Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-04-17


fire. Mr.. Kitch's stable, which was IS by
% feet and two stories high was entirely
consumed, but the adjoining frame stable,
of John r. Smith was saved by the tire
men. Mr.. Kitch has an insurance on the
stable of $10O, in the German Insurance
company of Rochester, N. Y, of which
J. A. Ostermeyer is local agent. The
stable was worth about $3.50, and he loses
besides all his tools, harness, pullies, &C.,
worth about $3.50 moe, on which he has
no insurance. Only few weeks ago an
unsuccessful attempt was made to burn
this same stable.
Owing to the fact that little or no water
could be obtained from the Low and Frei-
burg street plugs (not only at this but at
former fires), Chief Howell has issued
orders to the firemen that hereafter in
case of fires in this neighborhood they
shall not use these plugs, but attach to
the nearest plugs on Rockland, Vine or
John streets. and when the hose of ono
company will not reach the fire from said
plugs to lend cut a line Of hose from the
next hose cart that may arrive on the
ground. Councils should take early
measures to lay larger mains IN this Sec
tion of the city; citizens and tiremen
have long complained of the insufficienoy
OF those now III use.
Fire No. 3.
About 1915 Saturday night second
alarm OF fire was struck from box Al.
corner o: West Lemon and Market streets,
by Valentine Hoffman. The fire proved to
be in Weber's grocery store, North Queen
street, nearly opposite the Washington
engine house. No. extinguished the
flames without difficulty, with plug
stream before the arrival of the other
companies, all of whom promptly respond
ed The fire was accidental, resulting
from an Overheated stove which set fire
to some cured hams lying near 1.-THE
family being absent at tho time. The
loss does not perhaps exceed $50. A
slight difficulty occurred at the fire be.
tween the foreman Of No. and another
man (nOt firemaD) who insisted on kick
ing in the door of Mi. Weber's store room.
The trouble will probably be made the
subject Of Il law suit.
False Alarms and Fire No3.
About 1 O'Clock Sunday morning an
alarm of fire was sounded from box No.
62, situated at the corner of South Chris
tian and Green streets. The companies
all responded promptly, but on reaching
the scene no fire could be discovered. An
examination of tho alarm box showed that
some malicious person had broken it by
hurling against it a rock as large as a
mans head, breaking the lid of the box
case, and setting the alarm machinery in
motion. This state of affairs had been
discovered only few minutes before there
was an alarm from box 45, conner of West
Frederick and Market streets-more than
mile distant. Chief Howell dispatched
all the companies to the scene of the now
alarm except No. 2, which for prudential
reasons was detained near box g.. This
was wise act on the part of the chief.
for, by the time all the other firemen had
reached box As, in the nothern part Of the
city, flames were seen to issue from the
carpenter shop occupied by Samuel Shroad
on Green above Duke street in the south
ern end of the city not far distant from the
broken alarm box No. 62! The fire was
discovered just as Chief Howell was in the
act Of ordering company No. 2 to return
to it's quarters. A line of hose was laid
and the company went into service. Chief
of Police Deichler and Mr.. Holman who
had struck the first alarm early in the
evening, also discovered the fire, and ran
to box GA, Rockland and Low streets, and
struck the alarm. This soon brought
back company No. 1 and the hook and
ladder from the northern part of the
city, and they brought with them
the startling intelligence that box
As had been broken, and false
alarm struck upon it, with the evil
dent design of attracting tho firemen to
tho northern section of the city to enable
the incendiary to ply his villainous voca-
ton in the southern section. The news
created much uneasiness, as it was ovi.
dent there had been q deliberately con-
cocted plan by the incendiaries to
annoy tho firemen and probably to
set fire to other buildings in sections of
the CITY remote from the location of the
fire apparatus. All the companies, except
No. 2, were ordered to their quarters with
instructions to be on the alert. Shroad's
carpenter shop, small frame structure,
was burned down, and all his tools, to
gether with those of Charles Barnitz, who |
worked for him, were destroyed, involving
loss of $500. Two frame dwellings ad- |
joining, whose occupants were fast asleep |
when the shop was fired, were several |
times on fire, but were saved by the exer
tions of No. 2. These buildings and the |
burnt one belong to Ochs, BALI & Co.,
and are insured. They would certainly !
have been destroyed had it not been for |
the forethought of the chief in OBTAINING
company NO. q Ucdr tn0 scene, WlS0 the |
false alarm was struck in the northern
section of the city.
There appears to be no doubt that the
fires last night, the breaking of the alarm
boxes and the striking of the false alarms,
are parts of a premeditated plan of gang
of scoundrels who have been concerned in |
former fires, and who see that the present
fire organization interferes with their de-
and who therefore desire its
abolition and the revival of system which
gave them fuller swing in their vicious
practices. They will be thwarted, how
ever, as tho new system is gaining friends
every day, and is being rapidly perfected.
To avoid a recurrence of Saturday nights
Chief Howell has divided tho city
into two districts, and hereafter compan-
les No. 2 and 3 will only respond to alarms
south of King street, and Nos. and 4 to
alarms north of King street, except in
cases where the chief may deem it neces-
sary to call them beyond tho bounds of
their respective districts, in which case he
will notify them by special signal.