"What if the Great Fire of 1892 had Never Happened?"
— Mark Critch, This Hour Has 22 Minutes
"Of the immense shops and stores which displayed such varied merchandise and valuable stocks gathered from all parts of the known world; of the happy homes of artisans and middle class, where contentment and prosperity went hand in hand; of the comfortable houses where labouring classes sought rest and refreshment; and of the costly and imposing structures and public buildings which were the pride and glory of the people, scarcely a vestige remained; and St. John's lay in the morning sun as a city despoiled of her beauty, her choicest ornaments, presenting a picture of utter desolation and woe." -from A Full Account of the Great Fire
"July 8, 1892. About 5 pm. 85 degrees. The northwest winds are very strong. In a stable at Freshwater Road atop Carter's Hill, a man drops his pipe. And an inferno ensues.
The Great Fire, eyewitnesses said, rivaled anything Dante could describe. It was aided by both natural elements, including a long hot dry spell, and weaknesses of municipal infrastructure, including low pressure water mains.
Over 12,000 people were left homeless. Almost nothing stood for a mile east of Devon Row. The Masonic Temple, the Presbyterian Church, the Courthouse and the Anglican Cathedral of St. John's the Baptist were gone. Losses totaled $13,000,000, only about a third of it insured.
The immediate results of the Great Fire were devastating.
But the longer-lasting effects of the catastrophe were, arguably, fairly neutral or benign. The chief reason for this is that loss of life was minimal. One account lists two fatalities, and one lists three. Certainly, people endured some uncomfortable months camped out in Bannerman Park or the Railway Station. They must have lost many treasured possessions. But they did not have to bear the deaths of family and friends. And the city's population did not take a drastic shift.
The biggest change was in the look of the city. Reconstruction introduced John Thomas Southcott's Second Empire buildings with the mansard roofs and bonnet-topped dormers that are now our civic vernacular. And the people living in those domiciles got a break, as, post-Fire, tenants were successful in negotiating fairer 99-year leases with, and more rights from, absentee landlords."
With files from Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage, Memorial University Libraries and The Rooms Provincial Archives.
