London's Bicentennial (Snippet 30)

 A Heat Wave 100 Years Ago - 1926

Tragedy in Peterboro

Source: 

  Both reports are found on the front page of the Daily Kennebec Journal on July 22, 1926. It was published in Maine which explains the spelling of Peterborough.
   The Balsam Lake incident is described more recently by the CBC.
"Monument to 11 Who Died in Balsam Lake Canoe Disaster Restored: In 1926, Balsam Lake Was the Scene of One of the Worst Pleasure Craft Disasters in Ontario History," Michael Smee, CBC News, May 21, 2024.

   "Most of the victims were Toronto boys. Their funerals and subsequent burial beneath a massive, roughly four-metre-high cross at St. James Cemetery, near Bloor and Parliament streets, made headlines around the world, in July of 1926.

   As a poignant addition, a small stone perimeter around the graves was etched with the names of all 11 victims.

   But as the decades passed, so did the city's memories of  the tragedy.

   The engraved stone rim became overgrown with weeds. Vandals toppled the once imposing granite cross years ago; it was left as it fell.
  But now, thanks to Balsam Lake resident Doug Paterson, Toronto's St.James Cemetery has refurbished the site, landscaping the graves and replacing the stone cross. It'll all be officially unveiled at a special rededication ceremony, to be held June 20." [2024].