William Cormier
Badge #6
1920-1930
LODD
William Cormier, a full time firefighter with the Halifax Fire Department stationed at the Brunswick Street station, was killed due to injuries sustained at a house fire on Barrington Street. He was injured at the structure fire on April 14th. While on a ladder, a passing car caught the hose. Cormier and another firefighter were knocked to the ground and Cormier died later of his injuries on April 24th. In the City Council minutes, they mistakenly put his death at April 15, 1930.
HALIFAX FIREMEN INJURED.
William Cormier and Nelson Cormier fall from ladder. Former in critical condition.
William Cormier a horseman attached to the Halifax Fire Department, and Nelson Cormier, a fellow fireman, were taken to the Victoria General Hospital, yesterday afternoon suffering from serious injuries resulting from a fall off a ladder while at work extinguishing a slight blaze at 307 Barrington Street.
After the two Cormier’s and other firemen had responded to the alarm, a ladder was placed against the building and William Cormier, carrying a nozzle of a line of hose, went up the ladder to reach the blaze. Nelson Cormier, in the endeavor to relive the weight of the hose, also went up the ladder. Where the former had reached a height of about 25 feet, with Nelson ten feet below him, the hose in some manner became entangled in the rear fender of a car driven by Dr. P. Weatherbe, which had started from its parking place near Bishop St, and the two men were torn from the ladder and hurled to the sidewalk below, the ladder crashing after them.
When William Cormier fell he landed head foremost on the concrete walk fracturing his skull and Nelson fell on a spanner which he carried on his belt, fracturing several ribs and seriously injuring hid shoulder. The accident was.winessed by many people and when assistance went to the injured men both were unconscious and were rushed to the hospital. Dr.Weatherbe was later place under arrest, by Sergeant Michael O’ Holloran charged with causing bodily harm, being later released on $2,000 bail. The doctor, while at the police station said that before entering his car he had observed that it was free of the hose and could only, explain the accident by the fact that a tram car had been approaching and some one in moving the line from the track had thrown it to one side in such manner as to go over the rear fender of his car.
William Cormier, who is married, and the father of four children, resides at 19 Brunswick street and had been in the Halifax Department since 1920. A sad feature of the tragedy is the fact that his wife is ill and was yesterday unable to go to the hospital.
Nelson Cormier joined the department a year previous to William, is 34 year of age, is unmarried and resides at 11 Stairs St.
The condition of William Cormier at noon to-day was very critical and the chances for his recovery are regarded by the physicians as being very slim. He is suffering from two fractures of the skull and both arms are broken, one of them being a compound fracture.
Nelson Cormier is reported at noon as resting fairly comfortable. These two men are not relatives as reported.
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WILLIAM CORMIER ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL OVER SEVEN DAYS AGO WITH FRACTURED SKULL
Lapsed into Unconsciousness Yesterday Afternoon and Passed Away Shortly After
Losing in a grim battle for life William Cormier, fireman injured while attending a Barrington Street fire little over a week ago, passed away yesterday afternoon at the Victoria General Hospital, where he had been removed following the accident.
On Wednesday April 16th apparatus from the Brunswick Street Station was called out in answer to to a call for a slight blaze in the residence of 307 Barrington Street, and in an endeavor to reach the roof of the building with a line of hose, William Cormier had mounted a ladder which had been placed against the front of the building.
Another man had attempted to assist Cormier in his labor, and as both proceeded towards the roof, the line of hose which they carried, through some quirk of fate became entangled in the bumberette of a car which stood at the curb near the corner of Bishop Street, and which the owner, Dr. Weatherbe was about to start.
As the vehicle moved from its parking place the hose was dragged along the street and the two men holding it literally torn from their positions on the ladder, which William Cormier had by that time mounted to a height of twenty eight feet.
Both men on being picked up, were found to have been painfully injured and removed to the hospital. Here it was found that William Cormier suffered from a fractured skull besides a compound fracture of one arm, while the other was also injured and both feet had been badly wrenched.
Cormier’s struggle against tremendous odds was a game one, his condition at the first seemingly hopeless, but as the days passed hope for his recovery was entertained and he was conscious yesterday morning, but in the afternoon, shortly after three o’clock, he again lapsed into unconsciousness and passed away.
Mrs. Cormier, who shortly after the accident gave birth to their fifth child, was enabled on Wednesday last to spend a short time with her husband, which was the first time she had seen him since the accident.