King Street, south side, from the jail to Pitt Street,
Princess Street both sides to Pitt Street were all destroyed. Mr. J. S.
Turner's walls in Princess Street remain in fair condition, but the
house is totally gutted. Orange Street fared the same fate. The handsome
residences of A. C. Smith, H. D. Troop, J. A. Venning and J. W. Hall,
Esqs., were devoured early by the flames. On Sydney Street two churches
suffered severely. Both of these were of the Presbyterian faith, St.
David's (Free) and the Reformed Presbyterian Kirk. The former situate in
Sydney Street, was built in 1850, and Rev. Dr. Thompson, afterwards an
eminent divine of New York, was its first pastor, and preached the
opening sermon in the new kirk. Before the kirk was erected, this body
worshipped in the old St. Stephen building, King Square, and Dr.
Thompson preached there when the congregation gathered. The Rev. Wm.
Ferrie, at one time editor of a little journal called _The Protestant_,
was the second minister, and on his retirement from his charge, he was
succeeded by the Rev. Neil McKay, and Mr. Ferrie went to New York. Mr.
McKay was followed by the present pastor, the Rev. Dr. David Waters,
whose loss in the fire was very large, the greater part of his library
having been burned. The Doctor was away at the time in Halifax, and only
reached the city when all was lost.

The Rev. A. McL. Stavely is the senior Presbyterian clergyman of St.
John. He came to the city in the ship _Eagle_, August 3rd, 1841, having
been ordained minister at Kilbrought, Ireland, June 12th, of the same
year. On the 7th of August, 1841, he preached his first sermon in the
first Reformed Presbyterian Church which was then in the building in
Lower Cove, opposite the Public Schools, known as the Wheeler property.
He was the first minister of that denomination who came to the city, and
has continued ever since in charge of this body. In 1850, the Lower Cove
Church was sold, and has been since used for manufacturing purposes.
The church on the corner of Princess and Sydney Streets, and which was
burned, was erected in 1850. The house adjoining and which was
originally intended as a parsonage, was purchased by Mr. Stavely, as his
private house, and he has been living in it for twenty-seven years. In
1870, at a cost of $2,000, the basement of the church was excavated, and
a fine new hall for general purposes was made. By the fire Mr. Stavely
loses heavily, and his library, the accumulation of many years, was
destroyed.

Probably, the greatest wreck of the day was the destruction of the
costly and splendid new Victoria School--a building which presented a
massive front, and occupied a commanding position on the corner of Duke
and Sydney Streets. This was the edifice which many who lived up the
street as far as Carmarthen Street firmly believed would act as a
barrier to the flames, and keep off the fire from their houses. Some so
implicitly believed this that until the high walls fairly bent over, not
an effort was made to remove even a picture from the rooms. O, said the
householders on Upper Duke street, that immense pile will never burn; we
are safe enough. But the proud edifice where a thousand children
received daily a free education, did burn, and the sight though
terrible, was one of the most impressive of the day. Now there was
hurrying and packing in three score houses at once, and loud cries to
teamsters and shrieks to servants and porters rent the air. Those, who
talked the loudest before the school was in ashes, exhibited the
greatest despair when they saw what they believed up to this moment to
be their surest safeguard, encircled in the fury of the flames, going
down before their eyes. First the wood-work around the sashes gave way,
and lights shot from half a hundred windows, and the crash of glass as
it was hurled to the pavement showed that the great fire had abated not
a jot. The hot slates on the roof came down the giddy height in scores,
and one man pinned to the earth by a falling slate was carried away
insensible of pain but with a two-inch wound upon his scalp. The flames
crackled for a while and then the dull, heavy sound of weighty bodies
falling inside sent a shudder through the waiting, watching crowd below.
The woodwork snapped and sang in the blaze, and the great stones on the
windows and cornices crumbled into fragments. And still the watchful and
waiting crowd stood in the street, straining their eyes trying to look
through the smoke, and seemingly unable to comprehend it all. It was
only a building that was burning after all. Only another splendid
edifice to add to the total of this day's fell work. Yes, this was the
last, surely it might be spared. But the despoiler would not leave one.
All, all must be swept away in the general scourge.

As the last vestige of the school-house went down all hope for the city
passed away from men's minds. If that strong building could go so
easily, where would the fire end. Men who had lost their stores and
houses wandered about aimlessly, surveying the work of sorrow that was
going on so unceasingly and relentlessly. It was a hopeless thing now to
try to save anything.

The Victoria School-house, of which an illustration is given, was begun
in the spring of 1875, and was occupied in the following May. Messrs.
McKean & Fairweather made the design, and it was erected under their
supervision, by Messrs. Flood & Prince. It cost $46,000; heating,
$4,000. The workmanship and materials employed in its construction were
of the most substantial character. The foundation was on piles, capped
with Georgia pine; and the basement above ground was faced with granite.
The fronts were of pressed brick, relieved with Preston bands, window
heads and cornices. The slope of the roof was slated and the deck was
gravel roofed. The building was 82 feet on Duke Street and 68 feet on
Sydney Street, three stories with high French roof, and a basement 12
feet high. The basement contained two play-rooms, janitor's apartments
and furnaces and fuel. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors contained four rooms
each, 28 x 32, with clothes-rooms and teachers' closets. The top floor
had two rooms, 26 x 30, and a large Exhibition Hall, 16 feet high, 26 x
75. These rooms were separated by folding doors and could be thrown into
one room on occasion. The building was heated by hot water, and ample
provision was secured for ventilation by means of tubes carried between
the floors and entered through a main central shaft through the centre
of which the wrought iron smoke pipe was carried. A central projection
on Duke Street of 4 x 24 feet was brought up as a tower, above the main
roof and finished with a steep high roof. This roof and the main roof
were finished with a cast iron cresting. The lot was enclosed with a
neat iron railing set in a free stone wall. The school-house was well
equipped with furniture.

[Illustration: VICTORIA SCHOOL HOUSE, CORNER OF DUKE AND SYDNEY
STREETS.]

In Duke Street the meeting-house of the Disciples of Christ (Christians)
was situate. This church was built of wood and of course burned very
rapidly. The members had their first place of worship in Charlotte
Street where Mr. Jack's buildings were. About twenty years ago they
removed to this building in Duke Street. Brother Tuttle was the first
pastor and Mr. Eaton was the second, Bro. Patterson the next, and Elder
Geo. W. Garrity was the fourth and last. A few years ago a division took
place in the church, and a new edifice was built at the head of
Jeffrey's Hill, and about half of the members of the old congregation
linked their fortunes with the new order of things.

The old Madras School on the south side of Duke Street, and the Roman
Catholic School-house on Sydney Street, adjoining the Victoria School
and which was formerly taught by the Christian brothers were burned
also.

CHAPTER IX.

Queen Square--Incidents in the Burning--The Old Pitcher--"God is
burning up the World, and He won't make another"--Saved from the
flames--Overtaken by Fire three times--The Night of Terror on Queen
Square--Alone amidst Perils--The Lone House on the Square--Three
People under a Table--The sailor--"If I Die to-night sir, hunt them
up"--The escape--The Deserted Streets--An Anomaly--The Marine
Hospital--What a few Buckets of Water Did--The Wiggins Orphan
Asylum--The block in Canterbury street--The _News_ office--Savings
Bank.

Some of the most terrible incidents of the fire took place during the
burning of Queen Square. The flames carrying away Mr. Manson's residence
on the corner of Sydney Street and the square, had entered Mr. A. L.
Palmer's house soon afterwards, and then the whole block was hurried to
destruction. The square was filled with the savings of the people, not
alone of those who lived hard by, but many things were here that had
been carried to the vacant space from a long distance early that day.
There was bedding in abundance, and all round about little heaps of
general household stuff lay guarded by women and boys. This for a time
was the haven of safety, and the broad field looked like a vast
warehouse. Chairs and bedsteads and even stoves and old pipes were piled
in hopeless confusion one upon the other. In the hurry people had taken
that which they had seen first, and the common things of the kitchen
were saved while the rich furniture of the drawing-room was left to
perish. A man congratulated himself upon saving an old tub and a
dipper, while the books in the library lay untouched save by the fire,
and private papers that he could easily have slipped into his pocket,
burned before his eyes. A lady told her husband to be careful and take a
bag which contained the massive silver plate of her family for a
century, and in the moving it was found that he had saved the rag-bag
instead. A man who had been a prosperous merchant lost his all, and the
little savings he had scraped together in a decade of years seemed to
melt before him, but he that night knelt and thanked his God that his
wife and child were by his side. These treasures were near him and all
else might go. He had his strong and willing hands still left, and a
firm spirit, and though for a while he would miss the little comforts he
had been accustomed to, yet would he battle with the world again, and in
the coming years try to win back some of the fruits he had lost. Men in
the excitement knew not what to take first, and pianos were thrown out
of three-story windows, while carpets that had worn worthily and well
till they had become heir-looms in the family, were carefully borne down
stairs on the broad shoulders of stout porters. A thousand human beings
stood in the square watching the flames lashing the buildings before
them. John Boyd, Esq's residence, one of the handsomest buildings in the
city, richly furnished and equipped with costly books, was attacked on
both sides, and soon forced to yield and go down like the less
substantial buildings at its side. The house of G. B. Cushing, Esq., was
of wood, and it was not long before the site on which it stood was
level with the ground. Before the house of Mr. E. L. Jewett, once the
home of the late Dr. Gray, had taken fire, a gentleman tried to save it
by standing on the roof and dashing a pitcher of water on the sparks as
they caught vulnerable spots. For an hour or more he stood there with
his pitcher, when it became evident to him that no effort that he could
make would save the building, and he got down, leaving the pitcher
standing on a ledge of the chimney. The fire shortly afterwards burned
the building, and left the long chimney standing against the sky; and
the next day when the spot was visited, and people walked over the heap
of ashes that had once been a household, all that was saved was the old
pitcher, that still stood on the ledge of the chimney solitary and
alone. It told the story of the desolation more eloquently than tongue
of orator could speak, or pen of a Macaulay could describe. The house of
ex-Mayor Woodward, with its hundreds of curiosities and old relics,
including Major Andre's gun and a score of Continental dollars, caught
in the rear, and lived but a few minutes in the flames. But so it was
all round the square. When Mrs. Stevenson's strong house was going to
pieces, a flock of pigeons hovering near it were drawn in by the heat;
they whirled about for an instant, turned and rushed into the vortex,
and perished in a second. A cat, maddened and wild, cut off from all
escape, dashed along, when the fire pursued her, and she stood still. On
Thursday morning she was still standing in the same place. Her frame
only could be seen, with head up and tail erect; it was a ghastly
sight. It was during the conflagration on the square, that a little
child, five years old, sat by the window of his grandfather's house,
then in fancied security, and looked out at the flames. The little
fellow for awhile could not speak. He became pale with terror, and with
a loud cry he burst out with this thought: "O, pa, pa, come and see! God
is burning up the world, and He won't make another, and He won't make
another!" It was in vain they tried to pacify him, he still continued
his cry, and it was only when far away from the dreadful scene which
roused so strangely his youthful imagination, that he became calm.

[Illustration: VIEW FROM QUEEN SQUARE.]

But there were other incidents in this quarter of the city which deserve
more than a passing notice. There were deeds of heroism done and hours
of agony endured that should be recorded and remembered. There were
exploits exhibiting a broad humanity and great self-sacrifice performed,
that should not be forgotten or go down unrecognised. We had heroes in
our midst that night, and the man who climbed three stories of a house
enveloped in the flames, and snatched the sleeping infant from its crib,
and brought her safe to her agonized mother in the square below, is as
surely as brave as "he who taketh a city," or marches against the
invader of his country. If there are decorations of honour to be given,
let them be bestowed on those noble ones who saved lives that day. A
case has come under the writer's notice which deserves the fullest
publicity. Mr. D. R. Munro, after working at John McDougall's place in
York Point for some time, and then going to the assistance of an old
lady who was striving to save her bedding, started for Lower Cove in the
direction of Mr. Tucker's house. On his way he noticed with alarm the
extraordinary headway which the fire was making. Trinity and St.
Andrew's were on fire, and the Victoria Hotel just catching. Some of the
streets were so blocked up with people, and thick with flame and smoke,
that he could not pass them. He had to go through Chipman's field, but
he could not get further along Prince William Street. Germain Street was
the only way open to him, and by this thoroughfare he journeyed till he
reached Queen Square. Here Mrs. Freeman, the rigger's wife, was
gathering together her scattered effects, when her little children
raised the cry, "Quick, quick, mother's on fire! Save my mother!" Mr.
Munro and a companion rushed in, seized Mrs. Freeman, wound a carpet
about her, and tried to smother the flames with their hands. As soon as
the carpet was removed from her person, the fire again seized her, when
her clothes had to be torn from her and she was rolled on the grass with
a table-cloth wrapped tightly around her. This saved her life, and she
escaped the awful death which seemed so imminent. Mrs. Tucker's house
was by this time in great danger, the leaping flames were expected
momentarily to snatch it from its base, and people were beginning to get
the furniture away before the shock came. For a moment Mr. Munro lay on
the grass, unable to resume his exertions. He had worked from three in
the afternoon till it was nearly eight o'clock, and with hands and face
burned he rested on the grass. But his rest was of short duration, for
on looking up a sight met his eyes which filled his soul with horror.
Mrs. Tucker's house was on fire and she herself seemed in the very heart
of the flames. He almost flew to her, the courage of the lion and the
quickness of Mercury seemed to come to him all at once, and he was by
her side in an instant. Three times her bonnet caught, and as often was
the blaze extinguished. Mrs. Tucker seemed deaf to all requests of her
friends, who in vain entreated her to go away and leave her house and
furniture to their fate. She still remained by the few things she had
borne away, and it was after eight o'clock before she sought a place of
safety. A sailor was working in the cellar of her house, passing the
things he managed to lay hands on through the window. He was not aware
of his danger, for when he had got in, the flames were a good distance
off, and when he was discovered the house was on fire. In a few moments,
it would come crushing down and bury him in the ruins. Mr. Munro
hastened to his relief. Through his labours the man was rescued, for he
had not been out a hundred seconds, when, in a mass of ruins, the house
came tumbling down. The sailor, who gave his name as Robert Angus, 2nd
officer of the ship "Asiana," sought with Mr. Munro a refuge in the
square, for all hope of getting away by any of the streets was cut off.
Both sides of Charlotte Street and Sydney Street were on fire, and from
St. Andrew's Street all means of exit were away. The two men stood on
the square and looked around them. Strange emotions filled their
breasts. They were alone, standing in the centre of one of the greatest
conflagrations they had ever seen. All round them the giant flames
gathered, and closer and closer, and narrower and narrower the circle
became. The Pagoda in their rear was blazing. The posts here and there
burned at the tops, like so many huge candles. Not a soul was to be seen
on the square but themselves. The streets were deserted. Every one had
fled. The little nests of scattered effects burned on every side of
them, and the stench from smouldering feathers and domestic animals who
died by the score, was intolerable. Neither man for some minutes spoke.
Both looked out into the night. One can guess what thoughts entered
their heads. The advancing fire interrupted their reveries, and as they
could not escape from the plain in which they were imprisoned, they
looked about them for means of preservation from the intense heat, which
became greater at every moment. An old pine table was brought up to the
camping ground they had selected. A headstone of marble that was lying
at their feet, was placed at the head of it, and a carpet was wrapped
around them. In this primitive wigwam the men resolved to pass the
night. The prospect before them was gloomy enough. Just before getting
into this cabin, an old woman came hobbling up towards them, crying
aloud for help. They invited her to share their kennel. She accepted the
invitation and the three refugees watched the flames on every side of
them for two hours. There was silence for a while when the sailor, who
all through had exhibited such nerve and coolness, now showed signs of
trepidation and fear. He began to talk of his home in England, of his
wife and children, and the strong man who could do so much for others,
fairly broke down and wept bitter tears. "Who will take care of them
now, sir," he broke out with a wail. "If I die to-night, hunt them up
and tell them how I died. It is not for myself I feel, but for them,
poor bodies. You know my name and ship, sir, any of my mess-mates will
know what to do if you tell them what became of poor Bob Angus." It
would indeed move a sterner heart than Mr. Munro's, to hear a man like
this talk in a way like that. The sailor who had breasted the billows of
the ocean so long that he had begun to look upon them as his playthings,
crouched that night in his little box in Queen Square, weeping for the
loved ones at home, far, far away. Mrs. Donovan who sat beside the
sailor tried to cheer him up, but it was useless, and her words of
comfort only made him feel worse and writhe in greater agony.

At last, for there is an end to all things, a bold sortie was proposed,
and each of the prisoners sought to force a way out of their natural
prison. Each took a direction, and in the dead of that awful night they
made their way. The hydra-head of the monster ruin withered them at
every turn. Giant walls fell crumbling at their feet, and the fire
flashed and the flames flickered on the heaps of debris which they
encountered on the sideways of their journey. Not a soul could be seen
in the streets. They met no living thing. The silence was as terrible to
them as it is to the lonely pilgrim of the forest, or the traveller in
the distant arctic, who shrieks ever and anon lest he go mad from the
effect of that awful solitude. When the parties met at the corner they
separated and each groped his way homeward through the desert of
desolation. Mr. Munro's loss is very heavy. In working for others he
neglected his own interests, and many of his personal effects have
passed away.

On St. James Street, two buildings stood. One was a very massive and
very beautiful structure, of no precise form of architecture, but very
chaste and elegant for all that. The other was an old wooden barn-like
house that had been decaying for years, and was only waiting to be torn
down by some passing high wind. These two buildings were situate within
a stones throw of each other, and the one could have been saved just as
well as the other. A little nerve, a little will, and a few pails of
water would have done the work. The Marine Hospital was built in a
garden. It was a useful sort of affair in its day, but it had long ago
done all the good that was expected of it. Its day was past, and it must
soon have given way to a fine brick structure, to be located on its
site. When the fire came tearing along, decimating the buildings in
every block, Mr. Barnes, the keeper, and a few of the inmates stationed
themselves in good positions, and began a vigorous defence of the old
place. A number of well directed buckets of water, plied rapidly when
the fire showed itself, was all that these men did, and the old building
was saved. The fire was stubborn, for it tried a hundred times to gain a
foothold, but the men who defended the hospital were just as
indomitable, and the defence was a great success. The hospital now
stands in all its grim shabbiness and ugliness, though a barn near by,
filled with goods of all kinds, including a piano, of course, perished.
People from a distance, who came days afterwards to witness the
desolation, ask with amazement why this great house was saved, and the
noble charity almost opposite, was allowed to burn. But it is hard to
always fathom the short-sightedness of man. All praise is due to Mr.
Barnes and his assistants, for saving even one public building, and it
is a pity his example could not have been followed opposite, when the
Wiggins Orphanage caught. Only one man was left in charge, and it is not
expected that he could do everything in a time when all were at their
wits' end and full of excitement. This splendid charity was instituted
in 1867, and was founded by the late Stephen Wiggins. It was opened July
1, 1876, and erected at a cost of $80,000. Mr. Wiggins left this
magnificent sum for a male Orphan Asylum, under certain provisions.
These were, that each child to be admitted must be born in the City and
County of St. John, preference always to be shown to fatherless children
of mariners; the children must be not under the age of four nor over ten
years at the time of admission, and not to be continued in the
institution after reaching the age of fifteen years. No teacher could be
employed who was a Unitarian, Universalist or Roman Catholic, and no
Governor could act in that capacity if he were of that belief. The
Governors consisted of nine gentlemen. Those at the time of the
incorporation were, the Rev. William Scovil, Charles Merritt, Frederick
A. Wiggins, Hon. John W. Weldon, Beverley Robinson, J. D. Lewin, Geo. C.
Wiggins, Henry W. Frith, and the Rector of St. James' Church. When the
building burned, there were twelve orphans in the Asylum, but they were
safely rescued and sent to Long Island. The present Board consists of
the following gentlemen: Chas. Merritt, Hon. J. D. Lewin, Rev. Wm.
Armstrong, Rev. W. Scovil, Hon. J. W. Weldon, Geo. Sidney Smith, B. L.
Peters, H. W. Frith Rev. F. Brigstocke, with James U. Thomas, as
Secretary. At a meeting of the Governors, held on Monday, the 2nd July,
it was decided to rebuild the Institute very soon. The reader will
notice from the cut which is given of the Orphanage, that it presented a
very pretty front, and was exceedingly well built.

In Mecklenburg Street, all that fine block of buildings on the north
side, beginning with the residence of Mr. John R. Armstrong, and
followed by Mr. John W. Nicholson's castle, the houses of the Messrs.
Magee and others; on the south side Mr. Vaughan's well-built house, and
on the corner the Stevenson property, mentioned just now, burned very
readily. Mr. John Magee's family escaped with their lives only.

[Illustration: CANTERBURY ST., SHOWING RICHIE'S BUILDING IN THE
DISTANCE.

Photo. by G. F. Simonson.]

The fire in Canterbury Street levelled a block of buildings that were
the boast of the city. They were built with great care and especially
designed for the great wholesale trade which was done there. The street
is a narrow one and runs from King Street to Princess Street, and is
crossed by a small alley called Church. Of late years the street has
grown from a comparative by-way or short cut, to an extensive wholesale
stand, where merchants of large means and good business capacity have
met their clients and customers. The stocks kept in these spacious
warehouses have ever been large, and the appliances with which the
stores were supplied actually made business a luxury. The centre
building was erected and occupied by the Hon. Thomas R. Jones, wholesale
dry goods merchant. His shirt factory was situate opposite, next door to
the Printing House of McKillop & Johnston, who used to print _The Weekly
Watchman_. The second pile was built by the same merchant for Messrs. W.
H. Thorne & Co., wholesale hardware merchants, and the building on the
south of the present edifice, was erected by The North British and
Mercantile Insurance Company, Henry Jack, Esq., agent, and leased to
Messrs. Everitt & Butler, wholesale dry goods merchants. Mr. Jack's
office was in this building also. The _Daily News'_ office was between
the latter and the Savings Bank. It was erected some twenty years ago by
the present Queen's printer and former proprietor of the _Daily
News_--the first penny paper--George E. Fenety, Esq. The present
proprietors, Messrs. Willis & Mott, purchased it last September. This
year they made several improvements on it, enlarged it in the rear and
improved the inside. They had begun work on the ground flat when the
fire changed the aspect of affairs. All that was saved were three pages
of type, and the late fyles of the paper. These were carried as far as
Reed's Point, and were only considered safe when they reached water
mark. The building was of brick. The offices were down stairs and
consisted of accountant's room, editor's office and reporters' room.[O]
The Savings' Bank on the corner of Princess and Canterbury Streets was a
building of singularly handsome proportions. It was built in the year
1859, by the St. John County Provident Society, which up to this time
had an office in the old Commercial Bank building. In 1872, the Dominion
Government took it off their hands, had it renovated thoroughly and
changed, and commenced operations in it in 1873, as a Dominion Savings'
Bank. The Assistant Receiver-General and Dominion Auditor had offices in
the bank. Matthew Stead was the architect. The old Post Office in this
street was leased a few months ago to The Paper Company, who had it
repaired and well furnished. In the upper story _The Watchman_ office
was located. Messrs. Bowes & Evans' large stove establishment, and John
Vassie & Co's wholesale dry goods house, entrance on Canterbury Street,
were greedily devoured. The little street suffered severely, for it
represented a very large sum of money. Two well-known institutions were
also burned here, Conroy's hair-dressing establishment and McGinley's
barber-shop.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

INSIDE THE SAVINGS BANK.

Photo. by G. F. Simonson.]

FOOTNOTES:

[O] The first steam press in the Maritime Provinces was started
in the _Morning News_ building, then situated directly on the south end
of what is now called Canterbury Street, but which was not then
opened.

CHAPTER X.

Incidents--An Old Corner Burned Down--The Lenders and
Borrowers--"Twenty per Cent."--The Shylocks of the Curbstone--
The Human Barometer--The Vultures of Commerce--Chubbs' Corner--
The Old Commercial Bank--The _Telegraph_ Office--The Bank of New
Brunswick--A Hard Worked Cashier--The Post Office--Not a Mail
Lost--Quick Despatch--The Nethery House and the Orangemen--The
Royal Hotel--The Custom House--The Dead of the Conflagration.

Beyond all question the successful resistance to the flames at the
residence of James H. Moran, Esq., at Chipman's Hill, prevented the
spread of the fire to the northern portion of the city. That house was
attacked with great fury from front and rear, but the extraordinary and
well applied labours of Mr. Joseph Dunlop, and his crew of workmen from
the shipyard, aided by the city firemen, kept the flames at bay. The
window sashes caught several times, and the men finding neither timber
nor axes, boldly grasped the sashes with their naked hands, and despite
some severe burning to themselves, they succeeded in tearing them away.
This saved the building and stopped the spread of the flames along Union
Street and beyond it. Mr. Moran was at his summer residence in St.
Martin's during the conflagration, but on hearing of the calamity he
hastened home, and made the journey of 32 miles, it is said, in two
hours and forty-five minutes. While the fire was in Mill Street, a
bright little fellow of thirteen, named Johnny Law, performed an act of
considerable heroism and thoughtfulness. His employer, Mr. W. H. Gibbon,
had gone to Grand Lake about two days before the fire, and left his
establishment in charge of this boy, who had the forethought when he saw
the flames coming near the store to save the books and papers. The
flooring above his head fell while he was getting out, but by crawling
on his hands and knees, he managed to effect his release from a
captivity that would soon have resulted in certain death. Besides this
he saved a number of articles from the house, and saw to the successful
removal of Mrs. Gibbon and her young children.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

PRINCE WILLIAM STREET.]

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

PRINCE WILLIAM STREET.

Photo. by G. F. Simonson.]

There was great ruin in Prince William Street after the fire. A good
deal of the wealth of the city, and some of the chief buildings of the
place were situate here. The destruction of the Imperial Building
belonging to the Messrs. Magee, and which was occupied by them and
Messrs. Maclellan & Co., the bankers, was but the work of a few moments.
A large quantity of valuable merchandise likewise perished, and the
newly commenced block of buildings adjoining exhibited even a vaster
extent of ruin than it did on the night of the last great fire which
raged in this locality, and which cost the city seven lives.[P] Mr.
Robert Marshall's insurance office, on the corner of the Market Square,
and indeed the whole of Prince William Street, both sides clear to
Reed's Point, were reduced to ashes and debris. Jardine's grocery store,
Messrs. Wisdom & Fish's belting and heavy goods establishment, Benson's
millinery store, Steeves, Bros., J. & J. Hegan & Co's., Beard & Venning,
The Devebers, James R. Cameron & Co., W. H. Hayward & Co., George
Philp's banking house, and Chubb's book store on the one side, were as
completely wrecked as the row of stores on the eastern part of the
street which contained Barnes & Co's. book-store, Peiler's piano
warehouse, and Professor Devine's music store, the splendid book and
publishing establishment of Messrs. J. & A. McMillan, which was first
built in 1831, and was afterwards burned in one of the great fires which
succeeded that year, and, about 1842, was rebuilt in the shape in which
the fire found it the other day, the insurances offices of H. R. Ranney,
Lawton's drug store, Stevenson's shoe-shop, Valpey's, Sheraton &
Skinner's carpet warehouse, Simeon Jones & Co's., Eastern Express,
Francis', and Z. G. Gabel's corner store.

Chubb's Corner--the home of the curb stone broker, and the place where
more gossip has been talked during the last forty years than would
furnish the stock-in-trade of forty well-organized sewing circles--was
an early victim, for it went down with Furlong's palace about the hour
of six. The mention of Chubb's Corner awakens a thousand memories. For
many years it enjoyed the distinction of being the great centre of
commercial speculation. Men came here to meet men who had money to lend,
and those who had none came to borrow it. Stocks and merchandise changed
hands on this spot a dozen times a day, and the cautious bill-broker
who never had any funds of his own to lend, came here to scent the
financial air. In this cheerful spot money was subject to the
fluctuations of the market with a vengeance. The rate--aye, there's the
rub--"if we can only agree about _that_," said the note-shaver, "I think
I may take the paper. 'The man is a good man,'" he continued,
unconsciously quoting Shakespeare, "and I think I may take his bond,"
and though nothing was said about the pound of flesh in the event of the
notes not being paid at maturity, the modern Shylock meant it all the
same, and was as equally determined to get it, too, as the old gentleman
we see on the stage rubbing his hands together, and making horrible
faces at the audience and the Christian merchant Antonio. The rate in
this grim corner was not measured by the consciences of the
money-lenders, but by the necessities of the applicant. One could tell
in a much less expensive way than by borrowing money of these gentry,
whether they were getting a good price for their coin or not, by simply
watching their faces during the operation. The face of the note-shaver
is a barometer. It requires no regulating and it is always correct.
There, quick, watch it now. See how long the face is. No, he has no
money himself, but--Ah, that's it, now watch. See, observe the
countenance, listen to that chuckle? Yes, what is he chuckling about?
Oh, that's nothing, only habit; now the face is hanging up again, and it
is ready for observation. The lender is telling the borrower how
difficult it is to get money, and how much Smith had to pay for a thirty
days' loan yesterday. This is of no interest to Jones, who is hanging
on the words of Mr. Shylock as a lover drinks in the soft nothings of
his mistress, but it gives the lender opportunities to find out how
"hard up" his victim is. Now watch the face again. Still long and
bilious-looking. Twenty per cent. is not so high. It's only five dollars
off of a hundred, and look at the time three months--and it falls due on
Sunday, too. You'll get a day's interest out of me for nothing, you
rogue. The face is positively joyous. The eyes snap and sparkle. The
countenance has become quite round and full, and there are bright spots
on the cheeks. The extra day without interest did it, and the two go off
arm in arm. But after all they are not happy; one has paid too much, and
the other stands ready to kick himself for not having asked more. O,
Chubb's Corner, you have much to answer for, and perhaps the fire did
some good in staying this kind of business for a time at least on your
site. But the old corner was not given over entirely to the vultures of
commerce. It was the place for many years where property, stocks,
debentures, bonds, and all such securities were sold at Public Auction
as well as by private sale. The old Corner was a meeting place too,
where men met and talked over the times and their affairs. Men stopped
here on their way to the Post Office, the old Bank and the Custom House,
if it was not too late, to have a friendly chat with an acquaintance.
Office boys hurrying along in the leisurely hurry that office boys
always employ, stopped at Chubb's Corner and looked into the windows of
the Exchange office, and wondered to themselves if the huge pile of
money they saw lying about was good or not, and whether it would pass.
And so the days came and the days passed away, and year in and year out,
the old Corner still stood the centre of a busy hive. If those old walls
could speak now, as daily, men tramp over their fallen forms, what tales
could they tell, what stories of joy and sorrow might they not relate!
Walls have ears and they heard much, but they could not speak and what
they knew has perished with them.

The building on the Corner was put up by Mr. Chubb, shortly after he was
burned out in 1839. The head of the old firm was Henry Chubb, Esq.,
whose father landed with the Loyalists. He succeeded in 1811 the
business which had formerly been carried on by Mrs. Mott, wife of the
King's Printer, for whom Mr. Chubb conducted the work of the
establishment on the death of her husband. In 1842, Samuel Seeds was
admitted partner in the firm together with the eldest son of Mr. Chubb,
Henry J. Chubb. In 1846 the latter died and the surviving partners
continued the business until the spring of 1855, when Mr. Chubb died
leaving his share to Mr. Seeds and his two sons, Thos. Chubb and George
James Chubb. In 1863, Mr. Seeds retired and the brothers remained in
business until 1865, when G. J. Chubb bought out his brother's interest,
and the firm has continued under the old style of H. Chubb & Co., ever
since. An exchange office was added to the stationery and printing
business during the American War.

The old Commercial Bank building which was lately completely altered
and renovated internally, was situate on the south-east corner of Prince
William and Princess Streets. The corner stone was laid in 1839, and a
grand Masonic demonstration took place, Rev. Dr. B. G. Gray officiating.
Henry Gilbert Esq., was the President of the Commercial Bank at the
time. It was used latterly for the civic offices, and the Water
Commissioners had an office on the ground flat. _The Daily Telegraph_
newspaper occupied the old wooden building adjoining, and about which
notice is given in the first chapter of this history. Mr. Elder, the
enterprising editor and proprietor of the paper, is a heavy loser by the
fire. Not only did he lose his well-equipped printing office and
appliances, his splendid reference library and collection of historic
data, the gatherings of many years, but his bound fyles also, and in
fact everything he possessed vanished forever.

The Bank of New Brunswick was for a long time deemed safe. It is true
that the merchants hurried in with their books when the fire was still
raging a quarter of a mile away, but the old building which was burned
inside, exhibited after the fire, walls and pillars as strong and
vigorous as they were half a century ago. The vaults preserved their
contents, and millions of money were thus plucked from the burning. The
old bank was an edifice in which the people took pride. It was a hale
old veteran that had passed through many a disaster. When financial
troubles darkened the days of the people, when the dread cholera spread
disease and death in households, when fires laid waste the best acres
of our territory, the old bank still stood erect, and withstood the
shock which threatened her on every side. It succumbed this time, but
only in a partial way, for its pillars and a portion of its walls are as
stalwart as of yore. In May, 1821, a general meeting was held of the
stockholders of the banking company that had been organized the year
before. At this meeting some honoured names were read, and the following
gentlemen were present: Henry Gilbert, Hon. John Robinson, Nehemiah
Merritt, Wm. Black, Ezekiel Barlow, Thos. Millidge, Ward Chipman, jr.,
Zalmon Wheeler, Hugh Johnston, jr., Robert W. Crookshank, Robert Parker,
jr., Stephen Wiggins, and Hugh Johnston, senr. On the seventh day of May
the directors were chosen, and the bank was ready for business. The
first President was the Hon. John Robinson; and the other Directors for
the year were Wm. Black, Ezekiel Barlow, Lewis Bliss, Ward Chipman, jr.,
Robert W. Crookshank, senr., Henry Gilbert, Hugh Johnston, Nehemiah
Merritt, Thos. Millidge, Robert Parker, jr., Zalmon Wheeler, and Stephen
Wiggins. Of these but one lives to-day, Lewis Bliss, Esq., who, at last
accounts was in London, England. The Hon. J. D. Lewin was made President
in 1857, and Wm. Girvan, Esq., whose great industry is proverbial, was
chosen cashier, March 1st, 1862. Mr. Girvan, on taking charge of his
office, at once went methodically over the old books, and in two years,
by dint of untiring application, he had the full set from 1820 in shape.
The books are in such excellent condition, and so well arranged, that
it is a pleasure to refer to them.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

RUINS OF BANK OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

Photo. by G. F. Simonson.]

The Bayard Building, containing Mr. G. Em. Allen's office, the
Attorney-General's office and others, with two stores underneath, and
the new Bank of Nova Scotia building, which formerly belonged to Messrs.
Andre D. Cushing & Co., were soon destroyed, together with Barnes'
Hotel, which, only a few years ago, had an extension added, and was
fitted up with every modern improvement. Stewart & White's large
furniture warehouse and auction rooms opposite, in Smith's building,
with their heavy stocks, were burned.

[Illustration: NEW POST OFFICE.]

The destruction of the new Post Office, one of the most beautiful
buildings in the city at the time of the fire, was one of the saddest
spectacles of the day. It had only been opened a year, and its handsome
design and rich finish had often been admired. The ornamental freestone
work on the front, and the rich red granite pillars, gave the edifice a
very fine appearance. The flames were twice extinguished by Mr. Parker
in the tower where they made the attack first at six o'clock, at the
place where the clock was to have been put. At three in the afternoon
the mail matter was carefully put away in bags, and every preparation
made for a speedy departure. The first load of mail bags was hauled to a
place of safety, to Reed's Point, and seventeen of them were carried by
hand to the fish-market wharf, where a boat was seized and sixteen of
the bags put in it. The doors of the Post Office were closed to the
public at five o'clock, and by half-past six the fire had made such an
onslaught that nothing could keep it away. Through the foresight of Mr.
J. V. Ellis, the Postmaster, not a mail was lost, or a letter mislaid.
The outgoing mails that night to the north and east, were despatched as
usual, and with excellent executive skill, the Post Master was ready in
a temporary office in the Market building, to deliver letters to
applicants in less than twenty-four hours after the fire. In twelve
hours after that the delivery system was in full working order, and in a
few days merchants had the pleasure of receiving their mails in boxes of
their own at the Post Office. The Registry Letter Office was ready for
work, under Mr. M. J. Potter's management in a little while, and the
opening of the Money Order Department's Office was not long in
following. The clerks and other employes of the Post Office deserve the
greatest credit for their promptness under a most trying situation, and
their uniform kindness and courtesy were preserved to the last. Mr.
Flaglor delivered the first and last letters at the Post Office, Prince
William Street.

The old Nethery house in Church Street, where Mr. Geo. A. Knodell had
his printing office, and Mr. H. L. Spencer his medical warehouse, was
once the great headquarters of the Orangemen, and was built about the
year 1823. It was in this building that in old times balls and parties,
and dinners in connection with the order were given, and it was from
here that on the famous twelfth of July, when Duncan Wilmot was Mayor,
the Orangemen marched at the time of the memorable riot. Mr. Knodell
has begun rebuilding on this site.

The Royal Hotel in Prince William Street, formerly Stubbs' Hotel, and
for many years a leading house in the city, caught fire early in the
afternoon from the sparks. The inhabitants apprehended no danger and the
sparks were put out, but Mr. Waldron, Stage Manager of the Theatre, came
to the conclusion that as it had taken fire once, it might soon again be
stricken. He accordingly warned the others and proceeded to get his
things together for a final exit. The Hotel did catch about an hour and
a half after this, and all on the ground save the old tree to the left,
were in ashes before night. Mr. Thomas F. Raymond succeeded Mr. McIntosh
in the management of Stubbs' Hotel, and it was by him changed to the
name of "The Royal." A great many public dinners and balls have been
given in this house, and its spacious dining room for many years was
considered one of the finest ball-rooms in the city. The last great ball
given here was in 1871, in March, by St. Andrew's Society, on the
occasion of the marriage of the Marquis of Lorne to the Princess Louise.

A large amount of property that had been stored away for safe keeping in
the Custom House, was burned when that fine building went down. Hundreds
of people believing strongly in stone and brick, sought refuge for their
chattels here, and almost all available space was occupied with goods of
every description. The merest trifles were saved after the building took
fire, and an immense amount of material was consumed. Even Robert
Shives' collection of diaries that dated back many years was lost, as
well as a considerable number of his papers in connection with the
emigration office of which he was the agent. Mr. Shives was suffering
from illness during the fire and was too weak to be about much. Several
merchants who had sent their account books to the Custom House for
safety lost them in the great destruction which followed. The building
was a good strong substantial structure built about the year 1841, by
the late John Walker, Esq., and designed by him as a government
warehouse.[Q] He did not succeed however, in having it accepted as such
by the government, and it was purchased by Mr. McLeod, of St. John, and
Alexander Keith, Esq., of Halifax, and used as the Custom House. The
Government of Canada bought it from George McLeod, Esq., M. P. some
months ago. It was roomy and well adapted for customs purposes. When the
Dominion Government took it off Mr. McLeod's hands they refitted it up
completely. The storm drum and time ball and signal station were situate
on the Custom House.

[Illustration: The Burland Desbarats Lith. Co. Montreal

RUINS OF CUSTOM HOUSE FROM NORTH END AND EAST SIDE.

Photo. by G. F. Simonson.]

The International Hotel was formerly a double residence with the
entrance on the second story. About twenty years ago it was enlarged and
converted into an hotel under the management of Mr. A. B. Barnes, who
called the house after its owner--The Lawrence Hotel. Mr. Barnes left
it some years ago and removed to his own premises nearer King Street,
and Mr. R. S. Hyke, after it was modernized a little, assumed the
management.

The fire in Water Street proved to be very destructive. Tisdale's
corner, at the head of South wharf, and the home of the hardware
business in St. John for many years; the grocery establishments of C. M.
Bostwick and Geo. Robertson; John Melick's office, the ferry floats and
waiting-room, as well as Adam Young's large stove warehouse and the
Messrs. McCarty's place of business, were soon carried away. The good
old house of Robt. Robertson & Son, that for half a century wielded
great influence in the community, and whose ships to-day ride many
oceans, with its stock of sails and rigging, lasted scarcely longer in
the terrible heat than an hour's space. Walker's wharf and the premises
in Ward street suffered greatly, and it was while trying to save his
property here, that Captain William M. B. Firth lost his life. He was
last seen in Prince William Street, blinded by the smoke and scorched by
the flames, trying to make his way out. It is thought that finding all
hope of gaining an egress from the suffocating street, he sank down in
the roadside exhausted and weary, and death came to him there. His body
was found the next day, but it was not until Saturday that he was fully
recognised and claimed. He leaves a sorrowing wife and five
grief-stricken children, who spent the terrible days of his absence in
the greatest agony. There were many rumours about Capt. Firth while he
was missing. Some said that he was all right in Carleton, others
averred that he had gone away in a ship, while others again stoutly
maintained that they had seen him put out to sea in a boat and that he
would turn up all right. But when these tidings reached his poor wife,
she always turned with a sad smile of gratefulness to those who brought
her such news, in the hope that it might cheer her up, and said that her
heart told her better. Her husband's place was by her side, and he knew
it as well as she. What would he be doing out in a boat so long, when he
did not even know whether his wife and family were alive or not; no, she
never believed the rumours which came to her, thick and fast, as the
hours of those anxious days went by; and when the dread news came at
length, the widowed mother and her fatherless children had known it in
their hearts long before.

Another terrible death was that of Mr. Samuel Corbitt, a gentleman
esteemed and respected for his many good qualities, by all who knew him.
He was a furniture dealer, and his store was in Prince William Street. A
gentleman exchanged a few words with him while the fire was in full
career. Mr. Corbitt went into his own building, to get some things and
he never came back. The greatest sympathy is felt in the community for
Mrs. Corbitt and family.

An old resident of the city, Mr. Joseph Bell--a painter, lived in Duke
Street, where he kept his shop. On the night of the fire he went in to
remove a painting it is said, but when he turned to come out he could
not pass the flames, and he too perished, and was buried in the ruins
of his old home. A man named Johnson is still missing, and it is
probable he lost his life in the fire. Mrs. Coughlan, Timothy O'Leary,
Michael Donohoe, and Mrs. Fitzgerald, are also supposed to have lost
their lives in the same sad way, and as many are still missing, the loss
of life, it is expected, will be quite large. The heavy buildings came
down with such rapidity after they became hot, that it is feared that a
good many people were buried in the ruins, and the intense heat which
followed would render them never again recognisable, even if a portion
of the remains were found.

An incident has come to hand which deserves more than a passing notice.
Young Johnny Murphy, a mere child, who lived with his mother in
Charlotte Street, bravely jumped from the second-storey window of his
residence with his younger brother in his arms. The act was that of a
hero, and worthy the admiration and applause of thousands. Such bravery
and heroism should indeed be rewarded. The little fellow wears his
honors meekly.

FOOTNOTES:

[P] March 8th, 1877.

[Q] It had a three story granite front on Prince William Street
250 feet long, by 92 feet deep towards Water Street, which face was
built of brick four stories high. It cost Mr. Walker $120,000.

CHAPTER XI.

The Old House on the Hill--A Wily Commissary--The Bags of
Gold--What was done at Midnight--The Dead of Night Deposit--The
Old Vault--A Timid Money-Lender--Mr. Peter Johnson--The Board of
Commissioners--The Old Gentleman's Little Joke--The Inspection--
How it was Discovered--The Fight with the Flames--"How much will
I Get?"--What he Got--The Oil Barrels--Dashing the Water on the
Kerosene--A Lively time on Reed's Point Wharf--The Bridge of
Fire--On the Ferry-Boat--The Western Union Telegraph Office--The
First Dispatch.

The fire in that portion of Princess Street, from Prince William street
to Charlotte Street, was a great leveller, and destroyed a number of
useful buildings as well as a few very excellent ones. The Wiggin's
building on Rocky Hill, north side, which was erected about twenty years
ago found a fate which was common enough that day. The destruction of
Ritchie's building, though not expected by some, followed soon after. It
was admirably built, and the large number of division walls which it
had, rendered it almost invincible against any element however strong.
Look at it to-day after the fire has done its worst, and there is much
of it standing that can be utilized again. Its splendid supports are
ready for duty, and though the structure was on fire for seven hours and
subjected to great heat, the walls show that they could stand a good
deal of such endurance yet, and not crumble. The site on which this
edifice was erected, has in common with some others which have been
mentioned in the course of our story, a history of its own. A frame
building many years ago, before Rocky Hill was cut down, was built here
by Dr. Thomas Paddock, who afterwards disposed of it to Price, the
Commissary, who subsequently sold it to the Government. The house was
used as the Commissariat for a number of years. About 1823 or 1824 a
good deal of excitement was created by the arrest of Mr. Price who was
charged with defalcation in his accounts. He was closely guarded, and
after a court of enquiry was held, he was confined for a time and
finally allowed to depart. The story goes, and there are many who
remember it perfectly, that a wealthy gentleman knowing that Price lived
too fast, and had become involved, had offered to lend him the bags of
money which would make good his position when the commissioners came to
examine his accounts. It was proposed that they be sent over and
deposited in the house, and after the examiners were satisfied and had
left the city, the bags of coin would be conveyed back again to the
owner. This was satisfactory, and Price thanked his good friend. In
those days commissioners did not move as rapidly as they do now, and the
board did not arrive for a few days. In the meantime, the money was in
Price's possession, and he slept at night the peaceful sleep of the
innocent and just. But delays are ever dangerous, and Mr. Price's friend
was the timidest of the most timid men. He had no sooner sent his bags
of gold ou

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