Christmas in Hamilton - 1895



 “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 scene in Hamilton, there was not only general darkness, but also a very rainy atmospheric condition:

““The dampness of the atmosphere on Tuesday night made Christmas eve anything but a pleasant time for shopping or indeed, anything else that entailed a person being out of doors. The inky blackness of all but the principal streets as a result of the failure of the electric light, made pedestrians exercise great caution to avoid mud puddles and, in some cases, to find their way around the city.

“The number of drunks on King and James streets was unusually large. The wet weather appeared to put an effectual damper on the fighting blood of most people, however, and the result was that the drunks were all good-natured, confining their attacks, even on each other, to hand shaking and oft-repeated ‘Wish ye (hic) a (hic) merry (hic) Christmas, ol’ man.’

“The merchants generally, report a heavy trade all day Tuesday and well on into the night. This was particularly the case with the jewelers, dry goods merchants, gents’ furnishers, and confectioners. Even the furriers and boot and shoe men had a heavy day’s business. With the latter, however, a snowy Christmas eve would have made a big difference in sales.”2

2 “Christmas Eve : Business Brisk With Nearly All Stores Despite the Weather.”

Hamilton Spectator.   December 24, 1895.

Earlier in the day, volunteers with the various national benevolent societies were hard at work:

““The national benevolent societies of the city are well to the fore as usual at this season with gifts of good things to the poor and from present indications there should not be a family table in all Hamilton tomorrow that will not be laden with the food that makes a Christmas dinner such a welcome event everywhere.”3

3 “Christmas : Even the Poorest Need Not Go Hungry Tomorrow.”

Hamilton Spectator.   December 24, 1895.

A description of the scene at just one of the society Christmas Distribution centers was provided in the Times:

“St. George’s society has secured a vacant store at the corner of King and Park streets as its headquarters today. In the big building are 2,5000 pounds of beef, 900 pounds of sugar, 300 pounds of tea, currants and raisins, 600 loaves of bread and 1,5000 pounds of flour. There are 325 families on the society’s list, and they represent a total of 2,000 persons., who will receive the articles necessary to a well-stocked larder.”3

On Christmas day, the rainy weather had not ceased. The Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway had been under construction throughout 1895. The line had to be completed by January 1, 1896 in order to be able to claim a huge financial bonus which had been promised by the City of Hamilton :

““Christmas was a busy day on the T.H.&B. Railway from here to Smithville, laborers, tracklayers, ballast gangs and switch-builders working from early in the morning until late at night. A similar condition of affairs prevailed at the Hunter street tunnel. Luckily there were no accidents and no landslides. The bricklayers accomplished considerable work on the tunnel proper, and last night, the contractors were confident that, unless some accident happens, the big cutting will be in shape to allow the passage of a train by the first of next week.”4

4 “It Is Almost Completed : The New Railway from Welland to Waterford : Yesterday a Busy Time on the Line.”

Hamilton Spectator.   December 26, 1895.

On Christmas morning, there was a Police Court session as seasonal ‘celebrations’ were known to get out hand, leading to the police cells on King William street to be well-occupied. However, Police Magistrate George Jelfs, feeling a Christmas spirit allowed the drunks, including the notorious Mary McGrath, to be dismissed with no fines or jail sentences imposed.




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