
Fire had an enormous impact on the lives of Manitoulin Island residents in the late 19th century.
I mentioned in an earlier post how, prior to being opened up to permanent occupation by non-indigenous settlers, government officials had uncovered plenty of evidence of recent and historic fires throughout the island, most of which had been caused by lightning. Some had burned so hot they'd destroyed the soil's structure and stripped it of nutrients. Others were relatively minor, leaving the charred remains of hardwood trees strewn throughout local meadows.
The fires didn't stop after the settlers arrived. Some continued to be the age-old consequence of lightning striking dry vegetation but an increasing number were the result of mishaps involving candles, fireplaces, oil lamps, smoking or wood stoves in homes and outbuildings constructed primarily out of wood. Crop management and land clearing practices were also to blame. It wasn't uncommon for settlers to light fires to burn crop residue, clear away brush, reduce bulky stumps to ash or burn piles of wood or leaves. Sometimes a fire would get out of hand, transforming from a valuable tool to a potent force of destruction.
Engines were a major cause of fire in shipping and industry. There is no shortage of news reports from the late 1800s of steamers sinking or being badly damaged by engine room fires. Saw mills also fell victim to sparks that flew from engines shafts. It's easy to see why. Early photos of the mill at Michael's Bay show a remarkable amount of wood debris haphazardly strewn around the mill and on the shores of the Manitou River. It wouldn't take much to light it up. Mill bosses knew that and installed large water barrels on the roof for easy access should a fire start. Guards were also stationed at the top of shafts so that any sparks that landed on the building's wooden shingles could be snuffed out quickly. Despite this, many thousands of dollars worth of lumber was destroyed by fire every year and, ultimately, what was left of the defunct mill after it had gone up in flames many times over its 50+ years history would be destroyed by a fire in the 1920s.
There were some notable fires during that era:
In May 1882, the Bay View Hotel at Michael's Bay which, like most other things in that town was owned by the lumber company, burned to the ground in spectacular fashion. An oil lamp had been taken upstairs and left unattended. When it eventually exploded, flames rapidly engulfed the room before tearing through the rest of the wooden building. When the worst of the conflagration had passed and it looked like the fire was going to burn itself out, an explosion sent cinders shooting up 50 feet in the air. No one was quite sure why the building exploded and the hotel's boarders lost everything. Happily, someone clearly had their priorities in order and thought to save the booze.
Fast forward four years to 1886 and bush fires were once again playing havoc with the island. A copious amount of damage was done in Carnarvon where a work camp on the Mindemoya road was destroyed along with all the supplies for the government road work project. A massive amount of lumber burned and several farmers lost their crops, fences, meadows and standing timber. That same year, devastating fires in and around Michael's Bay and Providence Bay in June resulted in heavy losses. Many farmers lost everything from crops and livestock to their buildings and possessions. Bridges and crossings between Michael's Bay and Providence Bay were destroyed as were several sawmills and an enormous amount of lumber.
The fires of 1886 were blamed on an extended drought. It didn't take much for wildfires start and once they did, a windstorm drove the flames in every direction. Those fires burned for weeks before rain finally arrived to put them out. They were so bad that the New York Times reported on them. People in the affected communities fled to shore and were picked up by ships that took to open water to avoid the flames that were shooting up hundreds of feet into the air.
Things weren't much better two years later when several farmers in Tehkummah lost their crops and standing timber to fire in July. A month later, Sandfield residents were called upon to try and beat out a fire that was discovered smouldering in the woods half a mile from the saw mill and was sweeping towards the village. An ill-timed tornado made things worse, tossing flaming stumps, branches and posts high into the air before smashing them to the ground. The fire was finally brought under control, but not before the townsfolk were staggered by what they had witnessed.