The day after Christmas,
1883.
Some of the holiday
celebrations had passed but there was still one more big one to come.
On December 26, 1883, readers
of both the Hamilton Times and Spectator had the opportunity to catch up on
some the things that took place in the city on Christmas Eve and on Christmas day.
Reporters, on Christmas
morning, still headed over to the Police Court but there was nothing to report:
“There were several cases to come before the
Police Magistrate, but he gave himself a holiday. The court was postponed, and
the prisoners were sent back to the cells until tomorrow.
“Following was the docket :
Henry Watson and Thomas Burns, drunk; Henry Watson, vagrancy; Thos. Burns,
assault on David Farr; Branson Hall, assault on John Jackson; Dan. Graham,
jun., threatening Dan. Graham, sen; James Larkin, larceny of a coat.”1
1 “Police
Court Postponed”
Hamilton Times. December 25, 1883.
There was no entertainment
at the Police Court, but the show went on at the Dime Museum and the Grand
Opera House:
“There was a large crowd at the Central Music
hall, King street east, last evening, which was the opening of Lewis &
Saucler’s Royal Dime museum. The programme is a long one, and opens with a
funny farce called A Live Subject, that brought down the house. Miss Emma
Johnson sings some good serio-comic songs, and sings them well. Mr. A. Leroux
does a fine horizontal bar act, and is followed by Mr. Will Hamall with a good
Lancashire clog. Jerome and Moon show their musical skill by playing on any
number of instruments, and the old Hamilton favorite, Ned Mason, in his famous
Dutch songs, captures the house. Crosby and Culhane, character artists, are
good, and Professor Charles Smith has a big card in a trained goat. Billy
Hamall does some clever work on the banjo. The performance concludes with a
farce, Fooling with the Wrong Man. This is a great show for 10 cents, in fact,
it is a wonder how much the proprietors can give so much for so little.
Performances will be given every afternoon and evening at 2:30 and 8 o’clock,
and those who want to see a good show should not fail to attend.”2
2 “The
Dime Museum”
Hamilton Spectator. December 25, 1883.
“The well-known Holman Opera company appeared
at the Grand last evening in Balfe’s charming three act opera, the Bohemian
Girl, to poor business. This organization is too well-known to need to be
spoken of at length. All the leading members of old are with them still,
including Sallie Holman, J.T. Halton, A.D. Holman, and Blanche Bradshaw. The
audience, though small, was appreciative and enthusiastic, and the performance
was greeted with enthusiastic applause. This afternoon the same company gives a
Christmas matinee for ladies and children, presenting Cinderella, and tonight
they appear in the Mascotte.”3
“Grand Opera House”
3Hamilton
Spectator. December 25, 1883.
Entertainment was provided
by volunteers for the patients and staff at the Hamilton Asylum on the mountain
:
“The amusement hall in the Asylum for the
Insane, in this city, was packed last night with patients, attendants, officers
and visitors. The sumptuous dinner had placed everybody in good spirits, and
the entertainment was enjoyed with unfeigned delight.
“The programme was received
with unlimited applause, the farce bringing down the house time and again.
“The seats were planted more
closely, and a large space left in the center of the hall into the middle of
which an immense Christmas tree was moved. The branches were heavily laden with
cornucopias filled with sweets, ties, lace collars, fleecy neckwear, etc., and
each patient was presented with a gift. Old and young munched candy with a
relish, and displayed with pride the presents given to them.
“The evening closed with a
dance, and merrily the assembly kept time to the music. At 10:30, the patients
were marched to their rooms, and Christmas day ended at the asylum with the
fullest degree of pleasure anticipated.”4
4“Christmas Evening : With the
Patients in the Asylum for the Insane.”
Hamilton Spectator. December 26, 1883.
A serious accident took
place at the railway yards off Stuart street :
“Between 5 and 5:30 o’clock yesterday, a
serious collision occurred in the yard of the Grand Trunk railway in this city.
A train was just being made up in the east end of the yard, and one of the
small yard engines and two conductor’s cabooses had just backed upon a siding
when a freight train from the east came along.
“Between Saturday night and
Monday morning, there is very little freight traffic over the road, and the
authorities deemed it advisable not to have the switchmen on duty, but left the
work to two yardmen. Neither of these noticed that the switch was open, and the
freight train came in on the same track as the yard engine and cabooses were
standing. A collision ensued, and the front part of the yard engine was torn
away together with the smoke stack. The cabooses were thrown off the track, and
the foremost one lifted up in the air and deposited upon a switch house by the
side of the track, entirely demolishing it. Fortunately, no one was in the
house at the time, or they would certainly have been killed as there was
scarcely a board left, so complete was the wreck. The other caboose and freight
car were also thrown from the track and deposited in a heap together. As the
debris thus lay, it caught fire either from the stoves in the cabooses or from
the engine, but most likely from the former. All this happened in the space of
a minute or two and it was now discovered that there was a brakeman in one of
the cabooses, and it was feared that he would perish; but the door, which was
locked, was forced open and he was got out with only a slight sprain of his
arm.
“When the president, Sir
Henry Tyler, inspected the road a few months ago, he ordered that hose houses
should be built near every hydrant. The accident happened just opposite the
hydrant so that no time was lost in getting out the hose and a stream turned
on. The distress signals were sounded and the fire department turned out
promptly and put on a stream from a hydrant on Stuart street, and the fire was
speedily got under.
“A gang of men were set to
work and had the track cleared shortly after noon. The amount of damage is not
definitely known, but will probably be several thousand dollars.”5
5 “Railway
Collision : Two Cabooses and an Engine Damaged”
Hamilton Spectator. December 25, 1883.
The staff at the Hamilton
Post Office had heavy duties over as Christmas approached, and even after it
had arrived:
“The patronage extended this season to these
missives of friendship and affection is something astonishing, and the revenue
derived therefrom by the post office department must be very satisfactory to
the officials. Since the first of the current month, a steady flow of this
class of correspondence has been daily on the increase. The rush first set in
towards the United Kingdom, gradually narrowing its borders until centered in
this city on Monday when it culminated in one of the largest deliveries ever
known in the history of our post office. The local springtime of literature
peculiar to the season was enhanced by the arrival on Monday of a British mail
fairly laden with some hundreds of pounds weight of similar missives. The
capacity of the staff at the post office was strained to the utmost, and night
and day, work proceeded and continued incessantly until noon on Christmas day.”6
6“Christmas
Cards.”
Hamilton Times. December 26, 1883.
While the members of the
Hamilton Fire Department, holiday or no holiday, remained on duty, ready to
respond to any alarm that might be sounded, they devised a way to still
celebrate Christmas:
“A more jovial and happy set
of fellows than the men of the city fire department it would be hard to find
anywhere and when not on active service or practicing, they are ready for any
good thing that comes along. No wonder was it, then, that one of them should
think that while around were enjoying themselves, they should also. The idea
was no sooner struck than it was acted upon, and about 10 o’clock yesterday
morning they got together and determined to get up a Christmas supper.”7
7 “The
Fire Department : The Boys Enjoy a Magnificent Supper Together”
Hamilton Spectator. December 26, 1883.
Within ten hours of deciding
to organize a Christmas supper at the Central Fire Station on Hughson street,
the work of organizing, preparing and serving a Christmas meal for the firemen
had been completed:
“And such a supper! The
tables were as neatly spread as any to be seen in the leading hotels, and the
‘boys’ were indebted to Alonzo T. James, their neighbor, for the dishes and
silverware, while good friends of the department sent in the eatables, which
comprised all the substantials and luxuries of the season. The upstairs
sitting, which had been improvised for dining purposes presented a very pretty
appearance, being decorated with flags and evergreens.”8
8 “The
Fireman’s Christmas : Sumptuous Supper at Central Fire Station Last Evening.”
Hamilton Times. December 26, 1883.
When the supper was about to
begin, the firemen were joined by several city aldermen, as well as some
prominent citizens and members of the local press:
“Now came the work which
generally falls to the lot of the ladies – that of spreading the tables. The
boys, however, did not call in their lady friends, but set to work themselves,
and the table was spread in a style that would do credit to any first-class
restaurant. Nothing was wanting to make the spread enjoyable. The oysters were
well-cooked, the flowers and fruit displayed in a manner to give the best
possible appearance, and, in a place where all would see it was the motto
‘Welcome.’ ”1
After speeches honoring the
efficiency of the fire department, several toasts were made and responded to,
while several songs appropriate to the occasion were presented.”8
