The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-12-15
And the Buildings in That Vicin-
ity Have Close Call.
The Loss Reaches 100000
Covered by Only $4,000
Insurance.

Two Barns Burned, the Canton Tile aud
Hollow Brick Company Damaged and
Private Residences and Business
Houses Badly Scorched---aeroic Work
of the Fire Department.
The large shop buildings of the Canton
Steel Roofing company lie in ruins this
morning and the wheels of one of Can,
toms greateSt industries are temporarily
stopped.
There WAS heavy wind raging last
night and this helped in great measure
in spreading the flames OF one OF the most
destructive and damaging flrss which has
visited anton for many months.
1t required the united efforts Of all the
flremen in the city to prevent an entire
block OF buildings from being sent up in
smoke.
Shortly before 10 o'clock an alarm YVES
sounded from box 81 at the intersection Of
Tuscarawas street and the Ft. Wayne
railway. In a few seconds more general
alarm was sent in and all the companies
hustled to the scene of the corflagration.
1t was a terrible blaze and the eastern
was visible many miles away.
Just q few minutes before the alarm
was sent in, young man passing up the
street by the Steel Roofing company's
pIant, discovered fl lanes coming out of the
Fifth street end of the roofing works. He
quickly ran to engine house No. 2, nearby,
and alarmed the boys. superintendent
of the fire alarm John LeiniDger had just
happened in the place, and he ran over
to the alarm box and pulled down the
hook, and then sounded the general
alarm. BY this time the boys from No. 2
had made the run to the building and had
two streams into play. But the streams
appeared TO have very little effect upon the
hot and burning mass before them. Each
minute the ilSmeB grew hercer as they
were famed by the strong wind blowing.
The balance Of the fire companies soon
arrived and played streams Of water on
the blaze. Hose company No. un'
fortunately lost several sections or their
hose by the immense water pressure
splitting it. The hrcmen worked very
hard 10 eubdue the flames but this was
impossible and in very short time the
large structure was levsied to the ground.
But the danger was not all over.
Mr.. John RohrbRuRh, who resides in
and owns a pleasant residence just few
feet across en- alley east of the destroyed
shop, was a loser by about 5000. When
the fire first broke out the gentleman was
seated in the side room of the house fac
ing the building Of the Roofing company.
He was reading an evening paper, and
wac looking over the account of the ter
rible Philadelphia blaze Tuesday, when
he heard footsteps coming along the alley
between bis house and the building, and
the exclamation, "Where's the fire box,
the whole building is on flre?n Then he
sprang up and gazing out of rear win
dow, saw the flames coming out OF the
rear end of the Roofing company build
ing. He called his family, and thinking
his place would surely share the fate OF
the shop building, began TO move his
few minutes the fire reached his house,
and the building sustained damages
which he estimates at 5000, pretty well
covered with insurance.
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.
The blaze appeared to start in the north
end of the building in the vicinity of the
boiler room. Adjoining this was the dry
ing room containing many barrels OF
linseed oil. No cause can be assigned for
the fire as the pre- misses were vacated at
8 o'clock. The company have been doing
some night work lately getting out several
big roofing contracts, and last night the
workmen left the place immediately upon
finishing their work. A man named John
Rolli was among the first to discover the
blaze. Several other parties saw il at
about the time the explosion took place.
The corrugated iron surrounding the
building somewhat iuterfered with the
progress of the flremen in fighting it.
The explosion was probably due TO the
oil stored in the building. As soon as the
report was heard the entire plant az
peared as one mass OF flame fearful 10
behold. Streams were piled on the various
parts of the building but ali 10 no
avail, Several of the companies next
gave their attention to the surround
ing houses. The heat was most in
tense and small streams of water were
kept plying on the backs of some of the
flremen by men who stood back of tele,
graph poles to keep them from roasting
alive.
The work of subduing the flames
of the Robrbaugh house at first
and brave work by the firemen with the
aid of the chemical the building was
saved from total ruin. The residences of
j. Peters, Just east, and that of j. Mack
next door, were badly scorched. A barn
owned by p, Schwalm, fronting on Fifth
street was entirely destroyed, entalilnR a
loss of about $500. The Roofing company's
barn was also burned to the ground. The
horses were saved. A loss of several
dollars resulted. The "Cross'
land File Works." an old frame building
standing just across the street was sent
up ia smoke. II was untenanted at the
time and its rickety appearance and con-
gtruction caused very small loas, The
barn of Diebold Bros, several hundred
feet away on Fourth street had its roof
slightly damaged by flying sparks.
Many hundreds of people stood at
distance from the fire and re-
viewed the sights. The Ft. Wayne trains
we're delayed about an hour and half By
hose which was laid over their track. The
sIectrie cars were also delayed several
hours. II was past midnight and early
this morning when the firemen returned
70 their quarters.
Aaron RohD, residing az No. 2o2 East
street was overcome by heat and
WAS carried into q neighboring house.
He revived shortly afterward.
NR. RucHAnpson INTERVIEWED.
A reporter in ervieyed Mr.. j. II. Rich.
axdaor. tfensursr OF the company, last