1914-02-18

“While making a run to a small fire in a shed owned by the Ottawa Contracting company, at the foot of John street, shortly after 10 o’clock this morning, Chief TenEyck’s auto struck a cutter in which Mrs. R. A. Lucas, 63 Duke street, was seated, upsetting the cutter, and hurling Mrs. Lucas and her coachman to the street.”

          Hamilton Spectator. February 18, 1914

          While more and more automobiles were appearing on Hamilton streets in 1914, the roadways were still used heavily by horse-drawn vehicles.

In the winter months, many Hamilton automobile owners chose to take their cars off the roads and store them on blocks until spring. The use of horse-drawn cutters was still very common in 1914, especially in the coldest part of the winter when the streets were frozen.

The Hamilton Fire Chief, Arthur TenEyck, still used an automobile in the winter months so that he could get to the scene of a fire as quickly as possible.

On Wednesday February 18, 1914, an alarm came in from an industrial building near the waterfront at the foot of John street North. The fire chief, stationed at the John street Central Fire Station, was in an auto immediately heading towards the call. The chief was not at the wheel, that task being in the hands of his driver.

In the vicinity of John Street North and Robert street, a collision between the chief’s auto and a cutter occurred.

In speaking to a Spectator reporter, the chief claimed that his car was travelling at about 20 miles per hour, then explained what happened from his perspective:

“Had we been going at full speed, the results would no doubt have been very serious. As it was, it was bad enough, and I regret it very much. The accident was unavoidable, however, and everything possible to avoid the collision was done.

“Near Robert street, we observed two cutters ahead of us. One was in the center of the road and the other slightly to the east. We turned to pass just as the rig in which Mrs. Lucas was seated passed west on Robert street. We were so close that it was impossible to stop, and not being able to turn on the left because of the other cutter, we whirled to the east, our fender striking the rear of the cutter, upsetting it and throwing Mrs. Lucas and her coachman to the street, the automobile then crossed the street, breaking an axle and the fender and completely putting it out of business.

“I rushed to Mrs. Lucas at once, and picking her up, placed her in the other cutter which was following closely. Dr. Hopkins happened to be passing and he accompanied Mrs. Lucas to his office where it was found she was suffering from a bad cut in the forehead, but fortunately was not otherwise seriously injured, except for the bad shaking she received. The coachman was not injured.”¹

¹ “Auto Wrecked Speeding to Small Blaze : Fire Chief’s Car Crashed Into Tree on John Street : Vehicle Upset and Mrs. R. A. Lucas Was Injured”  

Hamilton Spectator. February 18, 1914

Mrs. Lucas would be taken to the City Hospital on Barton street where she was further examined and put into a bed for a brief recovery before being taken home.

The fire, to which the chief was headed turned out to be fairly minor, caused by a gasoline explosion which had ignited a shed. The fire was quickly extinguished, the company loss estimated at about $500.