The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1876-05-05
The WilliamspOrt Fire

WHLIAMspoRT PA, April 2g.-A bout ten
oc.0ck ast night an lneeudiary fire was star ed
n the heart Of the lumber district and in one Of
tue M ST dangerous localities, The flame
steadllN increased. The Il me shot up RAPID v
ana NJ eleven O'Clock 10 mad developed sufl.
!iehtly to show that serious eOnflagration was
thre. toned. BY ~ o'clock the whole city
was Illuminate Il and the light was sei n ut Mil.
ton, twenty-five miles distant Mavur StaiF.
weather Gttei hurried con nj, atiun with the
chit gnd foreman Of the fire department, at
1noe oeciued TO ask assistance from aUfoa1 and
ne immediately telegruphed TO Lock Haven
SunDury and WatsuntUwn
ne nrt was started ON the extrt me north.
western corner OF the gIound occupied by Ran.
: eau " lynn Bv the time the steamers and
nose carts arrived the flames had gained a head.
WAY that could not have been checked bv tour
times as many steamers ms our fiie dc partment
consists Oi. For long time tie lremen worked
upon ne piles of lumber belonging to Ranstead
Fyhn. tremendous but fruitless tff rts
were male TO stdv its progress at Maynard
street, the dividing line beVween Ranstead d
ynh's plng ground ana that used by MAY.
nTd 90 The flames swept herCelv across
mnN nard street and Licked up the hugh piles Of
LUMBER IN spite Of the immense amount of water
Ihnt was thrown upon them. After vainly
surviving 70 cghtine the flames to the piles then
burning the hreinen took up position Of May.
nard street leading INTO the new bridge. Here
a space OF thirty feet lntervened between the
plles ana Is was thought that by placing boards
thu"ays against the p es on the lower side OF
the stleet the course of the fire might be check.
81. 70 N point the tilemen directed their at
tentlOl and for anOut twenty minutes strugg ed
nlantully with varying succ s., and WI re iben
compelled to uOandon cher position and fy for
thelr llVes, as the sureing bilOws bounded over
tho vacant space and i1Dped up the pies II the
lower slde OF the street One position after an.
other WIS taken only To be abandoned n- The
uleadinl enemy swept forward. Alter the fire
reached the lumber piles below c. w Noyno Ri
" cos mil 1t seemed as Ii nothing but n want
Of fuel would suffice to check L. 4 LARGE amount
Of lumber on the north side OF the rnilroad was
now IN imminent peril Bat by n provldential
change in the WIND It was saved. Every hone
OF checking the fire west Of q mpoel street wns
abandoned, and 1T twelve u'ciOck there were
acres OF burning lumber. fortunately the wind,
Which changed to the south at tweive O'clock
nau not changed up to one O'Clock. ri es of lum'
per IN every direction apparently were on fire
Ab IL aOprOt ched the canal, where tho Williams.
port tutnturr company had n number of niles
Ul valuable lumber men went to work at saw N o.
a much as possible ~ pitching 1t INTO he canal
l'ut the Ilme allowed them for this work Was
Yeil DIlei, ana theY were CONT elled to retreat
WITHOUT accomplishing great deal Onward
u Campbell eet the flames swept and here
thefe was n0thlng Tor them TO feed III on the
open space being sufficient to prevent them
10 ping 70 the lumber on the east side. At two
O'CLOCK the Lock Haven englno cOmcnnv ar
RI cd anu at once hurried to the scene but were
100 late TO render ,ny assistance as at hat hour
the lire had spent its S, renpth and was under
control. AT abOuG the same time the " etsnn
Town ana SunOuTy fire companies arrived II
~ estimated That 30 5000 TO 1000 OOO feet OF pine
lumber were burned. TIE heaviest losers arc
licluIc SaynaId, about 3000,tO0 feet Ran.
stead ~ tlYun, several million rhos TozIer
J, OOuW hubbard Il Manhey. 200,OO0; and lOO..
W eihhglts belonging to an Elmira frm. TIE
lOss 10 pretty wei. cover ed bv insurance,
Inc latest estimates place tho total loss at
abvut sl-5,G0 Q. The principal losers are IIordlc
n MAYNARD, e5nOOOi insu ed for S92 80 RAN
7 hos lUzler. sI2 GEO insured Tor $1,000 HuD.
tId IL Aannev, 500 Insured for S5 COO H.
Holden, or l. lmlrn, $500 fully CGv6i cd Dy lnsur.
ince iince there rs aiso los of about $4,000 In
wiSsa raj Ouu and the lumber yard.