The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-05-27
THE FIEND.
A FOREST FIRE
SWEEPS THROUGH A TOWN

oWEEPS IHROUGH A TOWN.
THE INHABITANTS HEMMED IN By TIIT
SMOKE AND FIRE-DEsPERATE EXPORTS OIL
THE MEN TO FIGHT THE FLAMEs-EsCAPI
| OF THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO PHIL.
| LIPsBURG THROUGH THE BURNNING WOODS
IN TRAIN OF Box CARs-BLowN To
| ATOMS BY TWO BARRELS OF BLASTING
| POWDER.
The New York Times special from Osce-
ola, Pennsylvania says: One of the most
destructive forest fires that has ever occurred
in this section of the country, is now raging
all around the top of the mountain, near the
summit of which the town of Osceola stood
st 10 O'Clock this morning. For the past
| two weeks fires kindled by sparks from the
locomotives were burning in the woods
along the side of the mountain, but they
were not OF threatening nature, and did
not cause any apprehension in the
minds OF the people. This morn
ing, however, a brisk wind spraug up from
| tie northwest, which by 10 o'clock in the
| forenoon, had increased to a terrible gale
| The town OF Osceola, containing 1500 inhab-
| itants, is situated on the brow of a hill,
which is itself surrounded by number of
lesser hills, all thIckly wooded. Early in
! the forenoon the chutes of the Philadelphia
mins, nearly opposite the town, took fire,
and almost simultaneously the flames began
to creep out of the woods all around the
u,
and II was not until the flames had actually
.augbt some of the houses on the outskirts,
thu the people began to realize their posi-
tion.
THE III. lE SWEEPING THROUGH THE TOWN
AT noont ne guests of the Upton House
among then. your rcorrepondent-nos know
no tbs danger to the town, were jokiLg
about fine ross;b. 'lity of the FIRE reaching the
Kitchen before the conclusion of dinner. An
hour afterward the Upton House was in
ashes. and the guesh, with number OF
Others. were figbting t. 9 flames around the
Office in which this dispa fch Is being writ
ton. Inside, the place was hlled with terfi-
fed women, and outside the men were car
rying pals OF water through the binding
smoke to dampen the wooden structure
and prevent the sparks from 1gn1tlng 1t.
After the flames had caught the upper end
of the town they swept down the side OF the
mountain with terrible rapfdity. The hre
burning in the woods all around sent up
clouds of smoke, which completely envel-
oped the town. For time egress seemed
Impossible but the violence of the wind oc-
casionally lifted the smoke and enabled the
affrighted population to make their way to-
ward the depot. Here there was
A TERRIBLE SUSPENSE OF NEARLY AN HOUR.
No train was in the depot and the flames
were rapidly approaching the frame
dwelling used by the railroad company. On
every side the fire barred escape. Fortu-
nately the telegraph lines were working, and
assistance was asked from the fire depart
ments of Tyrone and Altoona. When the
hope of escape was least, Mr.. Daniel Wood,
the train master on the Mo5hannon and
Clearfeld branches OF the road, ran train
Of about twenty box-caTs into the depot, and
at once commenced TO load them with women
and children. Il seemed almost impossible
that the train could pass with safety through
the burning woods, but successful
taken TO Phillipsburg. large town situated
on a large tract of cleared land, some miles
above this place. After Sae fire commenc-
ing at the top of the mountain had swept
down until it Joined the flames reaching out
from the woods on the side opposite to that
where it commenced, a hope was still enter
tained that large saw mill owned by the
Moshannon Land and Lumber Company,
situated on the Moshannon, just at the edge
of the woods at the western end OF the town,
might be saved, and with it that portion of
the town Immediately adjoining the mill
The mill contained
14,000,0 900 FEET OF CUT LUMBER.
Mr.. Lacoste, the superintendent, with a
number of his men, tried to fight the flames
with buckets of water, but the unequal con-
test ended after two hours hard work.
Hardly had the flames found their way into
the lum ber-piles when a terrible explosion
was heard, and a house some distance away
was blown into atoms. 1t had been hard
ware store and in the stock
were two barrels of blasting pow
der. TIE explosion sent the burning
| fragments OF thehouse in different direc-
tions, and besides igniting portion of the
town at time untouched by the Tiames, set
Fire to the woods long distance back OF the
place where the fire first appeared Besides
the saw mill just spoken of, there were three
other saw mills in the immediate vicinity
burned to the ground. The loss on cut
lumber alone which was ready to be ship
ped will be over 81, 500 900. Police Captain
| Clarke aud Sheriff Mcpherson were both in
| the town when the fire broke out.