Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-12-27
| Terrible Calamity Visits
OUR SISTER TOWN!
EDINBURG SWEPT BY THE
PRE- FIEND
Many Buildings go down Before
The Tlameal

Not since General Sheridan with fend
ish delight executed the dIabolical order
Of Gen. Grant and sent his fire fends
forth through this fair Valley to burn our
mills. our larns, our homes and even our
churches, has Shenandoah county en-
perienced such a terrible visitation as
that caused by the destructive fire at
EdlnbHrg in the early hours OF last Satur-
day morning, leaving only blackened
ruins which few brief hours previous
had been the happily homes that Termed
part Of one of the fairest towns of the
Valley.
The fire orig mated abont 2 o'clock, q.
m, in the basement. or cellar under Nr.
E. NJ. Clem's store on Main street and
bad gained considerable Roadway before
it was discovered. Mr. Glenn, who slept in
the building, barely haying time to es-
cape after being aroused by neghbor.
The aroused citizens at oace formed =
bucket brigade and commenced q brays
fight whiOh would probably have connn-
ed the Ore to the building in which 1t
originated, but terrific explosion OF
coal oil and powder In the Store blew ont
the front aud hurled the blazing timbers
across the street against the Murray
Hotel, large frame three story building.
and the adjoining residence OF Mrs. Julia
Wightmap, both Of which soon burst into
flames, making a conhlgratioa too great
and fierce to be successfully combatted
without an engine or fire apparatus OF
any kind. The flames famed by a high
wind spread rapidly from houseIto hons.
westward long Main street until nearly
every building was destroyed between
the starting point and Stony Greek,
which crosses the street at the west end
of town.
From the Murray House, on Piccadilly |
street which runs in the direction of the |
railroad station the flames reached and |
destroyed the shoe shop Of +. II. R.
Stoneburner, the livery stable of Painter
& Reeser and the livery stable Of tho
Murray House.
Fortunately the wind blew the FIRE
away from the main part of the town
which lays east of the starting point, or
the destruction would have been appall.
Ing. The tearing away of Mr.. Z. W.
Jennings barber shop helped to arrest
the spread of the fame, in this direction.
In the basement of the building in
which the FIRE started was the printing
establishment of the Edinburg Sentinel,
owned by E. L. Hisey, whish with preIs
engine, type, &c. was destroyed. The
less falls heavily upon Mr.. Hisey, he
having no insurance For the names Of
those who suffered loss OF property our
readers are referred to the communca
ton in another column from our regular
Edinburg correspondent. The following
persons were insured, and the amounts
of their policies: X. W. Burke, 81, 800; E.
NJ. Glen, on stock in store, 5000; II. E.
Boyer on store building, $1,000 on stable
$500; J. j. Stoneburner, $1,000; Mrs.
Wgbtman, 81, 900; The London co mpany
carries SO, 800 Of the above, and S., 500 il
supposed to be in Hartford and other
companies.
At an early hour attempts were made
to call foi aid from Woodstock by tele
phone and telegraph, but as no ono was
in the Offices at tho time it Of course was
not heard. and our people were only
aroused by Mr.. Jno. H. Hoover, who
came in horseback, and by the continuous
whlstliBE of a north bound train.
The engine was hurr.edly gotten cut
and taken to the depot, but unfortunate
ly there was no fiat car at hand upO0 ,
which it could be loaded, and il was
taken up with horses, arriving in time to
play upon the ruins and probably pre-
vent the further spread of the flames.