A century ago

On 12 July 1922, a storm with high winds, lightning and heavy rain swept across Ontario. Damage was reported from Chatham, Owen Sound across to Eastern Ontario where it hit in the evening hours lasting several hours.

Crops and farm buildings were flattened. Lightning killed 40-year-old farmer James Henry Noonan in Bedford Township.

There was panic among 200 passengers on an excursion steamer out of Brockville caught in the storm. Power, telephone and telegraph lines were cut in the community.

Falling trees cut 175 local telephone lines in Ottawa. According to the Ottawa Citizen long-distance lines to Kingston, Brockville, Belleville, Hawkesbury, Montreal, Kemptville, Winchester, Cornwall, Shawville and Arnprior were downed.

However, “communications with points mentioned was still possible, either by other direct lines not damaged or by relay connections.”

A century later we have communications systems less resilient!

 

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