y- - Brian Winter's H istorical Q Whitby STEEPLE FALLS, 1929 April Fool jokes are a common fad, but the most devestating April Fool joke ever played by Mother Nature on Whitby was the great wind storm of April 1, 1929. On that day, the wind was so violent that it sent the large steeple of St. Mark's United Church crashing to the ground. When St. Mark's Church was built in 1875, it was known as the Methodist Tabernacle, and had two prominent spires, one on the wesýt-tower 165 feet high, and one on the east tower 90 feet high. The spring of 1929 was particularly disastrous for southern Ontario, with high winds and the most severe flooding since 1890. Many bridges in the Whitby area were washed out in the first week of April. Early in the afternoon of April 1, the wind had reached gale force, and tore a huge hole in the base of the large steeple of the United Church. The steeple began swaying back and forth, and the danger of its falling was clearly evident. Civic officials were warned, and under the direction of Town Engineer Herbert Pringle and Police Chief Herbert Gunson, steps were taken to prevent the large crowd which had gathered, from getting too close. At 5:45 p.m. the spire was seen to tilt to the south-east. For a brief second it hung in the balance, then crashed against the small steeple, and toppled onto the lawn in front of the Church. Corridor Capers Welcome back to sunny Ontario Bev and Don Rogers -Id Bev and Ron Treleaven. We missed you at the dance, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1977, PAGE 7 The church was otherwise undamaged except for a few broken window panes. However, there had been great fears . a that the steeple would crash through the roof. When the steeple fell, it was 54 years old, and had already been strengthened with a number of stout timbers when discovered to have been weakened by the continual buffeting of winds. A number of church officials, including the pastor, Rev. A. L. Richards, were at the scene to watch the steeple fall. When word passed around town that the steeple had fallen, an even larger crowd assembled. A few small boys ran forward to grab some shingles, as souvenirs, but were warned away by Chief Gunson. It did not take the church officials long to act after the storm. On April 3, the smaller steeple on the east tower was declared unsafe, and torn down under the supervision of a local contractor, R. J. Underwood. A stout rope and block and tackle were used to accomplish the job and the second steeple fell in almost exactly the same spot as the first. It was estimated that it would cost $1,000 to replace the large steeple alone, and this was far too much for a church to afford in 1929. The church board of stewards decided to place brick battlements on the west tower and, let the contract for the work to Mr. Underwood. A newspaper reporter wryly commented at the time: "Unlike the steeples they will not be visible for a distance, but on the other hand they more readily will resist wind storms". The massive steeple which crashed to the ground on April Fool's Day, 1929, was the largest church steeple in Whitby. At 165 feet, it stood 20 feet higher than the steeple of All Saints' Anglican Church, which survives to this day. Accompanying this article is a photograph of the church with its steeples pointing heavenward, taken in 1908. It is one of many in the Whitby Historical Society Archives taken before 1929. Yet there is not one photograph known to exist of the steeple when it fell. The writer of this column would like but we're sure happy you enjoyed that California sunshine. Bon voyage to Shirley and Bob White who are headed for Florida. The ilth Oshawa Cubs are well underway and the boys are once again meeting at Thornton Community Centre on Wednesday evenings. There is still room for 2 or 3 more children, so if you haven't registered yet, call John Whiteside or drop over to the hall on Wednesday. Monday February 28th, there will be a card party and games night at Westminster United Church. Tickets are available from any member of the U.C.W. at $1.25 for adults and 50 cents for children. Make up a table and to know if anyone has a picture of the crowd, the 'allen steeple, or any other scene depicting the events described above. Anyone who has such a picture may contact the writer at the Whitby'Free Press. support tne work of the U.C.W. General Motors are closing the old G.M. Auditorium and locating some of their office staff in the Woolco Mall. Even G.M. recognizes the potcntial in Whitby, especially the Corridor. The next Ratepayers executive meeting will be on Thursday March 1Oth at 7:30 p.m. in the No. 2 Committee room at the Municipal Building. All executive members are urged to be present. That's it for this week, call 725-8967 with any items of news. M. McEachern. When your telephone rings do you jump, scramble, grab or shout (as some folks do) "Get that phone". Could it be.you are a telephone slave? Put yourself in the picture. A friend or business associate has kept an appointment and you are deep in discussion. Your phone rings. Now what. Should you be at home and answer the cal personally (and it's a friend) you'll get involved. At first you may decide to put the caller off -- but something is mentioned that 'captures your imagination' -- and before you know it -- you're deep in conversation. Meantime your guest is becoming more and more restless. You keep signalling you'll not be too much longer. Famous words. Your chat continues. You're "hooked". Let's change to a business situation. You have agreed to meet a person for a business discussion at an appointed time and place. Taking a phone call in the middle of a business discussion can be deadly (for both parties). It's not the telephone call - but the action of the person being phoned. In almost every instance the person will become involved in a discussion. Would you believe from one minute to one hour! Game over. The interest is almost certainly lost. Game over. Look at it this way. The person called has no appointment, perhaps a competitor. They are stealing time from both parties. Why do people 'leap' to answer 'phones as if it were a matter of life or death. Habit. I do it. Sure. I admit it. But I try to correct it. It is discourteous to answer a phone and continue a conversation after another person has agreed to and made a prior appointmcnt to meet you. It could (from a business. sense) lose the potential purchaser a better price quality and service than anticipated. Needless to say - it frequently loses the seller an order. All parties lose. I've seen compnay directors take phone calls at company meetings and get involved with family about domestic matters. Even staff when instructed "Hold all calls" will often slip some through -- and they are accepted. Why? Telephone slaves. Some people are getting the message. They arrange to meet away from their normal address (but not too far). Or in a room without phones. O.K. Would you believe we have been 'sold' the idea of answering our phones fast. I've watched people fall over in their haste to get to the phone. Others (including myself) have dropped the monster on their heads as they got tangled in the cable. Granted there seens to be an unwritten law we must answer the phone fast. And we must also 'give an ear' to the caller -- even at the expense, time and display of bad manners to our guest. So, I for one am making every effort to get off the hook -- I refuse to be a telephone slave. Featuring complete turnkey operation - Design - Material - Erection. 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