The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1899-10-04

Wheeler, Dusenbury & Co.'S Lumber
Yard Licked up by Flames. and
100000 Feet of Lumber
Burned.
Burned.

100000 Feet of Lumber
Burned.
The most disastrous 6re that has ever
occurred in Forest county visited the viii
lage of Endeavor, Hickory township, and
licked up between {, 100000 and 1000, 900
feet of manufactured lumber belonging to
Wheeler, Dusenbury Il Co., the extern
sive lumbermen, at an early hour yester-
day morning. Not single one of the
numerous piles of handsome pine and
other lumber in the firms yard, covering
an area of perhaps two acres of ground,
is to be seen to-day, and only great heaps
of smouldering ashes mark the place
where few hours ago was as fine lot of
lumber as is seen in hundred miles
travel.
The fire was first discovered about 800
o'clock at the lower end of the yard, in a
pile of exceptionally dry lumber, re-
moved at least fifty feet from where any
one had been working during the night
(the mill is running day and night, and
there is scarcely doubt but that the fire
had its origin in the dastardly work of an
incendiary.
Connected with the plant is fine sys-
tenn of water works, with reservoir of
several thousand barrels capacity, and
having splendid pressure, but the sup
ply was soon exhausted without scarcely
checking the flames, so fierce did they
burn in the partially seasoned lumber
piles. Tionesta was called upon by tele-
graph and in very few minutes after
word came here, j. G. Scowden, j. W.
JAMESON Joe Clark, Jim Morrow, Davey
Blum, Harold Herman and Jake Hood
were on their way with astring of hose, ar
riving in time to do splendid work in
keeping the flames partially in check,
though the water pressure had been
weakened considerably by the constant
streem which the Endeavor department
had been playing on the fire. The near
est available engine to be had was at
Warren, the Struthers and Wetmore hose
companies from there responding
promptly with steam engine, which
did fine work with two good streams of
water taken from the mill pond. With
all these efforts the fine large band mill
and all Of the railroad track were saved,
and the work of manufacturing lumber
will not be seriously interfered with.
Three of the company's dwelling
houses nearest the yard were burned to
the ground. They were occupied respec-
lively by George Crider, the mill fore
man, Robert Lynch and Fred Oviatt
The contents of these dwellings we're all
saved. So great conflagration natural
ly aroused everybody in the neighbor-
hood, and all went to work with will to
save property, and did not cease their la
bors till all danger from further spread
was passed.
Mr.. N. 2. Wheeler, senior member of
the firm, was East at the time and has
not yet had time to return. Mr.. Warden,
the general superintendent of the plant,
estimates that there were between six
and seven million feet of lumber in the
yard, most of which was of a superior
quality white pine and much of it ''clear
stuff" He estimates that the Company's
loss will be about s13O,OOO, on which there
is an insurance, with the G. NJ. Arner Il
Son agency, of S25 900, leaving net loss
ofover 100000. The saving of the mill
was fortunate stroke, and this was done
only by the most persistent work of the
tiremen, who stuck to the job ana kept
streams of water playing on the fire un-
til after three o'clock in the afternoon.
If this fire was the work of an incendi-
ary, and it can scarsely be anything eles,
The desperate vandal must be fearfully
constituted if he can contemplate such
devlish work with any degree of satis-
faction, whether the crime will ever be
revealed or not, time alone will tell.