1917 - Grafton Fire

“ ‘Fire is a good servant but a poor master,’ is an old saying that proved to have a lot of truth in it last night, when, as master, it destroyed the stores and contents of Grafton and Company, James Street North”

                                                              Hamilton Times. February 13, 1917

          It was a quarter to nine on a bitterly cold evening in downtown Hamilton when flames were spotted rising from the roof of Grafton and Co., one of the city’s most popular stores.

          At 8:51 p.m., Fire Chief Arthur Ten Eyck received hurried telephone call reporting the fire. Less than a minute later, the chief had covered the two blocks from the central fire station to the store on the east side of James street, just north of King street.

          Immediately recognizing the severity of the blaze, Chief Ten Eyck issued a general alarm. Within minutes, the scene of the fire was surrounded by apparatus from every station in the city. Dozens of policemen were called to control the huge crowd of onlookers which had turned out to witness what would prove to be one of the most spectacular in the city’s history.

          The Spectator described the fire as follows :

          “Attracted by the report that the entire heart of the city was ablaze, crowds gathered from every section of the city. The blazing building, flaming high like a pine torch, struck fear into all those who owned property near the main business corner, and among the crowd were many who had more than a curious interest in the fire.”

          Indeed, with the huge banks of flames issuing from the Grafton building, and with sparks shooting high into the air and being blown about by a strong southwest wind, there was a real danger that the whole central part of downtown Hamilton could be lost.

          As noted in the next day’s edition of the Hamilton Herald, the gallant and heroic work of Hamilton’s “fire ladies” saved the day:

          “The members of Hamilton’s fire fighting force demonstrated to the thousand’s of citizens who flocked to the scene of the blaze the caliber of their bravery and zeal when duty calls them to save the city from destruction.

          “Owing to the low temperature, the rubber coats, hats and boots became covered with ice within a surprisingly short space of time.The gloves on their hands also became frozen, causing them severe discomfort, and rendering the carrying out of their work the more difficult. Duty called them to go where it seemed that no human being could survive.

          “At one time, Chief Ten Eyck was noticed standing on the roof of the Pratt building within a few yards of the blazing building, engaged in directing the operations of the five lines of hose which were pouring great volumes of water from James street.”

          At the height of the blaze, a team of horses attached to a hose wagon on King William street became frightened by the fire and dashed towards James street, heading directly towards the massive crowd of onlookers, which had been estimated at least 4,000 people. Police Constable Alex McMillan, showing great presence of mind and fleetness of foot, chased the horses and made a flying tackle to grab the bridles and bring the horses under control before anyone was seriously hurt.

          By 2 a.m., the Grafton fire was under control, although the building was destroyed, with only the brick front wall, covered in ice, left standing.

          The Spectator reporter who stayed at the scene all night noticed Chief Ten Eyck “surveying the scene, chewing at an unlit cigar. Icicle hung from his hat, and his face was streaked with grime. Far into the night, the firemen kept to their post. They seemed like snowmen, their entire persons masses of ice. Piles of ice on their hats made them look like clowns at a masquerade party.”

          The next morning, the picturesque, ice-clad ruins of the Grafton building attracted crowds of sightseers. A policeman left on duty to guard the scene remarked that he had not “that there were so many Kodaks and cameras in the world.”

          Even after a formal fire marshal’s inquiry, the cause of the Grafton’s fire was never discovered. At the inquiry, members of the Hamilton Fire Department came in for great praise, although Chief Ten Eyck did testify that his men could have done a better job if the aerial ladder truck he had earlier requested had not been denied by city politicians.