The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-08-17
HOTEL BUILDING BURNED (!
THE PARRY HOUSE AT BEECH
HAVEN, \. D., CONST MED.
Nearly Three Hundred Guests Com
PEELED To Leave all Their Effects
in the BuiIding-Somc Narrowly
Escape With Their Liyes-Totai
Destruction Of the Structure
MASAuAwIy Nj August H.

MANAHAwIN, n. j., August H.
A destructive confiagration tool
place early this morning mt Beacl
Haven. About three o'clock The
Parry House was discovered to b,
on fire. The alarm was quickly
given, and all the guests escaped
from the burning building without
injury. The flight was in extreme
haste, and clothes in many instances
were left in the rooms. Some of the
guests lost all their baggage and
clothing, and were compelled tc
make shift with bathing suits. Ef
forts were made to save the structure
but to no avail, and it was soon
burned to the ground. Stretch's
drug store also caught fire, and was
totally destroyed. The Parry House
was an old-fashioned frame building
and was under the management o.
Messrs. Darnell and Buzby. There
were nearly 800 guests in the hotel
at the time of the fire, which broke
out about 2:45 o'clock. The fire was
famed by stiff ocean breeze, and
spread with great rapidity. The
sleeping guests were all awakened in
time, and although some very mar.
row escapes are reported, no one was
seriously burned. Opposite to the
burning building was the well known
Engleside hotel, and this. with sew.
eral cottages, was at one time in i'm
minent danger of destruction. Mr.
Engle, the proprietor of the Engle.
side, with corps of men, succeeded
in getting a line of hose from his
hotel to the burning structure. The
water was forced through the h,se
by pump belonging to Mr.. Engle
and was the only one in the place
After great deal of hard work the
flames were gotten under control
and the fire was prevented from
spreading. After the fire had gain
ed headway and it was certain that
the building was doomed to de-
struction, the scene was terrible in
the extreme. The half clothed peo-
pie from the ill-fated hotel were run
ming in all directions looking for
friends and relatives, and all the
others in the place were making
frantic efforts to render help and
prevent what at one time threatened
to prove 4 great disaster None OF
the boarders, except those in the end
farthest away from the point where
the fire broke out, saved any of their
effects, and many only succeeded in
snatching bed clothing for a cover
ing. The panic stricken folks hur-
ried to the beach, which was soon
crowded with a motley looking
crowd of half dressed, night gowned
and quilt covered people. Many
were without any clothing when
they escaped from the burning build
ing and these made Wholesale raid
on the bath houses for bathing suits.
After the excitement attending the
fire had subsided somewhat, atten-
ton was turned 10 the unfortunate
ex-boarders of the burned hotel.
Everything was done to make them
as comfortable as possible Some
of them were supplied with present
able clothes, but others were COM
PEELED to den bathing suits in which
to return to their homes, which
many did in the morning trains.
Among the guests of lie unfortunate
hotel were large number of well
known Philadelphians, though Bal
timore people were in the majority.