Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-02-15
The Fire Last Saturday.


Last Saturday afternoon about half
past one o'clock Mrs. Hunter and her
daughter Miss Annie were sitting IN
an upper room Of their house In the
eastern end of the town when they
heard a peculiar roaring. Thinking
it was a railroad train passing, they
maid little attention to it. 1t got
louder, however, and they opened the
door TO investigate the matter. Ihey
found that the roof OF the house was
one mass of fire, and of course instant
ly gave the alarm. The streets were
full of people, and in a few minutes
dozens of persons were in the house
and carrying out the furniture, all OF
which was saved in good condition.
The fire department was on hand
promptly, but as the roof was ready
to fall in when the fire was discovered
it was at disadvantage. Water was
soon being thrown upon the house In
two heavy streams, and the fire was
confined TO the upper part OF the
house. The roof was destroyed and
the attic burned out, but the fire was
prevented from doing any damage on
the second floor, and the only loss was
from water. A frame annex was also
saved with very little loss. 1t is
thought the fire was started by sparks
from a locomotive on the Shenandoah
Valley Railroad that had passed by
short time previous. There was no in
surance. Mr.. j. J. Morrow occupied
part of the house, but his furniture
was also saved with very little dam
age.
There was some insanely silly con-
duct on the part of some persons,
who, instead of saving property, In
iured the house most recklessly. The
folding doors of the parlor. and In
fact all the doors on the first and
second floors, the mantels and other
parts of the dwelling were frantically
torn loose and thrown out into the
street. when there was no sign of fire
in those rooms. The fire was kept
above the second story, and yet these
would-be firemen smashed the proper
ty as though their souls depended on
it. We do not know who they were,
but they must have been temporarily
deprived OF reason.
Then there were other persons who
growled and grumbled and loudly de-
nounced the steamer and the firemen
because they didn't get up steam
quicker. From the time the steamer
left the engine-house until water was
being thrown on the building was just
eleven minutes. Steam had to be
made in cold" engine and by en-
gineers who necessarily have little
practice of this sort. Can any Of the
kickers do better? Every fireman was
at his post and doing his best, with
out thought or desire for reward, and
instead of being commended for their
eIOGlS were DldlUctl DeCduSt lucy blu
not do impossible things. With chief
and assistants who knew and were do
ing their duty, forty different outsid-
ers wanted the work done in forty
different ways and insisted on bossing
the nozzlemen until they really should
have had good stream of water
turned on them until they were cooled
Off
Saturday evening subscription
was started, and many persons con
tributed literally to fund to enable
Mrs. Hunter to repair her dwelling.
She has the sympathy of the entire
community in her misfortune, and we
hope the fund may be big one. The
paper is now at the store of Mr.. NJ. b.
Baker, where subscriptions will be re-
ceived. Application will also be
made to the railroad company, as
there is little doubt that the fire was
started by a spark from locomotive.