i
In formation of an
impressive facade,
The seat of Canada's government
Was located upon 'The
Hill' - what had been
A military base
had been significantly
Chosen by Queen
Victoria for Bytown -
To become the capital
Province of Canada.
Built upon the
southern banks of river
Ottawa, extensive
buildings led from
The Édifice du Centre - by time of Europe's
War, Parliament Hill
became established
As Canadian seat
of power, in gothic revival
Style - possibly to echo an English Parliament.
This unique
edifice being impressive
In its setting of
Parliament Hill -
Once Barrack Hill
- began an ascent
December 1859,
when blasting bedrock
Altered the
design; in April 1860 formed
Stones of Nepean,
freestone and sandstone.
By 1866 the first
Parliaments sat, with
The United
Province of Canada
For one time only
- when Dominion
Of Canada formed
1867 inherited the
Hill, whose central tower was carved by
Emblems of France
and United Kingdom.
In 1914 Canada, as part of British
Empire, was closely
bound by
The declaration
of war to an English
King, who had pledge to honour
Belgium's Sovereignty,
under threat
Of Germany's
invasion of aggression.
1916: almost half
a century after
The Hill's
induction, witnessed
A burning blow on
a bitter cold day.
3 February: in
the ending of what had
Been normal day
of affairs in the house
Of Commons, saw
evening darkness fall.
ii
Within the
Commons reading room,
Smolders began
within a paper
Bin - the time
8.37p.m., flames flew
And quickly
caught the wood panelled
Room - taking to
the old ventilation
System, a raging
fire began to spread.
Strangely a few
weeks prior to this
Time, a businessman
in America
Informed an
editor of a newspaper,
How Canada's
government buildings
Were under threat
from the Germans;
But such rumours
remained in the USA.
Shouts began to
ring out warning
The Commons
sitting - 'fire, fire!'
As one quick-witted
employee ran
And slammed close
iron fire doors,
Saving thousands
of priceless books;
People panicked
to escape the flames.
Angry yellow and wild,
furious reds
Spread about, as
the speaker
Went to save his wife and children
From his quarters
- amid the craziness
The fire brigade
arrived with a net,
To catch one
guest leaping from a floor.
With the fanning
flames flying about,
The senate foyer
employees leapt
To the large
painting there, of Queen
Victoria, cutting
canvas from the frame.
Elsewhere a reporter
leapt through
An office window
to save his typewriters.
With the central
tower fully ablaze,
A gathering crowd
watched
People jump for
their lives from
Windows into the
snow - the tower
Stood, flames all
about the clock,
That glowed hot, still
striking the hour.
Unable to resist
the destruction
Of burning, the
tower's supports
Gave in - the
edifice crumbled
Into the front
concourse, to toss
A cloudy myriad
of golden embers,
Into the bitter, dark night of winter.
iii
A tragedy of
fallen magnificence,
Saw light of 4
February in smoulder
Of a burnt shell
- with sole exception
For the library
and the northwest wing -
A sorry sight for
speaker Albert Savigny;
Within two days theories
began.
Ideas emerged for conspiracy plots -
How Germany had prompted burning
Of the Canadian
Parliamentary buildings.
A member of the
Parliament ,who was
First aware of
fire claimed explosions
Followed by
another, to suggest intentions.
Likeliness was incendiary bombs
backed
Up by the rapidity of fire - to
spread from
Centre of the building at the
reading room,
Where wood lined corridors
converged -
To provide adequate fuel for a
fire's spread,
Fanned by a draft from the
ventilation system.
Within the
rumours of this deliberate
Destruction, at a
cost of $8,000,000 -
In comparison to
other threats within
The country - a probable
outcome could
Lead to strict
regulations, over freedom
Of movements regarding alien enemies.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1916. German
Activities - 'At Least One Explosion'. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 5 February 1916. P.9. Col.4.
Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12138785/Daily-Telegraph-February-5-1916.html
[Accessed: 5 February 2016].
Source: File:
Parliament Hill fire a mystery still unsolved a 100 years later. Jennifer Ditchburn The Canadian Press,
Sun Jan 31 2016. Online. Available at:
<http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/01/31/parliament-hill-fire-a-mystery-still-unsolved-a-100-years-later.html>
Accessed
5
February 2016
Source: File:
Parliament Hill fire mystery still unsolved 100 years later. By Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press. Online.
Available at:
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/parliament-hill-fire-100-years-ago-1.3428235>
Accessed
5
February 2016
Source: File:
Parliament PF Canada - The Parliament Buildings. Online.
Available at: <http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Publications/parliamentbuildings/parlblgs-e.asp>
Accessed
5
February 2016
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