1914-12-21ror

“Mountaineers were given a fright and Hamilton lost one of its familiar landmarks last night at 12 o’clock when Summer’s Mountain theatre, at the head of the Wentworth street incline, took afire and burned to the ground.”

          Hamilton Herald.   December 21, 1914.

          It was a spectacular fire, and the cause was suspicious.

          The Summer’s Mountain theatre, owned by actor George H. Summers, was an popular open air theatre, used almost exclusively during the summer months. Its site was strategically chosen as patrons could get to it readily via the east end incline railway.

          In the wintertime, the theatre was not in use and although some efforts were made to keep it secure, those efforts ultimately proved to be ineffectual:

          “Edward Nalley, electrician of the theatre stated that when on Friday last he had occasion to visit the theatre for an inspection, he found the door of Mr. Summer’s office burst open. Its lock had evidently been forced and there was evidence of someone having prowled about.

          “The door was nailed up again, but Mr. Nalley was of the opinion that tramps, or others who had no business in the building, were responsible for it taking fire.”¹

               ¹ “Theatre Wiped out By Fire : Summers’ Theatre Completely Destroyed Early This Morning : Loss Is Estimated At $18,000 Mostly Covered By Insurance”

          Hamilton Herald.    December 21, 1914.

          The whole wooden frame structure was completely consumed by fire, even though members of the Hamilton Fire department left the central station as quickly as possible. A moderate wind helped the fire spread rapidly.

          The firemen reacted quickly, but actually getting to the scene of the blaze was problematic:

          “The alarm was responded to by the firemen very promptly but the east end incline had closed down at 10:30, and it took some time to get the steam up again, the result being that the fire hose wagons and the truck which went to the fire were left standing at the foot of the incline, and the firemen could do nothing until there was steam enough to carry them up.”²

               ² “Theater Falls Prey to Fire : Summers’ Building Burned to the Ground : Incline Closed and Firemen Were Helpless : Unfortunately, Auto Truck Was Crippled”

          Hamilton Spectator.  December 21, 1914.

          The Assistant Fire Chief using an automobile rushed up the Jolley cut and was on the scene quickly, but there was nothing he could do until the incline started and his men arrived.

          When the firemen were able to get to the blaze, five streams of water were quickly pouring water, but only were dampening cinders:

          “Being constructed almost wholly of timber, it burned like matchwood, and by 12:30, the roof had fallen in. Shortly after one o’clock, the flames had practically spent themselves, still the firemen did not cease from playing several streams on the burning embers.”¹

               As described in the Spectator, the location of the fire meant that it could be widely witnessed by citizens:

          “The fire could be seen from almost any part of the city and several people visited the scene of the conflagration. The sky was illuminated and it presented a beautiful sight for half an hour, which proved sufficient time for the biggest part of the building to be demolished.”²

               The wind, although not overly strong, did blow some of the fire to the nearby home of Mr. Parish. The firemen were able to bring that blaze under control quickly.

          Mr. Summers’ was not in Hamilton when the fire broke out, being in New York City where he was conducting a profitable booking agency. He was informed of the incident by telegraph and immediately made plans to come back to Hamilton. His loss was primarily the large number of folding chairs used when productions were scheduled at the theatre, plus some trunks of wardrobe and sets of stage scenery.

          Speaking to the press during the morning after the blaze, Fire Chief Ten Eyck spoke of the dangers residents living on the escarpment faced in case of fire:

          “The need of better fire protection on the mountain was demonstrated in a costly way when the Summers’ theater was burned. The big auto truck which would have been able to make the climb up the Jolley cut in good time was out of commission owing to a broken fan and chain, and the horses could not make the climb in anything like a reasonable time.”²

               The fire chief also noted that the chance of stopping fires on the mountain was minimal as most of houses there were of wooden frame construction, set close together in rows.