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PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 1, 1991 - 13 The following is an account of Port Perry's disastrous fires of 1883 and 1884 as taken from Samuel Farmer's book On The Shores of Scugog. The two blazes destroyed the Village's entire business district. In November of 1883, the first fire broke out in the Thomp- son House, then known as Rud- dy's Hotel, which was situated on the site of the Sebert House. Back of the hotel was Lewis McLean's house which was quickly destroyed. There were no fire extin- ishing appliances except a hand os Ys which the town had bought from Toronto, and which was known as Rescue No. 2. Added to that was the fact that a number of the buildings were wooden, and naturally the fire spread rapidly. From the Sebert House cor- ner along the north side of Queen St., to McCaw's Jewelr store everything was burned. The fire was only stopped by blowing up some stabling at the back of the Brunswick House, which was then owned and run by Jonathan Blong. Winter came on right after this fire, and but little was done toward rebuilding before a bigger fire than ever broke out. What the fire of 1883 missed, the fire of 1884 destroyed. The prevalence of wooden buildings and the bad fire of the previous year, had caused insu- Prey Two disastrous fires in less than a year consume Port Perry's business section rance premiums to be placed at a very high rate. The result was that very few business men the town carried insurance, so that when the fire did come, the loss was direct and large. At twenty minutes to twelve p-m., on July 3rd, 1884, the big fire started in the sheds of Ben McQuary's hotel {owned by Neil Sinclair) which stood on the site of the new post office. By day- light, which came at that season of the year about four o'clock in the morning, every place of busi- ness on the main street was burnt, except Wm. Tummond's store. John Rolph said that he with many others were busy car- rying goods from the stores west of the hotel, and he did not know until the next morning that the stores east of the hotel had been destroyed, too. Goods were carried out of the stores and dumped on the other side of the street or rolled down the hill along Perry Street only to be consumed by the fire shortly after. There was a strong south west wind blow- ing at the time, and it is almost miraculous that more buildings were not burned. Sparks and bits of red hot coals were flying in showers, and lighting on the roofs of the houses to the north ofthe town. More than one house was saved by a broom from catching Please Turn to page 14 LA Bh A Mt A 2 Da Ti Bi DRAGER