Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-01-27
Fires.
Shortly after 5 O'Clock of the morn.

Shortly after 5 O'Clock of the morn.
ing of Tues day of this week. the old
Reiber building Ct the corner OF Main
and jefferson Sis was discovered to
be on FIRE M. Watkins. the carpen-
ter, and his wife, live in the rooms in
the building over Babnev'5 clothing
store, aid when Mrs. W. got up To
fix their kitchen fire. she found tha
hoo so hot that il burned ber feet
She informed her husband OF toe fact
wbo made an investigation an then
rem across the street and rang the
fire bell Mr.. Rom bach and his fam.
iiy noticed the fire about the same
time aud also gave an alarm The
hose companies responded promptly,
aud notwithstanding the facs that ono
or TWO of the neighnoriDg fire plugs
were found to be frozen, they soon
bad two streams of water playing on
the fire one through the front en-
trance Of The Bahny store-room aud
the other ou the ear end Of the An-
drew Miller building. adjoining, which
is built of frame and v hicn VAS also
burning. The flames we're exiin.
guished in few ninutes, bat they
must have been raging for some time
previous TO the alarm being given for
Bainy's s.ore-room was found to be
IL complete wreck and bis stock OF
clothing, etc "a total loss. All the
I'll ly, NJ h
in the rear eud Of the room were re-
duced to ashes, the plaster had drop
ped from The walls of the rear end aud
also from the ceiling of the eDtire
room, the joists were badly charred AS
were also the BALANCE of the shelving
aud tables, the show cases were de-
sIroyed, aud the stock of clothing and
g .nts Furnishing goods 80 ruined by
fire and water as to be deemed to-
tai loss. Mr.. Babny says that the
value of his stock was about $1,000,
and that be carried 81 900 insurance
in the McJunkin agency. He says
that the plaster Ct the ceiling has
been tumbling down upon them in
small pieces all winter and thinks
that the fire was caused by piece OF
plaster hitting glass lamp, which
hung near the stove, and knocking it
against the stove. in which q gas fire
was burning.
The damage to the Reiber building
will amount to several hundred dol.
lars, and that to the Miller building
one or two hundred.
There are two windows in the rear
end Of the st0re.room, with shutters,
which were closed every night, but
yet the building may baye been sci
afre from the outside, as two at
ternpts have lately been made to fire
the Robinson stoieroom. next door,
from the outside-one by throwing
lighted paper through the rear win
dog, now closed up, aud the other by
attaching fuse made of lamp wicks
TO box Of matches, pushing it under
he door to some waste paper and
wood, aud then firing the fuse, but
the fuse went cut after burning past
The door.
Mr.. David Stewart of Renfrew was
10 Butler last Monday. aud when be
went home that evening he found his
hotel in ashes, "a were also the ad-
joining buildings, occupied bv Ken
Dedy Johnson and FL A. ucKinrev.
Mr., Johnston's house caught fire
about 5 O'Clock that evening while
nobody was at home, from gas tire
lett burning, and the flames commn.
uicated TO the Stewart and Mckinney
houses on either side Of t The
Johnston house was totally destroyed
with everything in it, little furui
ture and bedding was saved from the
Stewart house and almost all from
the Mckinney The adjoining build
ings were saved by hard fight. Mr.
Stewart will rebuild Immediately
The total loss was about $4,000. and
there was no insurance Oh any Of the
buildings or goods.