The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-02-27
Terrible COnfiagratiOn i'm New Lex
ingtOn.

l1dt 4nOSl
of all the elcments-fre.
About the hour. of midnight, when
nearly all our people were buried Il the
deep and refreshing slumber peeuliar to
that hour, the deep and solemn iainna-
tions of the Court House bell, interInIn-
gled with the fearful cry of FIRE, rrt'erb-
Grated on the clear night air throuzs.' the
streets, startling the people in alarm
from their warm couches and pl. lsant
dreams to the terrible reality of f.-irful
confagration-
The fire broke out in the drug depart
ment of Neal Horahan's building, occu-
pied by DIR. White, druggist. Imaaense
volumes of smoke were first seen Issuing
from the interior of the building, and
he smoke being so dense and suttocat-
ing, it was impossible to tell the exact
locality of the fire in the store. DIR.
White, awakened by the cry o. fire,
rushed down stairs from his residence,
which is over the drug store, to asc. :tain
the locality of the fire, and Immediately
ran back to alarm his family, who rush
ed, terror-stricken, from their beds in
their night clothes, out into the cold
frosty air, as the wind was blowing i chill
stiff breeze from the northwest, ard they
had not time to secure their clothing, so
swift and destructive was the wor': of
the fire -fend. The fire spread from there
to the apartment of the same building
occupied by ]. V. Ward & Bro, grocers;
by this time the streets were crowded
with people with buckets of water, rush
ing to the rescue, but all in vain, for the
fire had got too much headway, it having
got into the infiammable material pecu-
liar to the drug business, and soon
booming sounds were heard as the fire
in its wrath ignited the different vessels
containing the various explosive liquids.
Then it was seen that the whole block
was doomed unless something were done
to head off and check the ravages of the
devouring element. The flames advanced
rapidly southwark on the block Next
in routine was j. D. Webster's produce
store, which was quickly enveloped in
flames, in which ninety-nine barrels of
barrels that he had ready for shipment
in the morning, and which together with
other goods and the building were de-
stroyed.
The flames then advanced in quick
succession to J. w. Montgomery gro
cery and P. J, Kelley's large business
house and dwelling. Mr.. Montgomery
succeeded in saving the greater part
of his stock of groceries.
Tt was here at Samuel Diller's resi-
dence, which is across an alley from
Kelly's, that our brave, impromptu fire
company endeavored to check the rap
idly advancing confagration; wet blan-
kets and salt were brought into requi-
sition and placed upon the roof, while
stolid and determined men stood pour
ing torrents of water upon it, desperate
ly fighting The fire fiend with va=yiBg
success; heroically contending every
inch of the ground of combat. Never
have We seen battle more nobly fuaght,
but alas! of no avail; the house too
close TO the Kelly building; step t.: step
the flames drove back the gallant >iefen-
ders until at length they were compelled
to vacate the roof, amid great danger to
| themselves, and soon the building was
wrapped III flames.
Now this block, too, was doomed, and
the flames spread quickly to Max Aids
shoe store. From thence to Meioy &
Milligan's furniture store, and then TO
Bowman's shoe shop. From thence to
Joseph Aids shoe store; and from
thence to Taylor & Co.'S meat shop. All
of the last named buildings had Iami-
lies living in the second story, one OF
said buildings belonged to Mrs. For
quer, and another to Mrs. Colborn; two
deserving ladies, who have lost their all
by this sad calamity.
The principal part of the household
goods and stocks of merchandise in this
last block were saved. And now came
the ting of war, to keep the flames from
reaching the next block; and to accom-
plish that end all hands went willingly
and heroically to work to tear down the
small building adioing the alley, occu-
pied by Mr.. VennIng asa jewelry shop
and residence; and, also, to climb upon
Mr.. Elders furniture and manu :actu-
ring buildings with wet carpets and
buckets of water with a connecting line
of men to the ground and continuing
across. the street to we'll where. water
was secured and passed from h3nd to
hand to the top Of the building. a ca
BILE wa. procured and the small building
torn down piece by piece, by attaching
the cable to different portions Of the
frame, with a hundred men pulling at
the rope, until it was pulled down and
dragged away. By this time the fire
had advanced to this space, and there
the battle began. A score of men stood
upon the roof of Elders. shop, satura-
ted the carpets with water, while twice
as many more were below dashing water
against the sides of the building
Fiercely the battle ragged with doubtful
success, until at last victory perched
upon the banners of the grim but he
roic defenders. One loud cheer went up
from the assembled populace, proclaim
ing their joy at their signal though
dearly bought victory. 1t was now
about three o'clock, three short hours
from the breaking out of the fire, and
fifty thousand dollars worth of property
lay in ashes. No one thought of sleep
for the rest of the night. And they stood
around the smouldering ruins like SO
many spectral sentinels consulting in
hurried whispers about the incidents
and results of the sad occurrence; and
still.at daylight there they stood view
ing the smoking ruins with the tall, bare
chimneys in the background making in
all a truly sorRowful picture.
The general impression as TO the orig
iaation Of the fire is, that it was caused