Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-01-04

Republican majority. joint ballot.
A Night Of Awful Fright and De-
structiOn Of Property by Fire.
one-third Of Mimin Destroyed
SIXTY BUILDINGS IN RUINS
Thirty-one Families Homeless.
LOSS OVER 100000.
The closing hours Of the old year 1870.
and the opening hours Of the new year
1871. cannot while life lasts be forgotten
by the citizens Of Mifflin Four hours
more only to psss, and the "Old should
introduce the New" The hours passed,
they we're hours Of fiery destruction. and
the new came in and lent three hours
more to complete the carnival of fire. At
o'clock in the morning the FIRE was
spending its fury on the last house with
in its reach. Two whole .quares were
burned to the ground. except four houses
aud three stables. These squares were
bounded as follows: first or lower one.
on the west side by Water street. on the
north by Bridge street, on the east by
Main street. on the south by an alley;
second or upper square bounded on the
lower or west aide by Main street. on the
north side by Bridge street. on the east
side by Third street. on the south eide by
a quarry The houses that escaped the
conaagration that swept over these two
squares belonged to the following named
persons. N. A Elder. Vim Allison,
E. d. Parker. r c. Gallaher. and were
located as follows, large brick. the pro-
perty of Noal, A. Elder and situated on
Water street on The southwest corner of
the lower square; a large frame house on
Water street, adjoining Mr.. Elders on
the north side, owned by Mr. Allison; a
large brick house, the property Of E. d
Parker. located on the northeast corner
Of Bridge and Third streets, being on the
upper square and large brick house.
the property Of r. c. Gallaher. located
on Third street. and on lot adjoining E
5 2arker's. Bordering on Water street
and on the west side between the street
and the canal is long narrow strip of
ground. This piece Of ground has loca-
ted on its south end large stone dwell
ing house, a .annery and bark house. all
belonging to G Chamberlain. North of
and adjoining the bark house stands
blacksmith shop. These all r.ea,ei '"'
fire. North Of the chop with an alley
and lot between stood large frame dwell
ling, owned by Sellers 4 Sulouff. This
house was burned. North of this frame
house stood the Crystal Palace and
warehouse, bounded on the north BY
Bridge street. 'on the south by vacant
space and the frame house just referred
to, and on the west by the canal. These
two buildings were owned by ]. NJ. Sci
ler'. OF Philadelphia, formerly Of Miflin.
and ID " Sulouf, of this place
Grayb bill Brothers were on Saturday are
ranging to purchase both the palace and
the warehouse. The latter they intended
in the event of them becoming its
owners-to convert into a steam grist
mill. 1t was in the lower story of the
warehouse that the fire origina.ed.-
Whether it was kindled there by the
hand of man, or whether it came by
spontaneous combustion is not known
Abou: o'clock a young man, whose
name we have forgotten. from Lewistown,
in passing the front of the building on
Bridge street, noticed smoke issuing from
the front door of the warehouse cellar.
He entered the storeroom of Graybill Il
Shelley and stated the fact. Of course
an effort was made TO get at the fire. but
the smoke rolled out with such volume
when the doors we're opened that it was
an impossibility to enter the cellar. The
cry of fire was given. The Lutheran
church bell was rung in that peculiar
manner that unstrings the nerves and
causes the body to tingle with deep and
fearful emotion. The people poured into
the streets and down to the " Palace"
some carrying buckets. others nothing,
being scarcely able tocarry their unstrung
bodies erect. The engine was out of
repair-in a word, was useless. Men
carried in buckets what water was used
at the warehouse. The FIRE did not con-
fine itself long to the lower story of the
warehouse. The whole building was
soon on fire, and the palace" also. Cit.
izens could do nothing there but look on.
1t was only by heroic work that Mr..
Wilson, 8 residence on the north side Of
Bridge st eet, directly opposite the "Pal
ace" was kept from burning. 1t was
kept wet by the citizens with buckets.
If this building had caught fire. the chap
ter Of disaster would lie fearfully longer