The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-12-08
PERIsHED THE FLAMES.
A DISASTROUS FIRE IN AIILLvTLLB BoRoUeH
TWO CHILDREN ROASTED TO DEATH.


Three frame tenement houses, stable and
an office situate in MillvilIe borough, below
Johnstown, all of them belonging to the
Cambria Iron Company, were burned 20 the
ground last Friday morning. There were
forty seven head of horses and mules in the
stable when the fire was first discovered, but
they were all successfully removed before
the bames reached the building. The rear
portion of one Of the dwellings was occupied
By Hiram BeTkeybile and his family, and II
was in that part Of the building the fire orig
mated There are however. conflicting
statements as to its cause. The family con
sisted Of the father, mother and hve chlldren
Four of the children occupied large bed In
common, and the other, a babe, slept IN
cradle i'm the same room with its parents.
The father who is employed in what's known
as the nine-inch mill. had gone to work be-
fore the fire occurred, and Mahlem, one or
his sons who works in the same mill was on
the night turn and had-come home soon af-
ter 3 O'Clock and gone to bed. There was
then, as he says, no fre ar ighf about the
house except the lamp in his mothers room.
A few minutes after o'clock. Sarah, about
eight years, called to her mother, saying !:
mamma, there is fire; hear 1t CRACKING.
Her mother at once recognized the presence
Of smoke in the room, and springing from
bed clasped the babe in the cradle, crossed
the hallway to the stairs and finding escape
cut off by the fame and smoke, she passed
through the room occuUjed bV the four chill
chren to the porch and leaped with the child
in her arms 70 the gTOuDl. } iit OF fbtT tliii-
dren were quickly aroused and Mahlem sue
ceeded in leading Harvey. ten years old, from
the house and was returning to rescue Nellie
and Sarah when he was OyerpOwered and
pr0strated hy the dense volume of smoke.
He was dragged from his perilous position
and IT, was found that bis left arm had been
terribly scorched and roasted while he was
fighting his way, to the bedroom of his
brother and sister. Meantime the flames
spread rapidly and although the IRE engines
were soon on the ground no effective work
could he accomplished before the apartments
occupied bv the Berkeyble family had been
reduced to ashes 1t was hoped that the two
children Sarah and Willie, had succeeded in
some wav in making their esca pc and were
a the house of some neghbor but between
Q and 10 O'Clock their charred and backened
trunks were discovered in the cellar, directly
under the room in which they had been
sleeping Their funeral took place at three
O'Clock iB the afternoon Neither the father
nor mother of the children saw their bodies
after they were found, having been disSua-
ded from viewing the remains, which were
taken to the Office of the Burgess The fam.
lies who were deprived of their homes by the
flames have been amply provided for, the
Cambria Iron 60. having given orders that
their necessities must be met, in supplying
which they have been generously aided by
the authorities of Mllville, as well as by
private citizens We are indebted to the
JOhnstown Tribune for the foregoing facts in
relation to dreadful calamity.