The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-07-14
D. E. Offutt &,Sons' Big Store, the Oakland Phar=
macy, the Maette and the democrat"
Buildings Among those Burned
WORK OF FIREMEN UNEXCELLED.
Where those Burned Out now Located. Business
Complexion in the Town Somewhat Changed

On Tuesday morning of this week
at few minutes before four o'clock
Mr.. G. L. Taught, a clerk in the EN-
ploy of Mr.. Joseph E. Harmed, pro
prietor of the Oakland Pharmacy
was aroused from his sleep by roar
ing and cracking noise under his win
dow and flare of light in his room.
He hastily arose and upon investiga-
ton he discovered that the saloon
owned by James J. Reynolds, adjoin-
ng, was on fire. He Immediately gave
the alarm and in a few minutes he was
joined by DR.. Henry w. McComas,
who had been out on professional
business and had just returned to his
office. Shortly after this a general
alarm was given by the blowing of the
electric light plant whistle and the
ringing of the Lutheran church bell.
This had the effect to arouse the
whole town and in a remarkably
short time hundreds of people were al
work vainly striving to check the rap.
idly advancing flames and in saving
goods from the burning buildings and
those which were in danger of burn
ing.
As above stated the fire originated
in the Reynolds saloon and almost be-
fore anything could be done the flames
had Gated their way to the rear of the
Democrat building on the east, the Of
futt building on the north and the
Ravenscroft building on the south,
but owing TO the extremely dry wealth
er which has prevailed here for the
past three or four weeks these build
ings burned like finder and in a re-
markedly short time they were in
ashes. The flames from the Offutt
building on the north communicated
very quickly TO two-story frame
structure in the rear of the Garrett
County Bank and a new two-story
and basement building belonging to
Mr.. d. L. Offutt, ST., fronting on Rail
road street and occupied by Mr.. J.
Forward as a dwelling and confection-
cry store and Mr. w. A. Daily as a
law office. Both these buildings it
was almost impossible to save and
they soon burned to the ground. On
the south adjoining Senator Raven.
scroft's building was the new struct-
ure erected about a year ago by Mr..
W. H. Malette and occupied by John
Felty, jr., as a general store; III. Cohen,
tailoring establishment and H. c..
Smouse, jeweler, on the ground floor,
and Miss Sue Spindler, seamstress, on
the second floor. This building was
built against the Ravenscroft build
ing and it could not have been saved
even had a dozen streams of water
been turned on it,
The Ravenscroft building was occu-
pied by Mr. Joseph E. Harmed as a
drug store on the first floor and as a
dwelling on the second floor. When
the alarm was sounded he and family
were asleep and they had just time to
escape from the building in the clothes
they could grasp as they hurried from
their rooms. Mr.. Harned's little boy
was carried out wrapped in blanket
with no clothing on except his night
dress and was taken to neighbours
house where he was found later by
his mother who was almost crazed
with the fear that he had been left in
the burning building.
Robert Shirer, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Silas Shirer, of Oakland, who is also
employed as clerk by Mr.. Harmed,
probably had the most narrow escape
with mis- life. He was sleeping in a