The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-10-12
FIRE AT A
COLLIERY !
Shenandoah City COlliery Shops Des.
trOyed Last Night.
THE LOSSES WERE QUITE HEAVY
A Large Number Of Carpenter and Black
smith Tools and Considerable Machiu-
cry Ruined-The Operation of the
COlliery was Not Inter
fered with.

At eight o'clock last night fire alarm was
sounded by Engineer Joseph Dusto at the
shaft engine house of the Shenandoah City
colliery and the town was soon in state of
great activity. The fire was in the long,
narrow building located on the hill about a
hundred yards northeast of the Shenandoah
City breaker and it gained such rapid head.
way that the building was soon
in flames. The Pennsylvania r. K.
passenger train arrived at the depot Just
after the colliery engineer sounded the
alarm. T. w. Grant and other passengers on
the train saw the fire and hurried from the
depot to the corner of Main and Poplar
streets, where an alarm was sounded from
box "a.
The fire companies responded promptly,
but upon arriving at the breaker found
themselves face to face with serious en-.
barrassments. The burning building was
on the summit of the steep hill against
which the breaker is built and it was i'm.
possible to get either the chemical engine,
hose wagon, or hook and ladder truck within
easy distance of the scene of trouble. There
was but one thing to do, and that was to
drag the hose up the steep aud long incline,
and over the intervening dirt and rock
dumps. This the fremen undertook with a
willing hand, and the Phoenix men eventually
got their hose carriage up the rock bank to
the summit. This accomplished, the firemen
discovered that the distance from the fire
plug at the foot of the breaker to the build.
ing was too great for the hose of the respective
companies, so the Columbia and Phoenix
boys Joined lines and finally got stream il
| play on the fire.
| Meanwhile the flames in the building haC
ragged with fury that made tho interior O
the structure like roaring furnace from enc
to end, but fortunately the wind was blow
ing in a direction from the breaker and the
latter was at no time in danger.
The firemen remained upon the ground un
til every spark of fire was extinguished
When they left the scene only charrcd
skeleton of the building remained standing
1t was completely destroyed with all its con
tents. The officials of the colliery estimate the
loss at from $500 to 45OO, which includes
the tools lost by workmen The buildns
was about 100 feet long and 90 feet wide. The
southern half was used as a blacksmith shoI
and the other half as carpenter and wheel
wright shop. 1t contained IN engine that
operated a circular saw, the blowers for the
forges, and also hOisted empty cars from the
| breaker. There was also a quantity O.
lumber in the place.
The origin of the fire is not known, but i
is surmised that spark from a lamp mus
have dropped into infammable material il
the carpenter shop. Some men were at worl
in the shop after the colliery was stopped las
night to make repairs and tighten som
wheels of the machinery. Some young mel
who say they saw the first blaze claim that
broke out from the carpenter shop.
: II was thought that the colliery would b
thrown idle to-day on account of the engin
used to hoist the empty cars from the breake
being destroyed, but the officials of the co
liery were prompt in providing for tn
emergency. Immediately after the fire wa
extinguished they commenced making pre-
parations to resume work this morning
They found near the destroyed building
spare engine that had escaped the effects
, the fire. This was quickly put in pOsitio
and running order, and at the regular star
, ing hour this morning the breaker resume
with the same regularity as if nothing III
usual had happened at the place the nigh
t before.
Q No time will be lost in clearing away til
E ruins of the shops and it is believed thi
!. work on a new structure will commen,
r within few days.