April 19, 1904: The Great Fire of Toronto

April 19, 1904: The Great Fire of Toronto breaks out. It started in the factory of the E&S Currie Limited neck wear factory, at 58 Wellington Street West, downtown.

The city had previously been hit by a big fire in 1849, when Canada was still under full British control. Before that, when the city was still named York, American troops burned it on April 27, 1813, as part of the War of 1812. That action is said to have inspired the British to burn Washington the following year.

The exact cause of the 1904 fire was never determined, with a faulty heating stove or an electrical problem being most likely. Firefighters were called in from Hamilton, Ontario; and even over the border in Buffalo, New York. To make matters worse, the temperature was only 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and there was a 30-mile-per-hour wind blowing the flames. It took 9 hours to get the fire under control.

Although more than 100 buildings were destroyed, there was only one fatality, and that was in the aftermath: John Croft, an explosive expert, clearing ruins to make sure there was nothing else to start the fire.

In 1927, Toronto's Union Station, Canada's leading passenger rail station, was built on part of the land cleared of buildings destroyed by the fire.

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April 19, 1904 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Highlanders beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 5-4 at Hilltop Park in Manhattan. Tom Hughes outpitched Eddie Plank. The Highlanders became the Yankees in 1913.

* The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies played 15 innings at National League Park in Philadelphia, later renamed Baker Bowl, and were tied 1-1, when the game was called due to darkness.

* The Brooklyn Superbas beat the Boston Beaneaters, 5-4 at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Superbas became the Dodgers in 1911. The Beaneaters went through a few name changes before becoming the Braves in 1912.

* The Boston Americans swept a doubleheader from the Washington Senators, 1-0 and 3-2 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston. The Americans became the Red Sox in 1908. George Winter pitched a 5-hit shutout in the opener. Cy Young won the nightcap.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 18-4 at the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati. Miller Huggins (yes, the future Yankee manager), Cy Seymour, Harry Steinfeldt (later the 3rd baseman in the Chicago Cubs' Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance infield), Tommy Corcoran and even pitcher Win Kellum each got 3 hits for the Reds. For the Pirates, Honus Wagner went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-1 at South Side Park in Chicago.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Cleveland Naps, 4-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Named for their 2nd baseman, top hitter and manager, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, the Cleveland team became the Indians in 1915 and the Guardians in 2022.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-3 at Robison Field in St. Louis.