The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-10-24
MIDNIGHT ALARM
AN EARLY GALL FOR THE
FIRE COMPANIES.
NO WATER AT HAND FOR THEM.
A Dwelling Outside the Borough
Line Burned to the Ground
and the Contents Lost.
Mysterious Origin.

Shortly before one o'clock this morning
the whistle of the Kohinoor colliery
breaker was blown vigorous and the fire
bell in the tower Of the borough building
took the signal and sounded general
alarm. The blowing of the whistle led the
people to believe that the breaker was on
fire and they jumped from their beds and
focked to the coliery in droves.
Fortunately the fire was not as serious
as at first supposed, but it was serious
enough to render miner and his family
| homeless.
The fire was in house located just west
of the borough line owned by Mrs. Brep-
nan and oc upied by Thomas Hanna aud
his family.
The Columbia and Phoenix companies
tried to get near the scene, but finding no
means to secure water they returned The
Rescue Hook fnd Ladder Comnapv
stopped its truck at the Kohinoor colliery
and several Of its men offered what service
they could give with their drag hooks and
other appliances, but by the time they
reached the place the structure was
doomed and nothing but the foundation
walls and one side of the building was left.
Mr.. Hanna the occupant of the building.
and his wife and infant child had a narrow
escape from falling victims of the flames.
Mr. Hanna had worked on the night shift
and got home shortly after eleven o'clock
He retired with his wife and child about
twelve oclock. The latter fell into sound
Sleep but the father was restless after his
hard days work. Fortunately he was, for
had he fal' en- into deep clnmber it would
have been his sleep of death.
AS Hanna lay in doing condition he
thought he heard a noise like the cracking
of burning timber. Gradually recovering
his senses, Hanna arose from the bed and
opened the door of the bedroom. The hall
vas full of smoke. fastening back Mr.
Hannah aroused his wife and child. They
didn't have time to put on any street an.
parel and we're obliged to make their wav
down stairs and out to the road in their
night clothes Hanna proceeded to arouse
the neighbors, All were asleep and wholly
unconscious of the danger at their doors.
The family in one of the houses next to the
burning structure slept so soundly that tho
window panes of their sleeping apart.
ments had to be broken with stones
to arouse them. Having alarmed
the neighborhood Hannah returned
to his house and tried to make his
way through it to the back room, but was
unable to do so He then tried to get up
stairs again to get some of his clothing, but
in this he also failed. Then he tried to
save the contents of his parlor, but the fire
made such rapid Roadway that after he
succeeded in removing sideboard and
S sjia he found it impossible to return to the
house again.
The building was two.story and attic
frame structure and formed the best kind of
material to feed the flames, as it was old |
1t was burned to the ground and all the /
contents, with the exception of the two
pieces taken from the parlor, were des.
troyed
Mr.. Hanna stood in front of the building |
as the flames gradually consumed each |
piece and said to reporter: YES" he |
said, II am burned clean out and I haven't |
got cent of insurance. Even the cloth
ing went up All have is this old pair of |
pants and hat and my wife and child have
nothing but their night clothes. / don't
know what started the FIRE. 1t mystery |
to me. 1t started in the back kitchen and |
there was no fire in the stove when | went
to bed, Yes, it is hard TO be burned out in /
the middle of the night, but everything
goes and l am glad we got out alive I'll
was narrow escape"
Eyes, Tom, you were lucky" said a
bys.ander, "and l hope that this will show
the Girard Estate people the necessity of |
giving some means to secure water in case
of fire, They have any amount of water,
but they are too d-n stingy to lay the
pipes"