1925: Fire Destroys the Engineering Building
1924-1925 was a dark year in the University of Saskatchewan’s
history. It was marred by death,
accident, disease and fire. Early in
the session the senior Professor of Physics, Alexander MacGougan, died
suddenly; a series of accidents injured several employees; an epidemic of Swamp
Fever killed eleven of the University’s prize winning horses; federal funding
for agriculture was dramatically cut; and the University Farm experienced
almost complete crop failure. As bad as
this was, even more devastating over the long term was the fire that destroyed
the Engineering Building on the morning of the 13 March 1925.
The fire started in the Tractor Laboratory about 2:30 A.M. When the fire was discovered the alarm was
sent to the City Fire Station which
responded swiftly. Owing to the
altitude of the University site, the pressure of the water was much less than
in the city. To increase pressure, a
booster pump was used at the hydrant.
The capacity of the pump was greater than that of the pipe and in a
short time the water supply was exhausted.
The combination of the failure of the water supply and a lack of
firewalls and doors inside the building sealed its fate. Only the ceramics addition remained
standing, owing to the fire door that was intended to protect the rest of the
building from its kilns.
Though the cause of the fire was never discovered, it was clear that a
replacement building would need radical design changes. The original wooden floors and walls would
be replaced with tile and reinforced concrete.
Unfortunately, the Engineering Building and its contents had been
woefully underinsured. A total loss of
$267,000 effectively brought future building plans to a halt. Funds had to be transferred from the capital
to the operating budget, draining those set aside for a new Arts/Library
building.1
| Related Collections |  |
College of Engineering fonds, RG 2083.
| Images | |
1925a: Tractor Lab. H.A. Lewis fonds, MG 108. III. 2.2
1925b: Engineering Fire. H.A. Lewis fonds, MG 108. III. 2.28
1925c: Engineering Building construction. H.A. Lewis fonds, MG 108. III. 2.1
1925d: Report re. Fire at the University of Saskatchewan. J.E. Murray fonds, MG 61, file 85.
| Sources | |
1. On Campus News, 18 Oct
1996, p. 4
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