Fire guts popular pub
North End Diner and Beverage Room goes up in flames
JENNIFER TAPLIN
The Daily News
HALIFAX - It looked like the aftermath of a war zone.
Debris fell, a pile of timbers and a crooked power pole burned in the street, and a loud bang startled a crowd of hundreds of onlookers. Firefighters battled not only an out-of-control blaze, but also a -25 C wind chill. It froze their equipment. It even froze the water they pumped, creating an ice hazard.
The North End Diner and Beverage Room went out in a flourish of flames yesterday, creating a spectacle that kept people watching for almost two hours in sub-freezing weather.
I looked around the net for a history of the pub, but couldn't find anything. I know it goes back to before World War II.
The pub was located on Gottingen Street, across the street from Stadacona.
I've a lot of good memories of that place, a few not fit for publishing here!
Great times spent at Joe's as a young Signalman on my TQ5 course. Nothing like a few pitchers of draft and a bunch of glasses to practice your Fleet Maneuvering! Formation Foxtrot's were especially dangerous to accomplish - too much spillage.
No more sliders at Joe's.
Update: just another quick memory. General John Cabot Trail of the Cape Breton Liberation Army and his regular bits from Joe's - Priceless!
Cross Posted from The Torch