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Excelsior Fire Department |
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The Excelsior Fire Department (EFD) was a volunteer firefighting force at Owen Sound. There is information about it in the book SIRENS ACROSS THE SOUND: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE OWEN SOUND FIRE DEPARTMENT, 2006, by John Christie. The book WHERE'S THE FIRE, also mentions the EFD. The Excelsior Fire Department came into being c. 1890. There was a previous volunteer unit as well, called the Owen Sound Victoria Fire Company. The "Excelsior" part of the name was obtained from the Excelsior insurance company. In 1907, the town of Owen Sound established a permanent force of paid firemen, supplemented with assistance by volunteers. The EFD was disbanded on April 13, 1907, and then the Owen Sound Fire Department (OSFD), a municipally-paid force was in operation after that. The EFD volunteers had red shirts with EFD on them. There were also ribbon badges and pins produced for the unit. Some of them are shown in a newspaper article "History a Hot Topic at Fire Hall", OWEN SOUND SUN-TMES, Nov. 20, 2002 B1. The fire bell tower used to be located on the original Town Hall building in Owen Sound. A dummy clock was painted on the tower. The fire bell came from Troy, New York, and dates to c. 1878. The firefighters also had a very tall hose tower structure as part of their firehall in the 1870s+. The tall structure was needed for drying out the hoses. Some of the 19th-century volunteer firefighters of Owen Sound were: Robert Wyllie Jr. (1875 joined the "Rescue Hook and Ladder Company") John Tucker (1874 enrolled with the "No. 1 Engine Company of the Fire Department of the Town of Owen Sound) Thomas Gordon (Chief Engineer, 1870s) James McLauchlan W. J. Carr (c. 1893, later was Chief of the Excelsior Fire Department, appointed in 1905, b. 1867-d. 1937) Capt. Davis (c. 1893) Fireman Hicks (c. 1893) Fireman Christie (c. 1893) George W. Baines (EFD Secretary c. 1905), later Fire Chief of OSFD (Owen Sound Fire Department, he later moved in 1912 to Moose Jaw and became Fire Chief there) B. E. Pickard (EFD Captain c. 1905), was a Teamster / Dray man by trade, first name was Byron, b. 1864/1865-d. 1928 (buried at Owen Sound) Alfred Wilcox (EFD c. 1905) The Excelsior Fire Department, in addition to firefighting, also provided social entertainment for the town, by proving oyster suppers, dances, excursions, etc. The OWEN SOUND TIMES of Dec. 21, 1893 mentioned on page one that there was a gold watch contest for the favourite firefighter in town. The brick firehall building was located near the Town Hall. An 1890s image of the fire hall shows that it also served as a Police Court building (1996.038.181 image). The CANADIAN TRADE REVIEW of August, 1899 included a scene of the volunteers posed outside the fire hall with their rigs. A piece of the iron decor from one of the old fire hall doors is now in the Grey Roots collection. "THE FIRE BRIGADE The Excelsior Fire Department had its beginnings in 1868 when Bylaw No. 5 provided for the organization of a bucket brigade. A hand pump manipulated by eight men was purchased. The water had to be carried to the tank by means of buckets and it was at best a weak stream of water that the hand pump could throw. In 1874 the brigade was re-organized by Bylaw 196 which provided for an Engine Company and a Hook and Ladder Company. The Hyslop and Ronald fire engine which is still in use, was purchased. In the summer of 1874 the first annual excursion was run by the steamer SILVER SPRAY, to Collingwood. In 1875, the fire wagon (discarded a short time ago) was constructed. The rivalry and contention between the two companies became so keen that in 1890 the Council abolished the two-company brigade, and the Excelsior Fire Department was formed. The present equipment consists of one Ronald and Hyslop engine, 6,500 feet of hose, 170 foot ladders, and one combination #1 fire wagon, which is said to be the most complete wagon in America as it carries hose, ladders and chemical engine. Officers are Chief Dugald McArthur, Captain Rainy Matheson, Andrew Hare, George Shaw, Geo. W. Baines, George Dowkes and William Briggs." A 1905 payment from the E.F.D. was made out to N. Trout. There was a Neil Trout who was a Moulder who worked at the Wm. Kennedy & Sons foundry. The population of the town in May, 1906, was 10,765, and Brooke had 12,015. Source: Owen Sound Sun, Second Section, Friday, November 9th, 1906, transcribed in Melba Croft's book, Growth of a County Town, p. 85 |
