Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-10-08
rmE cuRwENsvILLE FIRE.

NethiuENph--Ns Az ltiN
THE CURWENsVILLE FIRE.
Below will be found The details Of the de-
structive are which visited our up.river borough
neghbors last week, We copy from the Times
Of Saturday,
At quarter to o'clock Thursday morning
last tho first alarm Of FIRE sounded out on the
quiet air startlin the sleeping population Of the
town into activity, and causing hurryng to and
fro Of many people, some carrying buckets, coal
hods aud tabs, some with their shoes in their
hands and others with still sleeping infants.
Never 10 the history OF tho town has there been
property.
The FIRE
started in the basement Of the cigar factory,
formerly Thompson 4 Co.'s old store, and rapidly
licked up the dry frame OF the building bursting
forth Ia a tremendous blaze from every window
and hole in the old structure. The building was
an old one, built entirely Of wood and dry as
kindling wood. Ton minutes after the Gre was
discovered the entire building was a sheet Of
livid fame licking It's fUrked tongue high above
the three story brick bank building which stood
adjoining to the west and Immediately onyooped
tho wooden buildings Of j. S. Graf and Mrs.
Catharine Graf adjoining On the east Almost
at the nmc time the cornice Of the bank was
blazing and In half an hour the roof fell to the
third floor, dense volumes Of smoke and fame
burst the French plate glass windows in the Odd
Fellows room and in the Cnrwensville Reading
Room, both situated on the third floor. A crash
gave notice that the third floor had fallen down
to the second floor In which were the Offices Of
DR.. Beam and the elegantly appointed Offices OF
Mr. h. d. SwoOpe. Every window 10 the build
ing was now emitting volumes Of smoke and
flame and in q very short time the iron safe In
swoopes Office fell crashing through the ground
floor into the cellar, followed by loads OF burning
cinder aud wood, aud the finest banking building
in Western Penuaylyania was in flames. The
elegant work Of the interior, the French plate
glass front, all was devoured and ruined. During
this time Crafts restaurant building had been
burned down and but one side Of Mrs Crafts
residence was feebly resisting the devouring cie-
ment. Aud now came the tug sf war between
ire and human flesh and ingenuity and water to
save Gen. Patton's former residence and thus
stay the flames from sweeping the
ENTIRE Two BLOCKS
on the north and south side Of State street. Men
worked like heroes and by almost superhuman
Efforts the building was saved although badly
scorched and several times 10 flames. The ele-
CANT Brussels carpet used in the office OF the bank
was soaked with water, carried upon the house
and thrown 10 the face of the flames, thus saving
the building, Mrs. DR.. Thompson's and eight or
ten more residences on the opposite side of the
street It Is a lucky thing that the brick bank
stood Just where it did, probably kitilebergers
Irwins, Faust's, Rorabaugh Norris Sprenk-
els, Draucker House, and Gates store and
dwelling would have been a mass Of ruins at
this writing. It was also very lucky thing
that the morning air was still.
THE BUILDINGS
were occupied as follows The bank building, on
the first aOOr by the Baak and Samuel Arnold's
Ozark store"-second floor by offices Of X. ID.
Swoope and Dr.. Beam--the third floor by the
Odd Fellows Lodge and the Curwensvlle Read
ing Room the second building adjoining by Jesse
Akers' Tobbaco factory and VIM Bards furni-
ture store the third building by ]. S. Gran as
Restaurant and Billiard ball, and tho fourth by
Mrs. Graf as a residence. The origin Of the FIRE
is unknown, but II Is said that the fire was isnited
in the cellar under the furniture room OF WIN.
Bard. in which there had been no FIRE since early
10 the morning. hundred theories have been
advanced but none seem TO suit the case and the
origin Of this disastrous oonaagraton will, proba-
bly,, remain 4 mystery. One thing is certain the
ire in this old rat-trap destroyed one Of the finest
brick blocks in this section Of the State and in
CURED loss Of at least s3O,OOOs
LOSSES ASp INSURANCE.
The losses and insurance foot up as follows
Mrs. Catherine Crafts residence and store build
ing with part Of contents, $4,000, insured on
buildings 81, 900, on stock, $500. total S2,6eO--in
the Lyeoming 81 800, and Pennsylvania 81 100.
A part Of the stock was saved and nearly all the
furniture in the residence, but was badly damaged
in removal.
Jesse Akers Tobacco factory, loss $4,000 in
stoch Insured for 81 500 In the Rochester, Of New
York Over a ton Of leaf tobacco, about $4,000
cigars and all the stock and fixtures Of the store
and factory were consumed.
wm. Bard, furniture stock, loss 81 900 no In
sufance. Total loss, beside all bis books papers
and Justices records Mr.. Bard Is cleaned out
entirely
Gen. Patton, Bank building and bank furnl-
ture. s22, 900 insured In Fire Association 5000
and North British $1,000, total $4,000. The
Curwensvie bank loses nothing as all the books,
pape rs records, &c, of the institution were saved,
Gen. Patton succeeded In saving his time lock
safe, carpets and some other iixings The splen-
did block is a total ruin.
Samuel Arnold, loss on stock $500 no insur-
aucc. Nearly all the goods in the store room
we're saved, the lots being damage In removal
and heavy goods in the cellar.
Bethesda Lodge, /. o. o. loss on furniture,
(nothing saved $500 no insurance.
Dr. NJ. Y. Beam, on drugs and office furniture,
5000 total loss, 10 insurance.
Curwensvillc Library Association, in iurniture,
books, 4c., $500 total oss, no insurance. All
the valuable gifts nnd books sent In by patrons
Of the Association were consumed the value OF
which is perhaps three times the abovs amount.
II. d. swoopc, law office furniture property,
S3. O0J-actual loss 5000 insured In the North
America, 20. 80 600. All the furniture, carpets
and Office fxings IN one room were destroyed and
the elegant carpet, safe, desk and the elegant
book case belonging formerly to.his father, Hon.
II. d. Swoope was burned. All valuable papers
and the famous library, formerly tho properly Of
bis deceased father, were saved. -
Loss on Cen. Patton's former residence saw.
Insured. Loss TO Mr.. X. Evans, removal oi
boarding house furniture, sion. No insurance
lEcIDrSls or TnE FIRE.
The walls Of the Bank fell in about Eve o'clock
in the morning leaving two solitary towers stand
Inc on the southeast and southwest corners, the
latter one was palled down on Thuriday after
noon, the other is standing, abe only relic OF q
costly building. Thieves reaped rich harvest
from goods len standing on the sidewalks and
streets A barrel Of sugar and barrel Of hams
belonging to Samuel Arnold was pretty well
cleaned out during tbs excitement One hundrsd
men worked faithfully and vel while hve hun
dred stood by and looked on. Tho usual excite
ment preyailnd, and o. usual the looking glasses
were Thrown out Of third-siory windows while
feather beds were carefully carried down ata'rs'
Little boys discussed the origin OF the hfe heat
edly. One little fellow who arrived on the ground
nm hour after the hrst alarm told with great
carncstness just how II caught and how u was
burning whom be 6rst saw II. The women iolks
along tho line Of danger busied themselfes IN
packing up clothing, dishes and other stun Vne
i,5v cot excited, carried out a boz Of valuable
,ou.,ry and silverware and set them down Ia the
middle Of the sidewalk. They were, luckily, re-
covered nert morning n. j. Arnold wen. 70
work gathering up shosels and pitenlork. 70 ~ ~
store, while the hrc was rapidly surrounding h's
ledgers and other valuable books another man
carried away from the burning building double.
handful Of ground pepper while thousands o.
dollars Of valuable dress goods were IN imminent
danger Of destruction. We could record hun
dred other ludierous incidents, but space foroids'
REMOVALS. CAUSED Nv rnE rlan.
The Bank 10 at present doing business 10
Ifvin's Drug store, bat will, probably, to-day
move into n. D. Ihompson's new building op-
po,iie this ofhcc. Afnoid's Bark store has been
,noyed into s. Arpold's store. s. orah 10 h
uresent In the old Way building. lie will com
renee the erection Of temporary building %
soon 4. the ruin, cool OF. r. ID. swoope 10 10 the
ia drur store building, will remove into room
oSe, sn,,ptoT, store nett week, also DR.. Beam.
WIN. Bard and J. n. Aken' Tobacco factory not
yet located.
NJ IA, and Albert Smith were overceme by
heat vhile working al tho fre. q. W. Cole,
Frank Thompss. and serefal OTHERS Nereiniured
slightly during the hre'