The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-08-19

-TENEMENTs BURNED, &C.
On Sunday morning about 4 o'clock, the
prolonged whistling of the locomotive attached
to the express train of the Chesapeake & Ohio
r. R., mingled with the shouts of Fire Fire!'
resounded through the quiet city, and aroused
from their morning sleep nearly every inhabi-
tant. There was no need to ask 'swhere is
the fire?" for near the centre of the city dense
volume of smoke rose high into the heavens,
and the lurid glare which lighted squares
around proclaimed too truly that the alarm
had not been false, and that the destructive ell
ement was holding high carnival. and guided
many to the spot where the large foundry and
seen enveloped in the flames.
The fire company, with all of the available
hose, and the hook and ladder company, were
promptly on hand but neither the steam nor
the hand engine were brought out-both being
regarded as utterly worthless-and to say that
the whole department nobly performed their
perilous and ardueus task, would be but a faint
expression Of the manner in which their du-
ties were discharged.
The fire seems to have originated near the
centre of the building, which was of wood and
very dry, and such Roadway had it made, even
before the first reel had arrived, that all hope
of saving anything from the foundry was aban-
doned, and the efforts OF the department and
citizens were directed towards preventing the
adjacent houses from catching and to combining
the flames to the material already marked out
as its prey. Bucketful after bucket-full of water
was poured upon the stables of DR.. McChesney
| and Mrs. Tams, and the streams from the hose
were brought to play on the tenements close
by, which it seemed no human power
could save. The heat was intense and the
sparks and Goals OF fire, as they assembled in
mid-air, made one of the grandest and most
magnificent displays ever witnessed. At one
time it was thought that the whole of Irish AL
ley was doomed, and as the heat grew more
and more intense, and the flames leaped high
er and higher, very few of the most sanguine
thought it worth the willie to try to rescue the
old finder boxes, that on every side surrounded
the burning building and invited inevitable
| destruction; but there were strong and willing
hands that spared not themselvesin the endeay-
or to save the property of others, and to their
exertions may be attributed the preservation
of the greater part of the business portion of
the town. Notwithstanding, however, the
best directed labors of the firemen and citizens,
the tenement, adjoining and west OF the foun-
dry, owned by Robt. G.. Bickle, Esq, and oc-
cupied by VIM. P. johnson, was consumed,
together with house just opposite, owned by
Maj. Elder, and occupied by colored family
The house occupied by Mrs. Fisher was protec-
ted by several large trees in full foliage, and
thus escaped any great injury, but there were
several small shanties, the property Of Mrs.
Bolen, in the immediate vicinity, which sus-
tanned considerable damage. VIM. Summer
son, whose lumber yard was near, lost some
| little, and as did also S. N. Wilkes.
| About six o'clock the fire was we'll under
control, and by seven nothing but a mass Of
smouldering ruins remained of the splendid es-
tablishmcnt that was credit to the town and
community.
The loss of Messrs. Eyler, Cooper & Co. is
estimated at about $4,000. There was over
$12, 900 worth of finished work in the foundry
at the time, which included saw mill that was
to have been delivered on yesterday, and for
which 1880 in cash would have been paid,
and three other fine engines, only one Of
which was saved. The books of the concern
were burned, but as statements of all work
done up to the first of July are filed in Balti-
more, land that executed since that time can be
pretty well remembered, there is little
danger of losing any great amount from this
source. All of the valuable papers were deposit
ed in an iron safe which was taken from the
debris Oh Monday morning, and its contents
found to be in good state of preservation
The firm of Eyler, Cooper & Co. is composed
OF Geo. Eyler, Henry Cooper and VIM. J. Mel
son, of Staunton, and Peter e. Brennan, Ct Bal
timore, each of whom owned an equal interest.
The site of the property was embraced in the
half owned by Messrs. Nelson and Brennan, and
the greater portion of the loss, therefore, falls
| upon Messrs. Eyler and Cooper, the former of
whom had the result of II years hard labor
swept away in an hour and is now left with no
resources in the world except those which ma
ture and experience have given him-a robust
constitution and good trade.
Mr.. Bickle's loss will probably reach $500 !;
| Maj. Elders as much, and the damage to the
other building will aggregate about $500. Be-
! sides these, Messrs. G.. C. Henderson, George
| Lushbaugh, Arch. Long, and VIM. Ramsey,
workmen in the foundry, lost their working
| tools, to the amount of about 500 each; Messrs.
Wilkes about 800, and Summerson about $40
worth of lumber, and Mr.. johnson and the
! other occupants of the houses had their furni-
ture almost entirely ruined by breakage.
There was no insurance upon any of this
property The policy OF Messrs. Eyler, Coop
er & Co. expired in last March, and since then
has not been renewed in consequence Of the
heavy premiums per cent.-demanded.-
Mr.. Bickle is large property holder, aud his
own insurance company, as he considers it less
expensive to take the risk than to insure at the
rates required by the different corporations.
Unpleasant as it is, there can be but one
theory as to the origin of the fire, and that is,
that it was the work of an incendiary. In the
portion of the building where the flames were
first discovered, there had been no fire since
last winter, it being used as the store room for
patterns, &C., which were very dry and inflam-
able and could have been ignited by simply
throwing lighted match among them. The
owners OF the property have no idea who could
have been SO mean and villianous, but the UNI