Huron-Perth Boomers - Spring 2023

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HISTORY by Sinead Cox Fire crew at former Goderich Fire Station located on East Street, 1925. A950.1976.001 the lack of fire exits was one of the reasons that District Council and the courts complained about meeting there before the construction of a separate courthouse in 1856. Despite the general awareness of the threat, safety measures provided by the county did not always meet the needs of staff or emergency responders. After the 1892 lightning strike, Gaoler William Dickson found that the gaol’s firehose was faulty, and burst in multiple places when tested with pressure. As early as 1882, after yet another recent narrow escape from flames, local newspaper editorials from the Goderich Star and Clinton New Era condemned the gaol as an outdated fire trap. The Era argued for replacing the gaol and courthouse with new, modern municipal buildings in a more central location. The Gaol and Court House Committee instead recommended, “That a Babcock Fire Extinguisher for the gaol be furnished, also that a suitable water tank be built in the gaol yard, owing to the inflammable and unsafe condition of the gaol stairs, there is no possible escape for the inmates in case of fire.” In the 1890s, <strong>Huron</strong> County council acknowledged the aging heating stoves in each cell block’s dayroom as another serious danger, and subsequently replaced them. Prior to electric lights, staff also had to contend with mandatory corridor lamps, burning day and night at the risk of overheating. Gaoler Dickson lamented to county council in 1896 that, “Twice [a lamp has exploded] during the almost 32 years I have been in your employ. The last time it was towards morning and fortunately my subordinate was awake and succeeded in extinguishing the fire at the cost of the bedding of two beds.” Dickson credited the turnkey’s quick action in preventing what was nearly a terrible tragedy. “At the time of the explosion there were 18 prisoners under lock and key, besides five members of my own family, who were sleeping on the second floor. Had the flames caught the stair, all on the upper floors would have been entirely cut off from escape,” Dickson said. “In view of this danger to life and property, I would respectfully ask that you place one incandescent in said hallway.” The gaoler’s lobbying resulted in the installation of incandescent lights at the gaol, but the issue of the single exit remained unaddressed. It’s easy to imagine that if the fire had spread beyond the smothering power of gaol blankets, that a quick decision may have prioritized the evacuation of staff and family before the overcrowded inmates who were sleeping behind multiple locked doors. The close-call fires at the gaol over the decades 18 • HURONPERTHBOOMERS.COM
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Page 13 and 14: y Tina Mah HEALTH AND WELLNESS Befo
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Page 17: y Sinead Cox HISTORY “A terrific
Page 22 and 23: OPINION Life Recalibration My frien
Page 24 and 25: OPINION by Lauralee Giliberti A new
Page 26 and 27: OPINION by Lauralee Giliberti and I
Page 28 and 29: HEALTH AND WELLNESS The widely acce
Page 30 and 31: FOOD & DRINK Asparagus ravioli with
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Huron-Perth Boomers - Spring 2023

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