The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-05-18
SUFFERING SOMERSET
THE TOWN AsEGEs.


Der of Others visited the ruins several Gavs
alter the fire, and beheld n sight such al we
never before. Where once stood the fair
/ town, with her Industrious ard hospit able
! people, now can be nothing but devasta-
tiuu and ruin. Where once hourished the
| busine $, the wealth and prosperity of the
I place, the ghost OF the red demon sits glont
/ ing over his work of devastation The work
| of the fire heud is most thorough and COM
/ plete. No instance in the annals of Cesrruc>
! ;iNe fires can compare With that Of Somer ct
! The fire at Chicago. the most terrible on re-
cord. destroyed not half, nor a third even, il
! is said, of tie property of that city. while at
| Somerset. inside of TWO hours ard a half, tnore
! than two thirds of the value Of the place was
/ reduced to aches.
| 1t is pretty we'll settled that the FIRE origin
ated from sparks that few from the foundry
! into a stuble close by in which there was hay
and straw. bundle of straw first took fire
he owner OF the stable on discover irg the
flre IN the NOV run up and attempted to throw
out the bundle, but the band had been
! burned in two, lie was unsuccessful, and the
fire was scatterei over the NOW, aud i'll II
/ moment the contents of the stable wCre ablaze.
! When the fire first bro Le cut the wind
1 blowing perfect gale, which was lnCre tsed
/ i'll intensity with the fire. In less than five
| minutes iIom the time that the uisi NJ of fire
/ VAS first given, d. zen of tuiidiugs ere
/ fire WIN terrible effect the flames
feared from building 10 building. and seized
/ upon every thing OF comOustinle nature
! House alter house went down with lrightfuI
/ Iup,dity, and the inmates nere compelled
| flee Tor ;heir lives. Whole blocks were swal-
| low ell up III m instant in terrible whirlpool
| oi hSmes' Ali attempts to arrest the progress
! OF the devastating FIR" proved po~erless. Con
| steruut.on unu terror reigued supreme. The
/ heurt OF tie stoutesg grew faint, AMI
/ women and children running Tor their
/ lives aud screaming III the agony Ot their
dIspaIr. Men wUuiu rush TO assist their neigh
/ bDrs III trying to save their property, and
/ locking back would ind their own dwellings,
| III flames. Homes WIKI all their attractive
! ness, their Valu contents. the tus shrubbery
l around, the product OF ye1rs OF 10 ii aud attcn
tjon, were urued like stUhb'e before the
fire. Nothi L could he saved. The Hr abpve
and the ehI h beneath we're filled with the dc
vouring element Elegant iuIniture, and
household guoGs of evsry description were
carried out III the streets only To be licked up
by the flames. Instances were frequent where
goods took fire ia the arms OF persous attempt
lIg 10 save them, before they could be car
rled across the street Persons who were
worth their thousands in the morning, who hsa
elegant hOWes Tor Themselves and their tami-
lies, we're hUu$eiess aud peuniiess 10y light,
with tot even coat TO shelter their ha cks
The loss is Varinusy estm ted from
eight hundred thousand TO = million. 1t Ger
tuInly ca mot be much less. he wealth of
the town is almost entire'y destroyed. All the
, stores OF every description, except one, ali the
hIteIs. tut Que, two banking houses, all the
lawyers Offices, the two printing offices, two
churches-tAe Presby terian and the Lutheran
in Over one hundred aud htty
buildings, Il ty-twO of which we're dwellings,
and stores, AMI which cOverei all area of about
thirty acTes, are now mass OF ashes 1t
must be remembered. also. that comparativeI )
no'hiug was saved from these bun diugs-
! his must be accounted 1or from the fact, tee
titled to by all who Witnessed the couAagra
! ton, that in les: than thirty inmates from tie
time the hre broke out. livery BUILDING THAT
WAS DEsTROYt d WAS ON F.EE AND BEYOND RE-
III MPT ON. The amount ot Insurance is aUou,
$40 0JU
Somerset has certainly received a ''ba ptism
OF fire ana I terrible one it has been The
business OF the place is parulyz Il but tie
people are not de>pOndent What is most ur
, gently needed Is aid NTERIAL A ID from home
aud sbToad WIKI the proper encouragement b,
Somerset viii, PuCoaix like rise fram her
ashes, strengthened. and more Leau iIul than
ever. ithout such aid she will be utterly
power'ess tor the mex hall century to stand
where she stood on the unor.ug OF the ninth uf
! May.
volume could he wr ten of the Somerset
IRE OF the many incidents aud hair breadth
escapes; OF the many herOic deeds OF her brave
meu and Eomen, but tho limi ed space allot-
ted 10 u, in this issue, fOrbids. We wouIt
however. especially impress our people with
the fact that We owe an imperative duty to
ONE suffering HciSuDOIS Let III tL cntrlLN
which covers a muititu':e OF sins" actuate
in contributions to alleviate the distress OF
the unfortunate people Of Somerset.
The Johnstown TRIBUNE is such roor au
thority on the subject, that suppose few, if
any, will oeleve that the eight gentlemen
named by nspirants for the Democratic
nomination for the Legislature ALL seeking
that honor. So tar as We concerned, our
> name being on the TRBUNE's slate, the soft
ihpe"e"F"e7't IA en'phalically denied it al SO
is in the matter OF lt-gt-,er aud RecorInr e.
l which have been named in certain orr.es
! crcles This may be exceedingly modest or
: our part, but that mOdesty is begOtten of vel
: settle conviction that We cOu dn't get either
nomination even il We made the necessary ell
! fort Aiter that, all the rnodeSty W e possess is
| not worth talking about For instance. E tie
nomina lion should seek the man and should
happen 10 be that man, We might be tempted
to forget our modesty and but : Sou know how
1t is Yourself" And yet our chances tor being
struck by lightning arc ten to one against such
an emergency; therefore are no asprant.
On TUESDAY morning, a faGman on freight
train ma med Thomas Hill. was killed al Por-
, tage station bv a train of freight cars running
over HIM. A buli-Irose OF the train pulled out
snd tell upon the track. throwing The car he
: was on eff the track, aud precipitaiing lim to
the ground. The cars passed over his body
cutting off an ard one leg, and otherwise
horribly mutiiaung him He died almost IN
SANITY The deceased WAS Young mhu, aud
, born and raised near Bethel five miles rest
; of this place. at which village his remains
were Inferred on W ednesdav. His father, who
was killed in the late war, is also buried there
A sau circumstance connected herewith is thai
, the deceased engaged 10 be married to a
young lady in Altoona. and this ceremony was
, TO have been performed on Thursday last, two
! days subsequent TO his tragic death.
J THE funeral of Mr. A j. Magu.re, whose
sudden death is detailed by our correspondent
, , "Soltero," was attended by sympaIhiZing
l friends III large numbers, from WilmOre, Lo-
rettn, &c, well as bv very many of our own
citizens. The scene at the grave, i'll which his
aged aud dotiug mother gave way to her un-
speakabe anguish. moved all hearts to pity
Z Dro A At