Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 3225
February 13th 1889 the Masonic Block caught fire.
2/13/2010 at 2:56 PM
This was a most spectacular blaze, which destroyed the whole Block. Since the decline of Sixth Street it had become the main shopping centre. It was also one of the city’s best business blocks.
This block was located at the corner of Tenth Street and Rosser Avenue. It housed the office of Brandon’s conservative newspaper, the ‘Mail’, and this was the location where the Land Titles Office records were kept.
Some irreplaceable paintings in the Studio of artist Boisseau perished. Post Office property, Masonic, and Old Fellow’s lodges’ fittings, and Frazer Brothers large dry goods store were destroyed. On the top floor were the offices of Mr. R. J. Dickinson, and four young Lawyers, the Henderson Brothers, and the Sifton Brothers.
It was in the evening when flames were observed shooting out of the windows of the ‘Mail’ print offices. The Bell at city hall was soon ringing out the alarm, while the firefighters were delayed by a struggle with unmanageable horses in the Fire Hall engineering room, but eventually arrived at the scene.
On arrival the men of the volunteer brigade rushed to perform their duties, but they were unsuccessful. The whole building was engulfed in flames, and for a while it looked lake the whole of Rosser Avenue was doomed.
Fortunately the fire was delayed in engulfing the nearby Queen’s Hotel, Imperial Bank and a tinsmith shop, by heavy snow on their rooftops. Finally the blaze burned its self out, and the fire was contained to only one Block.
There were no serious casualties, but a near fatal accident happened when Mr. Clifford Sifton’s ‘Safe’ fell through the top floor and narrowly missed crushing two Firefighters working below.
Source: Brandon a City, G. F. Barker. Daly House Museum Archives.