Eight people were left homeless on the evening of April 19 in what Assistant Fire Chief Neil Sharpe describes as “one of the toughest fires we ever fought.”

No one was hurt but most residents lost everything in the fire which spread quickly along King St. because of high winds.

Claude Richardson recalls that there were two minutes left in the first period of the hockey game he was watching when he heard a crack from the back room.

THE EQUITY employee Michelle Thompson was the first person to report the fire. She recalls seeing Claude Richardson stumble out of his doorway surrounded by smoke. She immediately phoned the fire department, noting the time to be 8:25 pm. “You could already tell there was no chance to save the house,” she said.

Shawville-Clarendon firefighters were on the scene less than two minutes after receiving the call. The Eades house which was hardly more than a metre to the east was already being consumed by flames.

Chief Sharpe dispatched two of his trucks to Bristol Street at the rear of the building and one to King Street in front.

By then, the Richardson house was completely engulfed in flames so the firefighters set about to save the houses to either side.

“The wind was the thing that gave us the biggest problem,” said Mr. Sharpe.

When Chief Bill Black arrived back from teaching a firefighting course in Kazabazua, he says he took one look at the situation and “figured we were in deep trouble.”

He immediately phoned the Campbell’s Bay- Litchfield firefighters who arrived with a pumper truck at 9:50. About this time, the firefighters began to run out of air for their Scott Air Paks.

Chief Black telephoned the departments in Mansfield and Fort Coulonge where Mansfield Chief Darcy Belair told Coulonge to man the compressor while he began shuttling full tanks up to Shawville.

Residents of the two houses downwind from the fire had already been evacuated.

Firefighters continued to douse the flames until about 5 a.m.

Pontiac gets a million bucks: Pontiac is a million dollars richer today, thanks to the Quebec government, but most of the money has already been spent.

Agriculture Minister Yvon Picotte who is also the minister responsible for regional development, signed the long-awaited Renewal Contract for Pontiac.

Apr. 30, 1969

50 Years Ago

Calumet Island boy wins Orangemen’s talent show here: The Orangemen’s amateur contest at the McDowell School in Shawville SAturday night brought forth more talent on one stage than has been seen here for many years.

The whole county was represented both on stage and in the large audience which overflowed up into the balcony.

Schoolboy Claude Ducette of Calumet Island who had been a great hit at Shawville Fair two years ago, sang his way to the top, accompanied by his bother, Denis who is a student at the High School in Fort Coulonge.

There were five special prizes and the judging was so close. Second place went to Linda Huckabone, Quyon step-dancer and her little pupil Shelly Armstrong.

Third prize was won by Sandra and Sammy Towell, whose harmonizing has reached excellence and show hours and hours of faithful rehearsal. Little Patricia Hodgins and John Laframboise came fourth and fifth with more step dancing and the closest next contestant was Beth Armitage who accompanied herself on the guitar singing popular folk songs.

True to tradition, there were many step dancers and many gospel singers on the program.

La Tuque wins trophy: The La Tuque Wolves who won their series in Shawville against the OVHA champions, The Pontiacs have gone on to sweep their next series for the Canadian Intermediate Hockey Championship.

They are now the proud holders of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association Trophy.

Meanwhile, back in Shawville, the grapevine tells us that the Pontiacs are working up a baseball series against the CFRA Happy Blunderers to keep in shape during the non-hockey season.

Apr. 28, 1944

75 Years Ago

Local news: Firechief Chas. Imison and his brigade of volunteer firefighters answered two alarms on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

The first blaze was on the roof of a barn at the rear of Mr. J. Caldwell’s residence on King Street. The blaze was quickly brought under control and damage was slight.

On Thursday morning firefighters rushed to the residence of Mr. Selisley Hodgins on Main Street which was ablaze in the attic and here the firemen experienced great hardship, some being almost overcome by smoke.

Art Dagg fell from a roof at the rear of the building and suffered considerably from shock and a bruised back.

It is now some time since collections of salvage have been made in this district. Announcements over the radio frequently advise of demand for salvage for war purposes.

Spring housecleaning should find quantities of different kinds of waste paper in homes and business places.

It is expected that arrangements can be made very soon for shipment to some of the salvage companies. Paper should be securely tied in bundles or put in containers for shipment. It is suggested to use salvage money for prisoners of war parcels.

England last week was so crowded with invasion forces that Britons had to change their way of daily life, says the New York Times.

In London the streets were jammed with British, Dominion and Allied troops. Londoners could catch a glimpse of a four-starred black limousine rushing General Eisenhower from one conference to another.

This is England’s fifth year of war, the third spring which has been filled with invasion talk, britons are tired and war weary, but this time they know the invasion of Europe is really coming, that the date has been set.

Apr. 24, 1919

100 Years Ago

Local news: Miss Arminta McDowell, one of the teachers of the Academy was obliged through illness to relinquish her duties last week for a time, at all events.

Pontiac Motor Sales have taken over the large ware-room in the Hamilton Block and converted it into a show room for Chevrolet cars some of which are now on exhibition.

It is now expected the next session of Parliament will be held in the new building on the Hill, although the decorative work of the building will take a year longer to complete.

The final draft of the peace treaty was expected to be ready for presentation to the German representatives on Friday of this week but it was given out on Monday that this would be impossible.

This further delay is unfortunate as no doubt, the long drawn-out deliberations whilst perhaps quite justifiable in view of the colossal task the conference has in hand have been contributory to the great political, social and industrial unrest that prevails throughout the world.

May 4, 1894

125 Years Ago

Local News: Seventeen teams were shipped here on Monday morning by Mr. George Brownlee for work on the Soulanges canal, the animals being loaded on two cars. Several young men from this vicinity went down to drive the teams on the works. George intends shipping two car-loads more on Thursday of this week.

The Steamer “Columbia” is now making her regular trips from Bristol, Sand Point and Arnprior. This favourite steamer has been thoroughly repaired by her owner, Mr. John T. Wait who has spared no expense in putting the boat in good shape for the accommodation of the public. The steamer will be in command of Capt. J.H. Halcro, formerly on the Lower Ottawa and St. Lawrence and the past three years on Lake Huron and Michigan. He is a careful and experienced sailor.

Two of our legal luminaries of Bryson got a sound ducking one day last week by being capsized out of a canoe into the river. Being expert swimmers, however, they reached terra firma without much difficulty.

The concert given in Walsh’s Hall on Wednesday evening came off pleasantly and successfully and the program generally was well appreciated by the very fair audience who gave the entertainment their patronage.

The chief attraction for the evening, of course, was the Gorman Brothers of Ottawa, whose inimitable terpsichorean performances and rich jokes did not in anywise disappoint the expectations of those who came to see and hear them.

By Saturday evening’s train, an employee of the Haras National of Montreal arrived here with one of the imported full blooded Percheron Stallions belonging to the above company. This horse has been sent up to travel in the townships of Waltham, Allumette Island, Chichester and Sheen this season. The groom had instructions to leave the train at this point and travel the remainder of the trip to Chapeau in order that the farmers along the way might have an opportunity of seeing the horse, which is a fine specimen of the Percheron breed standing 16 1/2 hands and weighing 1,800 pounds.

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