Earthquake, fire called 'the greatest calamity California has ever known'
100 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 26, 1906
Earthquake and fire have caused the greatest calamity California has ever known. The entire business section of San Francisco is in ruins, and the flames which, owing to the lack of water cannot be checked, are still sweeping through the city. Thousands of persons are homeless. The city is under martial law and the streets patrolled by soldiers who are also guarding the banks. Communication with outside towns is almost entirely cut off, but it is reported from Palo Alto that all but one of the buildings of the Stanford University have been wrecked and one student killed. By Saturday the estimate of the dead was 250 in the city and as many more elsewhere in the state, but these figures are likely to be largely increased. The estimated property loss ranges from $200 million to $500 million.
The list of the dead at Santa Rosa, one of the towns that suffered severely from the earthquake, included Mrs. George Manning and her daughter Velma. Mrs. Manning was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Lawson of Shelburne and lived here with her husband until they moved to Vancouver a few years ago, later loving to Santa Rosa, a town of about 10,000, 57 miles north of San Francisco.
Mrs. Lawson received a letter from Mr. Manning telling her the sad news. In it, he said he and his wife Annie were awakened about 5:25 a.m. "by plaster hitting us in the face and an awful noise, and the building rocking like a cradle - in fact the earth jumped right up and down.Annie said:'My God, George, what is it?' and then, 'Oh, my baby!' and she grabbed for babe, who was in the little iron cot right beside our bed. ... When Annie grabbed for the baby I grabbed for both of them and tried to rise up in the bed, when down came the bricks, pinning us down. Bricks and mortar buried us about six feet deep. I think baby never knew what happened, but Annie lived a little while. The shock lasted about 12 seconds and men came at once to our rescue, but too late to be of any assistance to my poor wife and child. ... We were under the brick for 2 1/2 hours. I had one arm broken, my back nearly broken and my hands, legs and face all bruised."
The Spring Assizes for the County of Dufferin opened in the Court House, Orangeville, before Mr. Justice Anglin Tuesday afternoon of last week. There was not any criminal business and consequently the services of a Grand Jury were not required. The trial of the action of Burch vs. C.P.R. resulted in a verdict awarding the plaintiff $1,000 damages. The action was instituted by George Burch of Orangeville on behalf of his 10-year-old son Wilbert, who was struck and seriously injured by a lorry at the John Street crossing on the evening of Sept. 29, 1905. At the time, the lad was employed as a delivery clerk in Ritchie Bros.' store and was delivering some goods on John St. south of the crossing. While returning, he and a companion, Roy Stinson, were on the express wagon used for carrying the goods and started on the grade down to the tracks, colliding with a railway lorry manned by a section crew, which was travelling fast at the time westbound. The boy suffered a serious hip injury and is still in hospital.
75 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 30, 1931
The Kingston Presbytery of the United Church favours such an amendment to the church's constitution as will permit women to become elders. The decision was almost unanimous.
After a winter's inactivity, the Interprovincial Brick Co. has opened up again in Cheltenham, giving employment to 20 men.
50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, April 25, 1956
The annual meeting of District 'E' of the Ontario Command, Canadian Legion, was held in the Legion Hall, Shelburne, on Sunday, with business sessions morning and afternoon. At the noon hour there was a large parade of veterans from the Legion Hall to the Cenotaph on Victoria Street, headed by Shelburne Citizens' Band, for a memorial service conducted by Rev. J. M. Dobson, rector of St. Paul's Anglican Church.
The annual meeting of Shelburne District Hospital was held in the Federation office, Shelburne, with Howard Ferris, president, in the chair. The meeting was told total income in 1955 was $20,975. Expenses were $22,058, heaving a deficit of $1,083.00.
25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, April 29, 1981
The president of Envirosearch Limited has advised Orangeville councillors that the town's sewage treatment plant, with proposed modification and expansion completed, will probably boast the highest removal rate in Ontario. "It's one of the most advanced treatment plants with the filter system in the province," said Glen Pearce.
Dufferin County Council is debating whether to expand Dufferin Oaks in Shelburne or build a second home for the aged on a county-owned site opposite Mono-Amaranth Public School.
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