An early morning fire engulfed Northumberland on June 2, 1949, the day before the season was to begin. A fresh coat of paint on the interiors helped the early morning, accidental fire burn very quickly and there was no saving the ship.

Fortunately, no one was hurt. The crew were roused and all were evacuated. Northumberland was built in 1891 and chartered in 1920 for ferry service between Toronto and Port Dalhousie, and the NS&T’s amusement park, Lakeside Park. Offering tourists a destination and a way to get there was an important expansion for the NS&T at the turn of the 20th century.

By mid-century, the company, park, and ferries had seen their heyday. Sister ship Dalhousie City was sold in 1950. The fire was a tragic end to the post-war decline of steamships and streetcars, and the rise of the automobile.

The Northumberland

The Northumberland was built in 1891 as a ferry for Wigham, Richardson Co. at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England for the Government of Canada. It was named for the Northumberland Strait which is sailed as a ferry between Prince Edward Island and the mainland from 1891-1916.

It was rebuilt in 1920 and acquired by the Niagara, St. Catharines, and Toronto Navigation Co. (later Canadian National Steamer) and ran ferry service from Port Dalhousie to Toronto until 1949 when the fire destroyed the ship. It was scrapped at Port Weller Dry Docks that year.

The popular and familiar steamer had a passenger capacity of 1050 and carried between 25 and 35 crew. The ship was 210 feet long with gross tonnage at 1255.

Docking in Port Dalhousie

NS&T (and later CNER/CNS) ferries like the Northumberland would dock at the east side (Michigan Beach side) to pick up streetcar passengers coming from the Grantham Division line from downtown. This link was still mainly for freight traffic and no local service – only express between the Welland Avenue Station and Port Dalhousie – were available. The ships would then swing over to the west side dock at Lakeside Park to pick up passengers from the Port Dalhousie Division at the main ferry terminal. Service to the east side ended when streetcar service halted in 1945 was replaced with buses, which only served the west side.

The Fire

The Northumberland burned on the west side dock at Lakeside Park on June 2, 1949, beginning at 6 a.m.

“Clouds of yellow smoke pour from the S.S. Northumberland as fire completely gutted the passenger ship at dawn today as he lay at her berth at Port Dalhousie preparing to start her season tomorrow. Fire of undetermined origin swept rapidly through the ship, which was completely gutted. Damage was estimated at $250,000 although replacement value of the 58-year-old steamer would be $750,000 today. The crew of 33 men and women all escaped, only one suffering minor burns.”

– The St. Catharines Standard, June 2, 1949.

“Cause of the early morning blaze has not been determined. It started in the men’s washroom near the stern below decks. A few minutes before 6 [a.m.] Miss Anna Buchholz of 23 Emerson Ave., Toronto, a stewardess, discovered the fire:

“I don’t know what made me wake up. I don’t usually awake that early,” she said. “There wasn’t much smoke in my room so that couldn’t have waked me. But once I waked up I could smell smoke and went to investigate. At the men’s washroom it seemed awfully hot and smoky, and I went to wake the chief engineer. Then I went back up and got some clothes on and went down again and knocked on all the doors of the cabins to wake up the crew. When I turned around and tried to get back to my cabin I couldn’t hardly see for the smoke and flames, and I had to get out.”

Chief Engineer Burton organized the crew into a fire brigade, using fire hoses on the ship, but within three or four minutes they realized that they were fighting a losing battle.

“The fire spread like nobody’s business,” said Burton.”

– The St. Catharines Standard, June 2, 1949.

“New Paint Burns

The passenger steamer had not yet started operations for the season. She had been scraped and repainted in Port Weller drydock for two weeks and returned to her berth at Port Dalhousie a week ago. The new coat of fresh pain had been applied throughout and as soon as the flames caught on the paint the fire raced through the ship from end to end.”

– The St. Catharines Standard, June 2, 1949.

There’s More to the Story

Check out the entire History InSite installation across Merritton, downtown St. Catharines and in Port Dalhousie.

About History InSite

A permanent, site specific installation, History InSite juxtaposes historical photographs with modern streetscapes by presenting the photo in, or close to, the place which it was taken.

St. Catharines has a rich photographic history and when compared to the changing streetscapes around the City, that history becomes much more meaningful, poignant, and relevant to our modern eyes.

The Downtown series was installed in July 2021. The Port Dalhousie series was installed in May 2022. The Merritton series was installed in May 2023. Additions to each installation are made on an annual rotation.

History InSite is presented by the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre.

Graffiti Report

If you spot any graffiti on our purple History InSite signs, please send us a message.