The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-09-14
A TERRIFIC BLAZE.
Narrow Escape Of Lynchburg from
Entire Destruction.

Freiberg q Workum distillery, at Lynch
burg. In very few minutes the main
building was seething mass of flames.
In probably half an hour the contents
of the immense structure were leaping a
hundred feet into the air, and bending
over greedily toward the adjoining
warehouses, cooper-shops, &c. AS the
roaring flames drove back the bucket
brigade it looked as if the whole town
was doomed to destruction. When once
the flames got among the thirty.two
thousand barrels in the warehouses, no
power at hand could check the conha.
grafton, until everything in reach had
been destroyed.
| Messages we're sent to Blanchester,
Cincinnati and Hillsboro for the fire de.
partments Here, it was necessary to
summon Council and authorize the de.
partment to go. But no time was lost.
In few minutes the matter was settled.
There was no dissent from the appeal of
distress. The alarm was sounded and
the department rallied. The steamer
and reels we're hurried to the B. & O. s.
w. depot. In the mean time the au.
thorities of the road had issued the
necessary orders. But there was diff
Guilty in loading, and the engineer and
firemen, who had been working late the
previous night were at their homes
asleep. At last, all things were ready,
and train consisting OF two flats with
steamer and reels, and box.car with
the three horses, shot out of Hillsboro
as if they had been fired from a gun. A
mile minute on the old branch track,
on cars that had been seized for their
hardness, and not for their fitness, was
equal to two miles minute on main
track aud in Wagner car. 1t was a
fearful dash. The hot cinders pelted
our faces till they seemed to penetrate
the stinging flesh, and the pressing wind
borne upon us as if it would tear the
clothes from our bodies. The cars
sgayed and shook, and with our heads
bowed against the cinders, everybody
held on for dear life to the nearest sup
port in reach. Nobody spoke, but all
realized that this was fearfully fast
riding. The fence posts and the grass
and bushes between were indestinguish
able, and flew by, a vague streak of
Brown. The din and crash of the train
was dealing. People in the country
rushed to door and windows and looked
in dumb amazementa at the fearful meteor
as it roared and thundered past, freight.
ed with the helmeted men and glisten-
ing paraphernalia of the department.
: At Russells it was discovered we had
J made more than mile a minute, and
Capt. Carroll directed slowing up OF
speed.
The horses of the department were
being thrown about from side to side of
the old box-car, and were frantic with
fright, endangering the lives of their at
tendants. 1t was absolutely necessary
J to run slower. Yet we made fair speed
the balance of the way, and stood still
at the Lynchburg depot in exactly
twelve minutes after beginning to move
from the Hillsboro depot, ten miles
: away. We were the first on the scene.
The people of Lynchburg hailed the
Hillsboro department with joy, and
treated the boys handsomely during
their stay. Fortunately, however, the
wind had suddenly shifted from north
| n And inStnol Of q H.
flames over the town, they We're carried
toward the creek on the west. The
great distillery and the malt house, with
immense corn cribs and coal bins, had
been destroyed. The Hillsboro company
saved thousands of dollars by extinguish-
ing the fires inside in time to save much
OF the valuable equipment of the estab-
lishment. At one time they worked
over roaring mass of flames beneath
which was hundred barrel still OF alco-
hol, while above them the tottering
walls seemed ready to tumble at any
moment. While everybody else ran
from the double danger they stood at
their posts till the work was done.
The loss by this fire amounted to
about $4,000. But, if it had not been
checked so fortunately would have run
up into millions. In the immense ware
houses was nearly two million dollars
worth of whisky, to say nothing of the
value of the gigantic plant.
The Blanchester department arrived
soon after the Hillsboro boys, and did
gallant service. They had hand en-.
gine, but they worked it far all it was
worth and won high encomiums far the
good they did. The Cincinnati steamers
were notified not to come, as the fire
was under control.
While this was disastrous fire, every.
body seems rejoiced that it was no worse.