1890s Hamilton

 “For the second time in a few weeks the city was almost entirely in darkness, owing to an accident at the electric light works.” Hamilton Times. December 24, 1895. The accident at Hamilton gas works involved no personal injury to any worker, but the injury to one of the big shafts at the plant was severe. The collapse of the system occurred on Monday, December 23 and officials immediately ordered a new shaft and tried to effect an interim solution until its arrival. Unfortunately their best efforts did result in a return to electric power in Hamilton on the day before Christmas: ““Christmas eve was perhaps the worst time of the whole year to have the city in darkness. The illumination of the store windows made the business streets light enough, but it also made the gloom of the back streets the more dense.” 1 1 “The City in Darkness : Accident at the Electric Light Works at a Bad Time.” Hamilton Spectator.   December 24, 1895. To add to the Christmas Eve scen