The Spectator of
Monday, August 3, 1914 carried a vivid description
of the outburst of Hamilton’s patriotism which greeted the news of the outbreak
of war in Europe:
“If any proof were
needed of the warmth and strength of the tie which binds Canada to the mother
country, it has be quickly forthcoming during the present crisis in European
affairs, and if Hamilton may be taken as an indication of the feeling of the
rest of the Dominion, then Great Britain need not fear for the support of the
greatest of all colonies.
“Hamilton people are
a notoriously calm and level-headed lot, and it takes a good deal to arouse in
them a spirit of enthusiasm over anything. Even the Englishmen who settle here
become infected with this feeling of reserve and restraint, but there was no
mistake about the display of patriotic fervor and enthusiasm in the city.
“Directly it became
known that the die had been cast, and that Great Britain had become involved in
what promises to be the greatest and most bitter war of all the centuries.,
Briton and Canadian alike set loose their dormant spirit of Patriotism and were
as one in the splendid attitude they assumed.
“ ‘This thing must be
seen through to the bitter end,’ they declared, and if the old country wants
any help in the gigantic struggle with which she is now faced, Hamilton will
readily support her quota, there is no doubt of that.”1
1 “Crowds
Clamored for News of Great Crisis : Spec’s War Edition Gave Everything As
Bulletins Were Flashed”
Hamilton Spectator. August 3, 1914.
On Sunday August 2,
1914, it seemed like all Hamilton was in state of fervid commotion, and the
newspaper offices of the Times, the Herald and the Spectator were besieged by
people wishing to learn about the latest news.
A reporter for the
Spectator described in detail the scenes around the Spectator building on James
street south :
“Excitement was at a fever pitch all day yesterday, and
the city of Hamilton has never before roused itself to such a pitch of
enthusiasm.
“The Spectator office
was all day long the center of an expectant mob, eagerly devouring each piece
of news as it filtered through and was posted on the windows outside.
“Indeed, the
Spectator played a great part in yesterday’s demonstrations, for its various
wire services were placed at the disposal of the public all day and night, and
it is gratifying to know that the efforts made in this respect met with such a
hearty and generous appreciation.
“Perhaps, and this is
a great and unique occasion, it may be of interest to record exactly what the
Spectator’s part was.
“From the very first,
from the moment the shadows of war began to loom in the distance, arrangements
were made for a complete and continuous supply of the latest news from Europe,
but it was not until the news was posted outside the office on Saturday
afternoon that Germany had declared war on Russia that the general mass of the
public realized the seriousness of the situation. Right up to that moment,
there were strong hopes that the efforts of Britain might lead to a peaceful
settlement or, at least, might result in confining the war to Austria and
Servia.
“But Germany’s
precipitated action disposed of all such possibilities, and the Spectator
quickly determined upon keeping the public closely in touch with the latest
developments.
“The wire services
were kept open all night, and until a late hour on Saturday bulletins were
posted at intervals outside the office, while inside the staff were hurriedly
summoned and preparations made from bringing out a special war edition first
thing yesterday morning.”1
A special edition of
the Spectator, containing all the very latest news on the outbreak of war was a
huge undertaking, especially during the weekend :
“A difficulty had to
be overcome for the laws of the province prohibit the sale of newspapers on a
Sunday, but the management determined to give the paper away. By seven o’clock
, nearly 30,000 copies of the special edition had been thundered out by the
printing presses, giving full details up to that time of the Kaiser’s momentous
action in embroiling the whole of Europe in war.
“A corps of men and
boys were engaged to carry out the work of distribution, and before breakfast
every resident along the Beach to Burlington had been supplied at his door with
a free copy of the paper.
“House to house
distributions took place at Dundas, Grimsby, Stoney Creek, Bronte, Oakville,
Mount Hamilton and Crown Point, while several huge bundles were sent by early
train to Niagara Falls, each station passed en route receiving a supply for the
people living in the vicinity.
“All the suburban
houses of the city were similarly supplied by the Spec’s corps of distributors,
and the early morning boat to Toronto was boarded, and copies of the paper given
to all passengers.
“Young men and boys
were stationed at principal street corners of the city, and every adult person
who passed had his or her special edition, the distributors at the corner of
King and James streets having a particularly busy time. Inside the Spectator
office, a man handed copies over the counter to all and sundry boys and girls,
of course, being supplied, and it is safe to say that yesterday’s special
edition was read by close upon 100,000 adult residents in this part of the
province.”
“In the editorial
department of the Spectator, from early morning to late at night, a staff of
men were kept busy attending to inquiries by telephone from people in every
direction.
“From Burlington came
hundreds of messages to the Spectator, congratulating it upon its unprecedented
enterprise, and eagerly devouring the latest news which the staff was able to
supply. As each piece of news was received over the wires, it was pasted in the
windows outside, and read eagerly by a crowd of people who assembled all day.”1
As the day
progressed, more and more people gathered in the vicinity of the Spectator:
“Towards evening, the
crowd stretched right across the road, and became wildly enthusiastic, cheering
each successive item of intelligence which told of a disadvantage to Germany,
or of an advantage to Britain. When it was announced that the British fleet had
held up a German steamship carrying $13,000,000 worth of bullion, hats were
flung into the air, and the rejoicings were great, while the news that the
French had similarly captured $4,000,000 of German gold on its way to Berlin,
was the signal for another outburst.”1
The outburst of such
energetic greeting of the war news was in part because the outbreak of war
seemed so sudden to many citizens:
“A few days ago
people here had no desire for war. They fervently hoped and prayed for peace,
but they are not of the ‘peace-at-any-price’ party, and now that Germany has
thrown down the gauntlet and the dogs of war have been irrevocably set free,
they are ready to support the mother country, by word and deed, and with an
enthusiasm which a few days ago it would have been impossible to conceive.
“So dense did the
throng become after church that bulletins on the windows were of little use,
and the telegrams were read through a megaphone from a first story window, and
it was only when it was announced that in London the time was 3:30 a.m., and
that it was hardly likely that any news of importance would be forthcoming for
a few hours, that the crowd began to melt away. Even then, right up to
midnight, two or three hundred people remained in a fever of expectancy,
determined not to miss even the smallest fragment of news, should any chance a
stray telegram filter through.”1
The management of the
Spectator was not slow to boast that their newspapers was a critical instrument
in disseminating war news, and not just in Hamilton :
“It was not only in
Hamilton and the places already mentioned that the Spectator supplied the
latest news from the great European centers. The newspapers of Brantford and
St. Catharines sent over special representatives to telephone and telegraph the
Spectator bulletins to their respective papers, and the crowds outside those
offices, although not so large, were just as pronounced in their cheers for the
motherland as was that on James street.”1
The Spectator did not
fail to serve East Hamilton well as regards the making of the latest war news available.:
“The scene outside
the Spectator branch office in East Hamilton was quite as enthusiastic.
“Simultaneously with
the posting of bulletins in the windows of the main office, the news was
telephoned to the Barton street office and posted there, so that the thousands
of Englishmen who have made East Hamilton their home, were kept well-acquainted
with their country’s doings in this sudden, overwhelming conflict. And among
the crowd which assembled were not a few old soldiers – reservists, many of
them – and without undue display of cheap heroism, they all intimated their
readiness to return to Europe and shoulder a rifle once more for the old country
immediately they were called upon to do so.”1
The Spectator ended
its reporting of the events of Sunday August 2, 1914 as follows;
“It was, in every
respect, perhaps the most remarkable Sunday that Hamilton has ever experienced,
but, in all probability there will be still more remarkable happenings before
many days are past.
“Whatever happens,
the Spectator may be relied upon to play its part in keeping the public well-supplied
with the latest news from the seat of operations.”1
No comments:
Post a Comment