Today I would like to bring your attention to a London disaster that
happened back in 1907. At the time the city did not see a need to have a
building inspector even though, nine years earlier, the city hall collapsed in 1898 with the
weight of hundreds of citizens at a political meeting. The Reid's Crystal Hall
Disaster a few years later was directly instrumental in creating the building inspector position.
I have a small
collection of postcards and I watch eBay every day to see cards from
specific areas of Ontario. Occasionally I come across one that I
actually purchase.
This was a card I could not pass up and allow to slip away into oblivion.
One of a kind indeed!
One can only imagine how horrifying it must have been to watch the building fall. This card has a real historical significance. In fact I may donate it to
the local historical society. It shows the collapsed building with
writing on the right and left sides of the picture:
RIGHT SIDE:
"This was right near our store. I saw it fall and saw most of the bodies brought out"
LEFT SIDE:
"It was twenty-four hours before the last body was brought out. I knew the person well.
[illegible signature?]
A rebuilt structure stands in the place where the 1907 disaster
occurred. A picture from Google Street View in 2011 shows the Reid's
name painted on the bricks of the re-constructed building. Could this wall be part of the original building still standing in the old photos?
A later picture from 2018 shows the Reid's sign covered up with street graphitii. It's a pity the City of London allowed the cover-up, but maybe they were still embarrassed by their predecessors' lack of foresight in not having a building inspector?
Here's an article by the late Christopher Doty:
House of Cards
by Christopher Doty
"Well, in a case like that, anything is liable to happen."
Reid's Crystal Hall on Dundas Street had earned its name for the fine imported glass and chinaware it carried. But by 1907 the owners had decided to change the direction of their business. Most of the stock was either sold off or stored on the third and fourth floors while the lower levels were leased to Peter Smirlie.
Smirlie had plans to convert the space into a billiards hall, a shoeshine parlor and a bowling alley. As part of the renovations, he asked his contractor to cut ten more windows into the east wall to improve lighting. He also asked that the centre wall be removed and replaced by iron pillars. The workers and the building's owner didn't like the idea, arguing the windows and the wall's removal would weaken the entire structure. The east wall needed to be shored up before such work continued.
Smirlie waved away their concerns, arguing that a combination of iron pillars and beams would be in place immediately and would support the renovation. W. J. Reid, who had already cashed the first rent cheque, shrugged his shoulders and walked away. There was no point in calling city hall since council had considered the hiring of a building inspector an unnecessary expense.
Shortly after four o'clock on the afternoon of July 16 the building was largely vacant, save for two painters and laborers moving stock. Next door at Brewster's five and ten cent store, two salesgirls were sorting out stock for the grand opening later that week. At a nearby clothier's, customers were making their final purchases for the day.
At 4:12 Reid's Crystal Hall rumbled. Workers watched in horror as large cracks opened up in the east wall. As it gave way, the wall smashed through Brewster's and the photographer' studio. The roof then began sliding forward into Dundas Street, followed by an avalanche of bricks, glass and woodwork.
As the floor gave way under her, Blanche Westlake made a desperate lunge for a nearby window sill. Miraculously, the wall and window held, leaving the young woman dangling in midair, screaming for help. A ten year old boy, Jimmie Clugston, was entombed by falling debris in the alley separating the two buildings while Percy Robinson was pinned by a falling beam.
Within seconds, Londoners converged on the scene and began clawing through the wreckage for survivors. Clugston and Robinson were pulled out unharmed while Westlake jumped to safety into the arms of rescuers. Others weren't so lucky. Rescuers could hear one victim singing the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee" from under the tons of debris but, by the time they dug him out, they were too late.
Recovery efforts continued into the night, but not before the mass of timbers, brick and broken crockery had crushed the life out of seven Londoners and injured 40 more - all of them innocent bystanders.
While newspaper editorials screamed for justice, city officials blamed Reid for allowing the renovations to go ahead without an architect's approval. Reid shot back that the city did not have a building inspector. Smirlie attempted to shift responsibility by arguing that an earlier fire at the building had weakened the structure and that no one had bothered to tell him.
"Well, in a case like that, anything is liable to happen," muttered Reid.
While the collapse of Reid's Crystal Hall claimed less lives than the City Hall Disaster of 1898, it was a far more spectacular tragedy. The site of a building strewn across one of London's major streets proved to be an irresistible photo op for newspaper editors and postcard vendors. By the fall of 1907 images of the disaster had circulated across Canada and the incident had become a public-relations disaster for city officials.
An article written by Toronto's city architect roundly criticized London's lack of building inspectors while an inquest into the disaster predictably ended up with Reid, Smirlie and city officials blaming each other.
By the time the last piece of rubble was removed by a steam-powered crane, a red-faced Mayor Judd stated "very firmly" that London would have an inspector and a Building Inspection Bylaw in place by the end of his term in office.
The author [Christopher Doty] wishes to thank Ken McTaggart for the use of passages from his 1999 book, London's Darkest Hours.
FALLING WALLS BURY A SCORE.
BUSINESS BLOCK, A LANDMARK OF LONDON, ONTARIO, COLLAPSED.
NINE DEAD, TWO MISSING.
CRIES FROM THE WRECKAGE CAUSED THE BANDS OF RESCUERS TO WORK WITH FRENZY -- NUMBER TAKEN FROM THE RUINS SAFE AND SOUND, OTHERS BADLY INJURED.
London, Ont., July 17. -- Crystal hall, a three-story brick building on Dundas street and one of the landmarks of London, collapsed and a score of persons were buried under the avalanche of bricks, mortar and timbers. The falling walls from Crystal hall fell upon BREWSTER'S 5 and 10-cent store, a low structure adjoining on the east, completely burying it. The stores of HAMILTON, LONG & Company and W. J. REID & Company, on the first floor of Crystal hall, were filled with wreckage.
The dead:
W. T. HAMILTON, clothing merchant.
FRANK SMITH, manager BREWSTER'S store.
ARCHIE McCALLUM, photographer.
MISS CLARA MULLINS.
WILLIAM TAMBLIN.
MRS. EDWARD HOWETT.
JOSEPH LONG.
Unidentified Man.
The injured are J. LONEY, fractured skull, and two men and a woman who are suffering from broken limbs. The building was being remodeled. A number of old supports had been taken out and iron girders had been placed. The crash came when all three stores were filled with customers.
As the front wall fell, a woman walking of the sidewalk was swallowed up in the wreckage. Cries were heard from the wreckage in the BREWSTER store, and a rescue party located eight girls in an adjoining cellar imprisoned by the wreckage seemed impregnable, and though the rescuers worked with frenzy, they were hours releasing those in the thick of it.
The Evening Tribune Marysville Ohio 1907-07-17
London, ON Three Story Building Collapse, July 1907
Submitted by Stu Beitler
Scene of Collapse
The injured are JOHN LONEY, fractured skull, and two men and a woman who are suffering from broken limbs.
The rescue parties will work on the ruins all night. All the imprisoned ones who could be communicated with have been released. Many who were thought to have been seriously injured are only slightly hurt.
The building was being remodeled. A number of old supports had been taken out and iron girders had been placed. The crash came shortly after 6 o'clock when all three stores were filled with customers. It seemed that the front wall of Crystal Hall fell out into the street. An instant later the east wall gave way and fell onto the Brewster store. As the front wall fell into Dundas Street passing pedestrians had narrow escapes. Two women walking on the sidewalk heard the crash and started to run. One of them was swallowed up in the wreckage, while the other escaped.
A woman with two children narrowly escaped the falling debris. The fire and police departments with all the ambulances and physicians that could be mustered at once began the work of rescue. On account of the great confusion at the scene it is impossible to account for all those supposed to have been in the building when it collapsed.
Cries were heard from the wreckage in the Brewster store and a rescue party located three girls in an adjoining cellar imprisoned by wreckage. They said they were not injured and asked for food and water. Five other girls can be communicated with, but, they are too frightened to say if any of their number is injured.
Frank Reid, manager of the Reid store, says all his staff escaped. Six men who were at work on the building are unaccounted for.
JOHN ROBINSON, JOSEPH LONG, a MR. HAMILTON and a MR. LANE are accounted for.
The pile of ruins seems impregnable and though the rescuers work with frenzy they will be hours releasing any who may be in the thick of it.
Shortly after 5 o'clock GEORGE FISTELLEN was taken out slightly injured. The body of ARCHIE MacCALLUM, a photographer, was taken out late. W. T. HAMILTON was taken out terribly injured. A woman was located in the rear of the Hamilton store. She had a baby in her arms, but neither was injured. All efforts to release them have been futile. JOHN LONEY was taken out of the ruins with a fractured skull and internal injuries. It is thought he cannot live.
The building was owned by Peter Smeries of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Titusville Herald Pennsylvania 1907-07-17
The above picture is from London Free Press archives. The building on the left, still standing, is the O.B.Graves Art Store. Written on the photo is Brewsters Five and Dime, Hamilton Long Menswear (completely crushed), and Reid's on the right.
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