Dundee fire postcard tells the 1906 tale of 'rivers of burning whisky'
An eyewitness account of Dundee's worst-ever fire has returned to the city after more than a century in the south.
The hand-coloured front of the 1906 postcard.
Written on a postcard showing a picture of the fire, the account describes the huge blaze at Watson's Bond, at the junction of the Seagate and the aptly-named Candle Lane, in 1906.
The fire took place in the six-storey bonded store of James Watson & Co, which contained nearly a million gallons of spirits, principally whisky and rum. It raged for two days and caused "rivers of burning whisky" to flow down Dundee streets.
The blaze started at 6.20pm, when most of the staff had left. The writer of the postcard was clearly still in the building, as he pointed out in his pencil-written account.
"This is the top of Candle Lane. I was in the place at the time. Whole place destroyed ... A Glorious sight. Hands very much scorched and legs swollen. Plenty of free drinks. Was sitting on top of C. R. Baxter's roof in Candle Lane with fire hose from 10pm to five next morning. Office staff scattered all over. No holidays for us now," he wrote.
The card was sent to Scarborough in 1906 and was recently returned to Dundee by the historian Norman Watson.
"The card not only shows the fire on its picture side, but provides this enthralling eyewitness account written just five days later, presumably when he had recovered," said Norman. "The sender spent seven hours holding a hose with scorched hands — yet can ruefully joke about his holidays going up in smoke. Quite a character, I think.
Wept
"This was a huge fire, which also destroyed a neighbouring bond belonging to John Robertson, a Co-op warehouse, two nearby jute warehouses and Stewart Robertson's store of fireclay goods.
"As the inferno raged, the glow was visible from Brechin and Montrose and people on Dundee's outskirts could read newspapers out of doors at midnight.
"It was also the day grown men wept as alcohol went up in flames or down the drain, and The Courier's description of 'panic' in Candle Lane may have obliquely referred to the loss of perfectly good whisky."
Norman continued, "I have collected local material for 30 years, including eyewitness narratives of major events, but I have never seen an account of the Watson's Bond fire.
"It really is a most unusual item of social history, and a rare survivor from one of Scotland's most famous fires."
09.15am - 14.02.2011 Random Fact - Dundee, UK Report This
Random fact about this is that Dundee in Iowa, USA had a big fire in 1906 as well with resulted in a bank being destroyed. Just in case anyone was interested!
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