Firemaster Paterson caught a chill at a fire on the 4th December and died as a result of it on the 17th December 1906.
TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE MR. Wm. PATERSON,
CHIEF OFFICER OF THE FIRE BRIGADE
The Lord Provost, before commencing the ordinary business of the meeting, referred to the death of Mr William Paterson, Chief Officer of the Fire Brigade, which had taken place on 17th instant. After adverting to the strenuous, faithful, and highly skilled service, which for a period of twenty two years, the deceased had rendered as an official of the Corporation, and to the esteem in which he was held by members of the corporation and the staff under his control, the Lord Provost moved that there be placed in the minute of the meeting a record of the great loss which the Corporation and the community had sustained through Mr Paterson’s demise, and that the town clerk be directed to send an extract from said minute to his widow, along with an expression of the deep sympathy of the members of the Corporation with her and her family in their bereavement. The motion was unanimously agreed to.
(Minutes of the Corporation, 20/12/1906, Page 448.)
GLASGOW WAREHOUSE FIRE
£10,000 DAMAGE
The most serious fire which has occurred in Glasgow since that in the premises of Messrs Wylie Hill and Co. and Brown Smith and Co., in Buchanan Street, on November 6, 1903, took place yesterday forenoon. The scene was the warehouse of Messrs Smith, Sons and Laughland (Limited), 75 to 87 Mitchell Street. For about a quarter of a century the firm have occupied the premises, which cover a large area of ground lying between Mitchell Street and Melville Lane, a cul-de-sac which runs south from Gordon Street. The building facing Mitchell Street is a handsome stone structure, measuring about 80 feet in length and about 60 feet in height. It consists of a sunk basement, above which are four square storeys surmounted by a mansard roof, in which there are two flats, one of them being attics. At the highest point is a flat zinc roof, with a decorative iron railing. The windows of the attics are sloping, but those of the floor beneath, eleven in number overlook the street, and are ornamated above. The rear portion of the building, which has also a mansard roof, extends to Melville Lane. The interior of the warehouse has a well, lit from the roof, and surrounded by galleries, containing a large stock of valuable goods.
It was on the sixth floor, used as a store, that the fire broke out. The alarm reached the Central Station of the Fire Brigade at two minutes past eleven o’clock. Recognising that a fire in the business centre of Glasgow would require a stronger force to cope with it, Captain Paterson called out two motors (one known as the first aid hose and ladder carriage and the other as the petrol pump), one hose and ladder carriage, and a steamer from the Central, a hose and ladder carriage and a steamer from the Southern, and a steamer from the Eastern Station. The motors from Ingram Street were in Mitchell Street within a minute or two after the ringing of the alarm, but already the flames were shooting through the upper windows of the warehouse, and dense volumes of smoke belched northward. Fortunately there is a substantial gable wall at each end of Messrs Smith, Sons and Laughland’s warehouse, and this greatly helped the firemen in their efforts to prevent the spread of fire. It was also a lucky circumstance that the storms which had been raging for several days had passed away, and only a very gentle breeze was blowing from the south.
Fighting the Flames
The petrol pump and the three steamers were at once set to work and a number of lines of hose were turned on to the building, the water from at least two of these being projected as high as the top of the building. Means were also taken to protect the adjacent property, while on the lower floors of the warehouse the members of the Salvage Corps were busily engaged spreading waterproof covers over the goods, the flames raging overhead meanwhile This was necessary to protect the stock as much as possible, from the deluge of water which was pouring down.
Not only was the fire watched with keen interest by crowds in the adjacent streets, but by numerous spectators who occupied coigns of vantage on the high buildings which surround the warehouse. Finest of all was the view from the tower of the “Glasgow Herald” buildings, situated immediately opposite. Looking down from it one beheld an impressive spectacle. At times the warehouse was completely hidden by the dense clouds of smoke, but ever and anon a puff of wind cleared the air and revealed the raging furnace underneath. The zinc on the roof melted very slowly; when it did dissolve it left a framework which resembles a red hot gridiron. As the flames leaped into the air they ignited the rubber coating of the telegraph and telephone cables, and soon there was a twisted and tangled mass of wire in mid air. For some time the gas in the upper floors of the warehouse blazed fiercely, but by and by it was turned off at the main, thus obviating all risk from that source. The roof of the front portion of the building was never quite destroyed, but that of the rear part collapsed early, and it was found necessary to lead a line of hose into the basement to extinguish the burning debris which fell down the well. It was an hour and a half before the fire was got under control, but it was after one o’clock ere all danger of the flames spreading to the lower floors or to the adjoining buildings was past.
The structural damage was practically confined to the top floors, but much damage was done by water and falling material. Captain Paterson estimates the loss at £8,000 to £10,000, which is covered by insurance. Fortunately no person was injured. The employees in the warehouse, about 150 men, got out easily. There was a large detachment of police present under the supervision of Chief Constable Stevenson, with whom were Chief Superintendent Orr and Lieutenant M’Laughlan. Mitchell Street was temporarily closed, and, owing to the lines of hose laid in Gordon Street, vehicular traffic in that thoroughfare was also stopped until the fire was subdued.
Tramways and Telephones Affected
In order to obtain as much water as possible a line of hose was laid across Renfield Street from opposite the Central Station. This, of course caused a temporary stoppage of the car traffic, but as soon as possible the handy tramway rail bridges were laid over the hose, and the traffic was resumed. Considerable damage and inconvenience has been caused by the fire to the National Telephone Company’s service. Altogether eleven cables – involving between 500 and 600 wires – were disturbed. Communication to the South Side Exchanges, was seriously interrupted, two of the cables carrying junction circuits between the Royal and the South Side districts being rendered temporarily useless.
In the course of a short interview, Mr John Service, one of the partners of Messrs Smith, Sons and Laughland (Limited), said he joined the old firm of George Smith and Sons over fifty years ago. At that time the firm carried on business in London Street. Afterwards they removed to 208 Argyle Street, and about twenty five years ago they took over the present buildings in Mitchell Street, with the leading entrance at No. 85. The buildings consist of six flats and attics, and the fire, so far as he could learn, originated in the upper portion. It so happened that an exceptionally heavy stock was on hand. In the upper flat a large quantity of hosiery – yarns and woollen goods – was stored and the entire stock has been damaged. The general stock consisted of hosiery, tweeds, flannels, dresses, linens, cottons, haberdasheries, ready-made clothing, and fancy goods of all kinds. He believed that the fire began shortly after eleven o’clock, and the fire intimation of it was from a boy who had been working in the sixth flat, and who came running into the counting house and gave the alarm. Thereafter the entire staff left the building. There was no confusion of any sort, and no one was endangered at any time.
(Glasgow Herald, Wednesday, December 5, 1906. Page 10.)
DEATH OF FIREMASTER PATERSON
We regret to have to record the death of Mr William Paterson, chief officer of the Glasgow Fire Brigade, which occurred yesterday afternoon in his residence at the Central Station of the Brigade in Ingram Street. Mr Paterson has been in ill health since the beginning of the year, and in the month of July he underwent an operation for an internal malady. He made a satisfactory recovery, but his robust constitution was considerably shaken, and he took what for him was a somewhat prolonged holiday. His first appearance on duty was at the fire at the warehouse of Messrs Smith, Sons and Laughland (Limited), on Tuesday, 4th inst. The day was wet and cold, and he got a severe chill, but he was able to look after indoor work until Saturday week, when he was completely laid aside, suffering from a complication of ailments, of which pneumonia was the most serious. On Friday and Saturday his condition was regarded as critical, but he rallied on Sunday, and his medical attendants were more hopeful. A relapse took place, however, during the night, and he became unconscious, remaining in that condition until three o’clock yesterday afternoon, when he passed peacefully away.
Mr Paterson was born in Elgin in 1843. Having been educated at the Trades School, he was trained as a joiner with his father, and afterwards went to Edinburgh, where he worked for a time as a journeyman. The movement which resulted some years later in the passing of the law legalising trade unions was at the time in progress, and into it he ardently threw himself. His shrewd commonsense and general intelligence was soon recognised by his fellow workmen, and a vacancy occurring, he was appointed secretary of the local branch of the Carpenter’s Association, and, soon after, secretary of the Associated Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Society. In 1875, in accordance with its rules, the seat of government of the society was transferred from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and here Mr Paterson was destined, save for a brief interval, to spend the remainder of his days. The affairs of the society of which he was the official head he had conducted with ability and discretion, and he enjoyed in a marked degree the confidence of its members. In wages disputes he regarded a strike as a last resort, believing rather in conciliatory measures, and he guided the society wisely through more than one critical period in its history. Though he had been keenly interested in the work of the Town Council during his stay in Edinburgh Mr Paterson, on coming to Glasgow, did not concern himself with municipal matters; but he was well known in political circles, and often publicly advocated Liberal measures. It was no matter of surprise therefore, but a source of gratification, to his many friends when in 1883 he was appointed as an assistant inspector under the Factories Act, one of the first to be chosen for such a post from the ranks of the Labour party. For the duties he was called upon to discharge he was specially qualified, and during the short time he held the office he acquitted himself so creditably that promotion in the service was certain to have come to him.
Appointment as Firemaster
But the resignation of Mr Bryson, the head of the Fire Brigade in Glasgow in 1884, once more changed the current of his life. From his early manhood he had had a passion for fire extinction. During his residence in Edinburgh he was present at almost every great fire which occurred in the city, and when he came to Glasgow he so arranged that he had a much more extended experience. And it was not merely as a spectator he attended. Possessed of a thorough knowledge of building construction, he knew almost instinctively where a fire could be best attacked, and on many occasions he was able to give valuable advice and practical assistance to those in charge of the fire brigade. His qualifications in this respect were so well know that a few years previously he had been nominated for the post of firemaster in Edinburgh, and he was defeated by only a single vote. For the vacancy in Glasgow there were a number of applicants, men who had filled similar offices; but so favourable was the opinion formed of Mr Paterson by those to whom he was known, and so highly was he recommended, that he was preferred over all his opponents by a substantial majority. The subject of fire extinction was at that time receiving a large amount of attention from the fire insurance companies and others interested, and the position of firemaster in Glasgow was one of heavy responsibility, involving no little anxiety. But Mr Paterson entered on the duties with characteristic enthusiasm and energy. He found it necessary to have the brigade completely reorganised, and gradually he proceeded with a carefully devised and well considered scheme of improvement. The annexation of the suburban burghs in 1891 extended largely the area of the city, and rendered necessary the entire re-arrangement of the department. When Mr Paterson took charge of the brigade there were stations in the Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern, and St Rollox districts of the city, several of the district stations with only a few men, and somewhat primitive appliances. The entire staff at that time of sixty-five or seventy men, with auxiliary constables who were called out on the occurrence of fire. The staff now consists of 154 men, and the auxiliary constables were dispersed with very soon after Mr Paterson’s appointment. Then, under his immediate directions new stations have been erected in St George’s Road for the Northern district, in Soho Street for the Eastern district, at Queen’s Park, Maryhill, and Springburn, also the new Central Station in Ingram Street, opened on May 1, 1900, one of the largest and most perfectly equipped fire establishments in the kingdom. The most recent advance is the instalment of motor appliances into the Central Station. These consist of what is known as first aid hose and ladder carriage, a steam pump, and a fire escape, which can be used as a water tower. The system of electric fire alarms has also been greatly improved, and extended during the last twenty years. For the inception and carrying out of all these changes, Mr Paterson was in the main responsible. But he enjoyed in an exceptional measure the confidence of a succession of conveners of the committee of the Corporation charged with the management of the department, as well as the members and general body of the Council. Among the men under his charge he was very popular. He was a strict disciplinarian, insisted on sedulous attention to duty, but he did everything in his power to provide for the comfort of the staff, nor did he neglect to consider the necessity for facilities for healthful exercise, relaxation and amusement in the laying out of the stations which he had erected.
Mr Paterson was frequently consulted in connection the operations of other departments of the Corporation, in particular he was concerned in the training of the Building Regulations Act, and in seeing its provisions carried into effect. He was often called upon for advice in regard to the installation of fire appliances in public works, warehouses, and other establishments in the city, and also in connection with installations in country houses.
On the subject of fire extinction, he was regarded as an authority throughout the kingdom and among this brethren charged with the management of fire brigades he was held in the highest esteem. He was one of the originators of the Professional Fire Brigades Association, founded in 1903, and he the office of president for two years. He read several papers before the Glasgow Philosophical Society on fire extinction and building construction. His lecture on the “Glasgow Fire Brigade” was one of the most popular of the series of lectures by Corporation officials, and was in frequent request by literary and other societies. In private life Mr Paterson had many attached friends, by whom his death will be deeply mourned. He is survived by his wife and three sons and two daughters. His oldest son is one of the superintendents at the Central Fire Brigade Station.
(Glasgow Herald, Tuesday, December 18, 1906. Page 3.)
THE FIREMASTER’S FUNERAL
The remains of Mr Wm. Paterson, chief officer of the Glasgow Fire Brigade, were yesterday interred in Glasgow Necropolis. A brief service, attended by the deceased’s family, was conducted in the residence of the Firemaster by Rev. John S. Carroll (St John’s U.F. Church) and Rev. D. Cameron Reid (Ramshorn Church), and while it was in progress, the body, enclosed in a brass mounted oak coffin, was removed to St John’s U.F. Church, George Street, of which Mr Paterson had for many years been a prominent member. Here an impressive service was held, the officiating clergyman being Rev. Mr Carroll. In addition to the mourning relatives and friends, a large number of past and present members of the Town Council and other public bodies were present. Prominent among these were Lord Provost Bilsland, Deacon Convener Kirkwood, of the Trades House of Glasgow, the department chiefs of the Corporation, and representatives of fire insurance companies and fire brigades. The last mentioned, who were in uniform, numbered about 170 men. Besides fifty members of the Glasgow Fire Brigade, these were drawn from the brigades of Edinburgh, Dundee, Leith, Paisley, Ayr, Clydebank, Rutherglen, Govan, Partick, and Newcastle; and the private brigades attached to the Co-operative Society’s works at Shieldhall, Messrs Clark and Coat’s Paisley mills, and the shipyard of Messrs William Beardmore and Co. (Limited) were also represented. At the close of the public service the coffin was borne from the church by four of the local brigade superintendents, the Dead March, from “Saul” being meanwhile played on the organ. The coffin was placed on the hose and ladder carriage, draped with black, and surmounted by the deceased’s helmet and belt. Preceded by the Glasgow Police Band, which also played the Dead March in “Saul,” the cortege was arranged as follows:- Representatives of the Glasgow Police Force, and other Fire Brigades and Salvage Corps, and of Fire Insurance Companies, Corporation officials, members of Corporation, the Magistrates, members of the Fire Brigade Committee, the Lord Provost and officiating clergy, hose and ladder carriage with deceased’s remains, relatives and friends, Fire Department brougham, members of the Glasgow Fire Brigade, body of police, and general public, the rear of the procession being brought up by a brigade carriage containing a number of costly and tasteful wreaths and other mementoes. The contributors of these tributes were the late Firemaster’s staff, who sent in respectful remembrance of their chief a design in granite of an open book and a heart shaped wreath; the chairman and members of the Fire Brigade Committee; the Chief Constable and men of the Glasgow Police Force; London, Belfast, and Aberdeen Fire Brigades; the members of Glasgow Salvage Corps; the members of Glasgow Rate and Salvage Association; the May Oatway Fire Appliances Company; the British Fire Prevention Committee; and members of the Association of Professional Fire Brigade Officers. The cortege formed a striking and impressive spectacle as it slowly made its way to the Necropolis. Crowds of people lined the route, and many tokens of respect were shown as the late Firemaster’s remains were borne along to their final resting place. The pall bearers were deceased’s three sons, including Inspector Wm. Paterson of the Central Division of the Fire Brigade, his brother and brother in law, the Lord Provost, and Councillor Cleland, chairman of the Watching and Lighting Committee. During the day the flags on the City Chambers, City Hall, Central Fire Brigade Station, and other public buildings were hoisted at half mast.
Tribute by Lord Provost
At the meeting of the Corporation of Glasgow yesterday Lord Provost Bilsland said that since last meeting the Corporation and the community had sustained a very great bereavement in the death of Captain Paterson, a very greatly esteemed chief officer of the Fire Brigade. Captain Paterson gave twenty two years of very strenuous, faithful, and highly skilled services, and he not only endeared himself to the members of the Corporation and to the staff, but he gained and retained all through his tenure of office the confidence of the Corporation and of the community. They, as a Corporation, were distinctly the poorer in their officials through the loss of Captain Paterson. He moved that the Town Clerk be instructed to express in their minutes their deep sense of the loss they had sustained and their very great sympathy with the widow and family.
The motion was unanimously adopted, and the Corporation afterwards adjourned in order to enable members to attend the funeral.
(Glasgow Herald, Friday, December 21, 1906. Page 10.)
Death
PATERSON: At Chief Fire Station, Ingram Street, on 17th inst., William Paterson, Chief Officer, Glasgow Fire Brigade, aged 63 years. – No flowers – Public funeral from St John’s UF Church, George Street, on Thursday at 3p.m.
(Glasgow Herald, Tuesday, December 18, 1906. Page 1.)