| May 1904, No. 75 | The Railway and Shipping World (Toronto) | Page 168, col. 3 |
Fire losses in Toronto.
The disastrous fire which ravaged a large portion of Toronto's wholesale district on the night of April 19-20, destroyed, among many other buildings, the office buildings and warehouses of the Gutta Percha and Rubber Manufacturing Co. of Toronto, Front St. West, and of W. Jessop & Sons, steel merchants, Bay St. The Gutta Percha and Rubber Mfg. Co. is occupying temporary offices at 15 Wellington St. East. Its factories at Parkdale are running night and day to replenish stock and keep up with orders. W. Jessop & Sons have located temporarily at 38 King St. East. The yards and stables of Hendries & Co., cartage agents to the G.T.R., were somewhat damaged. The Toronto Ry. Co.'s line on Front St. West, which was welded into a continuous rail in 1903, has been so damaged that it will have to be taken up and relaid. The C.P.R. and G.T.R. telegraph lines east of the union station were destroyed, and the operating was temporarily done in the case of the C.P.R. by an indirect route, and its commercial line, and in the case of the G.T.R. by the G.N.W. Telegraph Co., until repairs could be made. The Bell Telephone Co. was also a considerable suffer by the fire. For some time the steamboats tied up at the wharves were in danger, but those nearest the fire were towed out into the bay, and no damage was done to them.
The Dominion Transport Co.'s stables on Lorne St. were damaged by fire the following day to the extent of about $6,000, the loss being principally by fodder.
The residence of J. J. Gartshore, dealer in railway supplies, etc., at North Toronto, was destroyed by fire, started by the explosion of an acetylene gas machine April 22. Mr. Gartshore's offices, Front St. West, had a narrow escape from being burned in the fire on April 19-20.