When she awoke, Mrs. Jackson found the fire well underway and the stairs a mass of flames. She therefore called her children together and lowered each from a second-story window, leaving herself only when she thought all her children had been accounted for. It was not until she was outside the inferno that she noticed that her son, Carl, aged 4, was still inside. The tragedy was alleviated somewhat by the prompt action of a committee of village residents in collecting articles and funds to assist the bereaved family. “A person doesn’t realize how many friends he has until he meets a disaster like this,” Mr. Jackson remarked. Freeman Jackson was only 18 when he was badly wounded in the Scheldt Estuary while serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders during World War II. He spent sev— eral years in hospital after that before his leg was finally removed in 1950. He himself perished in the flames which destroyed the Revere Hotel in Charlottetown on the night of April 13, 1974.

The unsung heroes in all of this have been the members of the Mount Stewart Fire Department. Under such capable leaders as Benjamin W. Birt, Cyrene MacDonald and Eldon Glover, the present Chief, these volunteers have achieved miracles in the performance of what is often a thankless task.

Banking Service

The Merchants Bank of Halifax established a branch in Charlotte- town in 1873, with Mr. Owen Connolly, “an Irishman with a remarkable faculty for making money” as its first agent. On January 2, 1901 the bank’s name was changed to the Royal .Bank of Canada, and it has since grown into Canada’s leading financial institution. A branch was estab- lished at Mount Stewart in 1919 and, on May 2, 1952, due to a decline in business, it became a sub-branch of Charlottetown. A list of managers with the dates of their assignment follows:

1919-1921, F. M. Daniel 1921-1928, Howard L. Hall 1928-1936, J. E. Palfry 1936-1943, Harold J. Shaw 1943-1948, R. C. Morrison 1948-1952, J. L. D. Anderson

As manager and relieving manager of Mount Stewart branch and, subsequently, as manager of the sub-branch, Harold Shaw had a longer association with the village than any of the others. He entered the Royal Bank at Wolfville in 1915 and was attached to Liverpool Branch before entering the Canadian army in 1917. He served overseas with the 5th Canadian Division of Artillery and, at the cessation of hostilities, returned to Canada and was discharged in 1919. After serving in several branches in Nova Scotia, in 1922 he was appointed accountant at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and, later, accountant at Santaigo de los Caballeros. When he returned to Canada, he again served in Nova Scotia and in Montreal and, as noted above, came to Mount Stewart in 1936. He entered the Canadian army again in 1943 and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Captain. An avid gardener, fisherman and hunter, Mr. Shaw also provided an efficient banking service. He retired on April 30, 1958.

Telephone Service

The Telephone Company of Prince Edward Island was incorporated by an act of the Provincial Legislature in 1885. Service was at first

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