Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1885-03-26
TIE BELLEFoNTE FIRE The tenn

| TIE BELLEFONTE IKE --ln6 tem-
peratnre was terribly cold last night.
A peculiarly robust Polar wave had
reached it's greatest power, and before
the biting west wind pedestrians sped
along happy that comfortable homes n
waited them. "A fearful night for a
fire +, might have been the excama-
ton of many. but so well has Bellefonte
ESCAPED all scourges from the fiery ele /.
ment for a score or more Of years, that
this thought did not make many appre-
hensive Of danger.
But what is thai cry which rang out
on the air few minutes after s
O'Clock ? Fire fire !" was taken up
and echoed from Il score Of lnsty lungs
and the wind bore the echo through the
town. Flames and smoke issued from
the private stable on the Brockerhoff
pl operty and a half dozen willing hands
commenced to batter the heavy door to
save the valuable horses and carriages
within. But the door resisted their ef-
forts, and the key could not be found.
If that door could have been opened
two valuable horses would perhaps
have been saved and the fire might
have been extinguished. But the
flames belched forth in mighty volumes
and they were carried by the wines to
neighboring buildings. Two beautiful
horses--a a grey and black--pronOun-
ced one of the finest teams of driving
horses in the borough, became victims
of tie flames, and the stable structure
| was soon leveled to the ground. The
fire companies came quickly, ever ready
to respond to the call of distress, and
soon each company had two streams
playing on the flames. Residents In all
parts of. the town and surrounding
country saw that the fire threatened to
be great one and gathered by thous-
ands. The building owned by Mr.. L.
r. REYNOLDS and occupied by Cal. Lose
as livery stable was the next to be-
come q seething mass Of flames. The
contents were saved except few buffa-
| 10 robes. The stone warehouse In the
rear of Joseph Bros. store also yielded
to the fiery aveIger and the interior
was soon destroyed. There was large
amount of clover seed and wool in this
building which was entirely DESTROYED
and the loss OH the building and con.
tents will perhaps reach 1000.
The fiIemen devoted much of their
attention to saving the cabinet shop in
the rear of Spangler u Co.'s furniture
store and stubbornly battled the flames
at this point, but it also succumbed.
The ice house connected with the Brock
rhoff House was considerably DANA
ged.
The fire had ragged an hour and a
| half. The men had done noble service
and by their exertions had saYed the
stables north of the alley, and as the
flames had partially subsided il was
thought that the danger of spreading
further south and east into the costly
and compactly built business block on
Bishop and Allegheny streets WAS aver
ted. Many spectators as we'll as those
who had helped in tie work went to
their homes.
But during the entire evening the
strong wind had swept the smoke and
sparks into the open space between
| Bauer's store room and the apartments
occupied by the family of Mr.. Joseph
| Ceadars. So dense was the smoke that
it was almost impossible to enter there.
After 10 O'Clock it was discover ed that
sparks had ignited some inflammable
material in Bauer's store room and a
stream of water was directed upon it,
In the meanwhile, the fire seemed tC
make its way up to the roof, cal ried as
it was by strong wind, and before the
people actually realized the imminent
danger this frame block became a sure
prey to the flames. To attempt TO stop
the fire in this building was folly and
the water was applied on the portions
of the busine ess blocks further west or
Bishop Street and north on Allegheny
Street. 1fen climbed to the top Of the
brick buildings in which Loeb sand Jo
sephs' stores are located and at that
dizzy and perilous height applied the
sti cams of water, of which there was nc
scarcity showing that the reservoir as
we'll as The water pipes were in good
condition.
The spectacle when these buildings
were bnrning was indescribably grand
The buildings were compact frame
structures and the flames leaped forth
from every window and rolled upward
i'm thick columns from the roofs. The
roofs fell in and the cOrnlces toppled o.
yer leaving the frame work standing
like giim sentinels on guard, but al
last they too fell andg gave up their lives
in an expiring breath of sparks an(
smoke. The building furthest west or
Bishop St.which was destroyed was the
old Undine Hose house, now belonging
to the zimmerman estate. 1t was un
dergoing alterations with the intention
of converting 1t into storeroom. Next
building east was occupied by j. Fl
Mcclure as a saddlery shop. Then came
the residence of Mr.. joseph Caedars
almost all his furniture being saved
Next door was Blaner's grocery store
All the stock of groceries was burned
Chas. Browns fish market and greel
grocery came next. The corner build
ing, "a three-StOry structure, was occu
pied by pool room and Il restaurant
on the first floors Tie pool room wa!
operated by James O'Bren, who saveC
his billiard tables =; and the restaurant
by Jack n ewson. The Centre Democrd
printing office had been. until few
days before, the principal occupant OF
the second floor, but their timely remov
al saved them loss and trouble. Private
families occupied the second and thirt
floors. They were James Craig anC
Mrs. Campbell and one apartment b,
Christ Geiring. All the furniture was
taken out though of course in dana.
ged condition. A fine English bul
dog owned by one of the occupants o
this building was burned. il. Spang-