More to Come

So far I have concentrated on the story of Harold Strange Chambers.  He lived through interesting times and there are more stories to come, focused on him and his family. It has sometimes been difficult to track him down as he moved a fair bit but then so did many of the other ancestors that I have researched. Come to think of it, so have I.

When I thought about my travels and the places I have lived, I realized that they could also be an inspiration for more history exploration. Some of my own experiences will be the catalyst for stories in future posts. One will be coming up soon. I will also branch out to other family lines and explore some of the history of their times. Stay tuned.

Reaping the Whirlwind: The Regina Tornado of 1912 part 6 of 6

What happened to Harold Chambers during the tornado? The Union bank escaped unscathed, so it would have been relatively safe to be there but it was Sunday so he wasn't at work. Was he at home on Smith Street when the tornado hit? Or had he ventured out, perhaps to Wascana Park or somewhere beyond the reach of the funnel clouds?

In 1912 Harold was rooming at 2152 Smith Street and Smith Street was on the main path that the tornado carved through the city. Very few buildings along the street's length escaped the wind's wrath. Being out and about that Sunday would have been a good choice. But even if Harold hadn't been at home, he would, no doubt, have ended up among the homeless.

What happened to Harold in the disaster? I like to think that he would have been one of the men called upon to help in the aftermath of the disaster. But maybe he was among the wounded. It remains to be seen what can be uncovered in local records. Whatever the immediate effect of the disaster, Harold's 1913 entry in Henderson's directory gives his location as the Union Bank, so he retained his employment in the aftermath of the disaster but it looks like it took a while before he had a permanent address again; maybe a common fate for the many homeless in the wake of the storm.

Is there any written record of Harold’s experience? I like to think that he at least wrote to his remaining relative, his uncle Charles Pratt Chambers who would have been fascinated by his nephew's experience as he had made a study of weather. Now if only I could find that correspondence.

Sources

Anderson, Frank (1980). Regina's Terrible Tornado, June 30, 1912. Surrey, BC, Heritage House Publishing Company

Bingaman, Sandra (2011). Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center Press

Looker, Janet (2000). Disaster Canada. Toronto, Ontario: Lynx Images Inc.

Reaping the Whirlwind: The Regina Tornado of 1912 part 5 of 6

Once the tornado had passed, people immediately began to search for others trapped and/or injured in wrecked buildings. The work began in a haphazard fashion; men, women, children and even guests from nearby hotels jumped in to help. In common with other young cities of the time, Regina had no disaster plan in place so people had to step in to take charge. Electricity, telephone and telegraph services were down. The rescue effort became more orderly when the police from the Royal North-West Mounted Police barracks arrived after the town picket rode out to the barracks to alert them. Within an hour of the tornado the telegraph wire was restrung and the message “Cyclone hit Regina 16.50k. City in Ruins.” was sent out to the world.

The response was quick and by 7:15 a special train had arrived from Moose Jaw with medical supplies, doctors and nurses. Power was restored that evening but the telephone lines were still down and Boy Scouts were pressed into service to deliver messages. The next day, July 1, the Relief Executive was set up and was soon busy providing temporary shelter, food and clothing. With so much to be done, Mayor Peter McAra sent out a proclamation to postpone the Dominion Day celebrations and to close down the hotel bars.

Medical services were overwhelmed by the injured. Regina had two hospitals which were quickly filled so the wounded went to other centres which had been set up. The injured were also cared for in private homes. It was a logistical nightmare to find missing persons and to cope with all the injured. Initial newspaper reports had higher casualties from the disaster. These figures were whittled down once the count of displaced persons was completed.

Damaged homes on Smith Street, Regina, 1912

Regina Archives CORA-B-1028

Sources

Anderson, Frank (1980). Regina's Terrible Tornado, June 30, 1912. Surrey, BC, Heritage House Publishing Company

Bingaman, Sandra (2011). Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center Press

Looker, Janet (2000). Disaster Canada. Toronto, Ontario: Lynx Images Inc.