Everyday, the media reminds us of the numerous disasters that are constantly occurring in all parts of our world. Here in Canada, we are lucky in that disasters — whether man-made (explosions, ship sinkings, train derailments and plane crashes) or natural (forest fires, earthquakes and floods) — while, terrible in themselves, happen on a relatively infrequent basis. However, in terms of disasters inflicted specifically on our city, none has exceeded the death toll resulting from the event that occurred at the foot of Yonge St. exactly 68 years ago today.

The disaster involved the Canada Steamship Line’s 900-tonne, 310 metre-long passenger cruise ship, S.S. Noronic. Built in 1913 at a Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) shipyard and remodelled numerous times over the ensuing years, those additional coats of paint and new exposed wood panelling would contribute to her fiery demise on this day in 1949.

Over the years, Noronic spent most of her cruising time operating between Detroit and Cleveland and ports on the upper Great Lakes. Occasionally, she would perform special excursions to the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence. It was one of these trips that would see Noronic and a crew of 171 board 542 passengers at Cleveland and Detroit, then transit through the Welland Canal with a Sept. 16, 1949 layover at the Port of Toronto. From there, the schedule called for the vessel to proceed down the lake with a brief visit to Prescott. Ont., followed by a trip through the Thousand Islands, before returning to Detroit. Noronic tied up at Toronto’s Pier 9 near the foot of Yonge St. at approximately 6 p.m. on that day. Many of the passengers (and most of the crew) went ashore to explore the city’s nightlife. By the time Friday had turned into Saturday, all had returned to the ship where all was quiet. At about 2 a.m., smoke was discovered seeping under the door of a linen closet on “C Deck.” Within minutes, the ship was engulfed in flames. Officers and men of the city’s fire and police departments did what they could to rescue passengers. Of the 542 who had boarded anticipating a pleasurable lake cruise, 119 perished. Obviously, there is more to this story, much more. One of the best accounts can be found at:

http://mypage.direct.ca/s/seafire/noronic.html

mfiley@postmedia.com