The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-01-16
A MORNING BLAZE.
One of Oakiand's Largest Business
Houses Goes up in Smoke.
INCENDIARY ORIGIN
The AIarm.Given by one of Oakland's
Young Ladies'. The Fire Depart
ment Does Good Work.

! Young Ladies'. The Fire Depart
ment Does Good Work.
On Friday morning last about
half past three o'clock fire was dis
covered in the large store building
belonging to Mr.. John Shartzer,
located on Second street. nes.eeo tss -
Garrett County Bank, .,sed d'H lie build
ing was large two-story wooden
structure with two business rooms
and spacious ware rooms on the first
floor. One side was occupied by
Mr.. Shartzer as a general merchan-
disc store, and the other room to-
gether with the second story was
lately occupied by the firm OF Shart-
zer & Bolden as a furniture store.
But luckily for this firm they had
moved most OF their stock of furnl-
ture into their new store room across
the street just two days before the
fire occurred.
The cry of fire and the ringing of
the bells soon brought the fire de-
partment and large crowd Of the
citizens to the scene. The night
was still, but Notwithstanding this
the flames made rapid headway.
The fire was under such headway
when discovered that it was lmpos-
sible to think of saving the build
ing or even getting any of the con-
tents out. The only thing that
could be done was to protect the
buildings near, and by hard work
the flames were prevented from de-
stroying other houses in close prox-
unity. The hardest fight was to
save a ware room belonging to Mr..
ID. +. Offutt across a sixteen foot
alley west Of the burning building.
This structure was also of wood and
contained several tons of grain, hay,
flour, etc. 1t was thought at one
time that it would be impossible to
save this building and so most of
the contents were removed into
the street, but the persistent efforts
Of the tiremen saved the building.
The lads acquitted themselves nobly,
refilllng their chemical extinguisher
rapidly as each charge was ex-
hausted.
! The losses sustained as near as
can be estimated, are as follows:
Mr.. John Shartzer, owner of the
building, $1,000 with an insurance
Of 81, 300. This includes the build
ing and his stock of general mer-
! chandise. Shartzer & Bolden had
goods, consisting Of their stock of
wall paper and coffin and casket
fixtures, to the amount of about
IL, 600. There was an insurance
of $4,000 on their whole stock OF
furniture, but part of it being re-
moved to the new building, they
will collect only the proportion Of
the value of the stock burned. The
insurance is il the Lloyd, Of New
York. This company was formed
when the old line companies raised
the rate of insurance, by leading
business men of New York and
other eastern cities, as a mutual
company. Mr.. George Wilt, car
penter working for MIR. Bolden,
hal his tools stored in the building
and his loss is about forty-five dol.
lars.
There are numerous evidences
that the fire Was of incendiary orig.
in. At three o'clock DR.. j. Lee
McComas was called to see pa.
tient and as he passed the building
there was no sign Of fiie, and it i:
thought that it could hardly have
gained such headway between that
and the time it was discovered un
less aided by something. This to-
gether with the facts that the fire
originated in the rear of the build
, ing wnere no stoves were located
and the time it originated, leaye'
no doubt in the minds of not few
that it was the work Of. an enemy
On being interrogated on the sub