New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-24
GREAT FIRE AND LOSS or LIFE ON
MR.. CONGER'S PARM

On Sunday msrniDg, at about 9 O'Clock the
dwelling -houfe of Thomas H. Patterson herdsman and
steward Of the Hon. A. Conger, at Waliberg,"
n.ar Haverstraw N. Y, was CONSUME by Are, and
FIVE lives were lost. Beside Mr.. Patterson aud his
family there were several other inmates in the house,
farm hands who boarded with him. making in all Is
persons. Thomas Long, an assistant herdsmsn, first
discovering the fire. gave the alarm by loud cries, and
rushed into tie several TO arouse and save the
sleeping inmates. The i-e bad, however gained such
bead az as TO render hs efforts in cases uuavai-
ing; and not only were four others burned Ia their
cbsmbers but he too, fell victim while in tho dis
charge of his noble, sslf-imposed duty.
Patterson on being aroused, seemed seized with q
pauic Of flight 20 extreme almost to make him de-
men'ed His first impulse TO rush out of tho burn
ing house. and them as he bethought himself of bus
helpless family in the cracking burning room, to rush
wildly back and seek them out. Encounterng first his
child little thing of two years only, no seized him,
and in despair threw bim out of the window to the
2, ound distance of some five six feet. He then
found and safely led ont bis wife, after which, he re-
turned sgain to secure some valusbles il possible but
in ha attempts was overpowersd by the flame and
suoke and would certainly have been burnt to death
If he had not been dragged ont by female ledger, who
was just saving her own life.
The flames had gained such Roadway when first
discovered that all efforts TO exnguish them were use
less, and the building, with the ssbery smokshouss
piggery, and some other buildings adjacent, was DE-
stroyed with it, contents Five persons in all said
to have BEEN burned but the only name which has
reached us, beside that of Thomas Long, ia that of
John BIsckhurt, assistant in the stock stables.
The total loss IL reported at $4,000, but whether in
sured or not We are not Informed.
We have not learned anything respecting the cause
of the FIRE, bnt suppose imay be attributable to 10
of peculiar construction which Mr.. Conger showed
at his sae recently. The house of Patterson faced the
square around three sides of which the large stock
stables are built. Alongside and below the causewsy
leading to the main barn eptrspee is shed which Mr.
Conger recently bad built for the 20-horse power en-
CINE, which is designed to farnsh power for stationary
farm woIk.
Instead of putting up very tall and large shaft for
his boer.fre, he carried the iue horizontally under
ground some 20 or 30 feet to the smokehouse there
it made angle up ward and emped into smoke
chamber, perhaps eight feet square BY ten in hight
whence it emerged through short fine of equal size
with that hich conducted it from the re-box. This
plan, we nnderrtocd from Mr. Copger, one of his
own, and he entertained great hopes that it would
prove successful.
The smoks-bouse, piggery, and wood-houfe formed
a continuous line, aud connected with the hefdsman 8
dwelling II is possible that, through carsleSsness or
otherwise the smoke-house may have caught fire from
the smoke-cbsmber and the fire been thence conveyed
eaiy and naturally to the dwelling. But as 70 this, we
are unable to say. 1t avery fortunate circumstance
that the wind happened be blowing from instead of
toward the stock.barns for if they had canght fire,
great many valuable Short-borps Dsvons, and Ayr
shire cattle must have pershed in the flames.