Sheila Hurd
[Evening Tribune]
Ma Bell came to town in 1885.
Twenty-seven Wellanders signed up for the new service, which enabled them to make long distance calls to Thorold, Port Colborne, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and even to Buffalo.
During these early days of the telephone, directories only listed names, not numbers. It was not until 1889 that directories also included telephone numbers.
A switchboard was installed in Clayton Page’s Main Street grocery store and Page became the first Bell agent in Welland.
J.S. O’Neill was in charge of the switchboard and Miss Toddy Tucker was the first switchboard operator. Female operators were preferred to males because they were more polite.
The Welland switchboard changed locations with each new agent. After two years in the general store, the switchboard was moved to an insurance office and later to a book and stationary store. The switchboard was opened for calls only as long or the store which housed it was open for business.
A turn of the telephone crank connected the caller to the operator. The speed of the telephone service in Page’s general store depended on how busy Page and his clerks were with customers.
In the early years, the idea of the telephone did not catch on very quickly in Welland because the railway interfered with the telephone connection.
By 1901, 36 Wellanders had telephones. In 1903 a second switchboard was installed and in 1906 24-hour service was introduced. By 1910 the number of subscribers had jumped to 488.
A new bell building opened on Division Street to accommodate the growing company. Dial service was introduced in 1942 and direct distance dialing in 1968.
[Welland Tribune, 28 August 1885]
Scarcely had Mr. Craig recovered from the effects of his fall last Monday week than he was summoned on Friday (21st) to proceed from Ridgeway to Fort Erie to conduct a funeral service over the sudden death of Mr. Heaslip’s beloved wife. The company was a very large one, and deep sympathy was evinced by all under the mournful event and impressive service. Next morning the remains were removed by rail to Wellandport Presbyterian Burial Grounds, and were deposited near her parents there. Mr. Craig read the burial service at the grave in the midst of a large company of mourners, and preached a powerful sermon, accompanied with appropriate hymns beautifully rendered by the Methodist choir of Wellandport, and joined in by an overflowing congregation. The deceased Mrs. Heaslip was a daughter of the late Mr. Cushman of Wellandport, well known by an unusually large circle of friends and highly esteemed by all. We understand Mr. Craig will preach next Sabbath (30th) at Ridgeway 10.30 a.m. and at Fort Erie 3.30 p.m. by way of improving the mournful event. Subject-“Death, man’s enemy, changed into a friend.”
[Welland Tribune, 4 September 1885]
When Councillor Minnis arose on Friday morning last he found those most necessary articles of clothing-pants and boots-missing. The unmentionables were subsequently found in the kitchen, but the boots had walked away-on the burglar’s feet. The open kitchen window shewed the route they has taken. Further investigation revealed that the pocket of the pants had been gone through, and some $4 or $5 in all had accompanied the boots thence. Fortunately $65 in Mr. Minnis’s vest pocket, hanging on the bed room door knob has escaped the thief’s notice. Mr. Minnis, like most Wellanders in time of trouble has called on Chief Gilchriese who sent word to Constable Anderson at the C.S.R. to be on this look out. Mr. Gilchreise, himself, having heard that a suspicious-looking person had gone down the W.R.R. track early in the morning, went to Port Robinson but his search was fruitless. But Mr. Anderson had better luck. Examining a freight train about to move out of the yard, he found that a man with rather ill-fitting boots on had crawled in an empty car and pulled the slide-door to after him. Mr. Anderson called on the fellow to come out and give himself up. He pulled the door to and refused, apparently determined to stand a siege. Thinking better of it, and jumping quickly out of the car he pulled off the boots and attempted to make off, but was collared by the constable and lodged in gaol. The prisoner was found to be one Andy McCulliff, an old resident of this county but who has been away for some time past. When brought before Mr. Hellems for trial on Monday, prisoner stated that he did not know whether he was guilty as charges or not. He had been drinking and remembered nothing that occurred after leaving St. Thomas on Thursday with a satchel and $20 until taken in the car with boots on which did not belong to hi, and with this satchel gone and only between $4 or $5 in his pocket. He had no lawyer to defend him, and did not wish any. Mr. Raymond prosecuted. A plea of not guilty was entered, and evidence taken as above. Mr. Minnis and Mr. Seger both positively identified the boots found on prisoner as Mr. Minnis’s. Mr. M. could not swear to the money but it was the same kind and amount he had lost. Mr. Dowd swore to seeing prisoner coming down from the C.S. R. depot after midnight the morning of the burglary. In short, the case was proven beyond possibility of doubt, and prisoner was convicted and sentenced to six months in central prison.
Fonthill News
[Welland Tribune, 28 August 1885]
On Tuesday last, 18th inst., our esteemed townsman, D. D’Deverardo, left for a sojourn at Saratoga Springs, to receive much needed treatment from his old medical advisor, Dr. Ford. He has our best wishes for his speedy restoration to his usual health.
{Compiled by “S”}
Dr. Richard King was born in county Wexford, Ireland in 1817. He graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. He practiced in Manchester, England, before emigrating to Canada in 1844. He came to Fort Erie and lived with his brother-in-law, Dr. Morris. He first practiced in Humberstone. In 1846 he moved to Port Robinson to succeed Dr. Campbell.
Port Robinson was a busy area and he was joined by Dr. Augustus Jukes and Dr. John MacFarland.
Dr. King, along with Captain Verner of Port Colborne organized the Welland Canal Field Battery for the purpose of protecting the Welland Canal. This unit was voluntary, manned by men living along the waterway and Dr. King became the captain in charge.
The Fenian Raid in 1866 was an important event for the Welland Canal Field Battery. The day after the Fenians arrived in Fort Erie, on June 1st, 1866, Dr. King and his unit, along with the rest of the militia, were located in Port Colborne.
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[Citation appears to be: Bru Can. October 14, 1885]
Welland, Oct 7—About noon today a respectably dressed man was found by two tramps in a Michigan Central freight car here, dead, with his throat cut. No papers were on him to identify or tell where from. The tramps have been arrested on suspicion and an inquest will be held.
Special Correspondence to TELEGRAPH
Grand Crossing, Ill.. Dec. 7th, ’84
Mr. Editor-The number of railways that cross here, and the numerous trains that are constantly thundering past, amply entitles this place to the name of Grand Crossing, but if I had been at the christening I would have called it Ditchtown, because it is ditches from end to end. The houses are far between, the lots being held on speculation; the land is low and flat; the sidewalks are elevated about two feet above the level, and alongside of the sidewalk, on each side of the street, are ditches dug from three to four feet deep, and like a tinker’s bed, both broad and wide.
I am told that in spring they go from house to house Venetian fashion, in boats. I am employed on a railway three miles from here, and ride out to work in the morning and back in the evening. Coming back some nights, especially when dark, the yard looks like some grand entrance to the dark regions. There are from eight to ten engines standing in the yard, with their great glaring headlights, and from some of these the spectator is enveloped in a cloud of smoke and steam every few minutes. The whole length of the yard, about 1 ½ miles, is studded with the switch lamps of different colors, and the numberless switchmen swinging their signal lamps, gives to a stranger the appearance of the utmost confusion. Then, 150 men with blackened faces came hurrying from the workshops, each with a lamp, when a tall Irishman, with his hands in his pockets to the elbow pokes his coal besmeared visage from the dark over the lighted track “the very picture of terror,” looking for the approaching train, the scream of which can now be heard.
On looking around, I can see prairie fires blazing in all directions, and before I have time to think, or the incoming train to stop, the lamp lit gentry before mentioned make a rush for the train, and the engine heaves a great puff of steam. Prairie fires are mostly commenced by locomotives and by hunters, and run both before and against the wind. They recede slowly, but advance with great rapidity if the wind is high, about as follows. The flame shoots up and the wind doubles it over and it strikes five or six feet ahead, where it takes fire instantly. The fire now approaches both forward and back on the intermediate unburned space, and when they meet the flame shoots up high and bursts with a loud report, and each time leaps farther and farther, and consequently going faster and faster; but on a calm night they don’t make much headway and are simply grand. The fire is fought when necessary somewhat like skipping the rope. Each of two men take a long wet cloth and beat the fire streaks from the sides, and they are followed by two more, and so on. This if done on both sides of the fire, soon become contracted, and dies out at the first obstacle it cannot leap. I will tell you about the winter soon.
Yours &c.,
Robert Lamont
Welland Telegraph
2 January 1885
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