Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-02-06
MESOPOTAMIA.
January 2sth, '6i

OSA0oAJ -O-ht VI.
EDITOR CHRoNICLE:-As no one has
furnished you with the particulars of the
late disastrous fire in this place, 1 will
state the facts: Thursday, the 18th, about
6 o'clock, A. NJ, the Shoe-shop of j. Y.
Gotham was discovered on fire. Mr.. Cot
tam had built q fire, locked the shop, and
gone TO breakfast. One of his workmen
came to the shop soon after Mr.. c. left,
but had a o key to the front door, and on
going TO the back door found it locked and
the key in the lock on the inside. The
windows being frosted he did rot discover
the fire, but went into the store to wait for
Mr. Gotham, but soon went out, when the
shop was discovered to be on fire. The
door was broken in, when the fire was
found to have originated in the partition
where the pipe passes through into the
salesroom. The room being full eff smoke
it was impossible to remain in it. The hall
door leading to DR.. Tidballs dental rooms,
situated Immediately over the shop, was
forced, but his rooms were already on fire,
and the smoke was suffocating. To clear
the room from smoke the windows were
broken, letting in the air, when the whole
room was in flames. The fire soon COM
municated with the Saddlery and Harness
shop of Ives & Bottin from which It rap
idly spread to the dry good store of Sperry,
Laird & Co, and the photograph gallery
Of II. Chapman, over the store. From the
store the flames soon went to the new two
story dwelling house of Elias Sperry. The
wind was blowing a furious gale, the
whole block being now one roaring mass
of fire surging entirely over the large
stone building of j. Z. Marsh, which
being rooted with tin and covered with
snew bid defiance to the devouriag element.
Had this been a wooden building the
whole business part of our village must
have been swept away; as it is, we have
lost the incest business block there was in
the County, outside Of Warren. Mr.. Cot
tam had only $500 Insurance on his build
ing. DR.. A. 81. Tidball had no insurance:
he lost all his books, papers, medicines
and a case of surgical instruments. Ives
& BOttin had no insurance; their loss was
not heavy. Sperry, Laird & Co., had no
insurance on their goods, most Of which
would have been lost had it not been for the
exertions of the citizens. Their loss Is
from $1,000 to 81, 800. The household
goods of Mr.. Sperry were mostly saved. Mr..
Chapman saved two cameras. Most of his
photograph stock was lost. Mr.. Sperry's
building was insured for So, 800. The citi-
zens feeling the loss of the buildings to be
public as well as private, have contributed
material aid towards rebuilding the block,
and as our motto is not a step backward, we
soon expect not only to see the burned
block P~henix-like raise from the ashes,
but We also expect to see other business
houses erected that will do honor to the
builders, and raise the value of surround
ing property. By the spirit of improve
ia "A-SA SAOPPHS OOb ASAo anu
there, it is plainly visible that our village
waking up from q Vanwinkls sleep, and
becoming conscious of her ability to be
somebody. Here q new side walk; there
q new fence; on the Park q new fountain;
that church q new steeple; and this
one being newly painted; then comes an
ornamented fence around the fountain, and
now it is rumored that we are to have 4
high school, which we certainly should
have, and we have only to keep the ball
and our children can be educated
at home as well as abroad.
I had almost forgotten to say that on
the same day of the fire, Mr.. John Easton,
an old and respected resident of this place,
met with 8 serious accident. While assist
ing about hauling hay, the horses became
frightened when Mr.. Z. stepped in front
If them, but did not succeed in stopping
He was thrown down. one runner
Of the sled passing over his throat, cutting
! horrid cash about five inches in length,
nearly cutting his throat from ear to ear.
The other runne passed over his leg,
breaking the small bone and dislocating
the ankle. Under the care of DR.. A. H.
ridball, he is in a fair way of recovery.
FRANK.