Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-05-09
NO.. II.
EMPORIUM LUMBER CO.'S
BIG MILL BURNED,
The WelI-Kuown Keating Summit Industry
Destroyed.


Austin Republican.
On Wednesday night at about eight
O'Clock, a dispatch was received here
stating that the large mill of the Empo-
rum Lumber Company, at Forest House
was burning. The Republican repre-
sentative mounted a wheel and after
riding over eight miles of excee dinghy
rough road, arrived at the scene Of the
confiagration, butnot until the mill was
entirely consumed and the flames un-
der control.
The fire was discovered issuing from
the lower part of the dry kiln at about
1850 p, M, by one of the employees of
the mill. The alarm was given and the
company's fire apparatus was put to
work. The fire protection con sisted of
two large steam pumps and several
hundred feet of three inch hose, but
when the pumps were put to work the
pressure was so great that it burst the
line of hose and before the mishap
could be remedied the flames had gain
ed such headway that they were utterly
beyond control, and the dry kiln being
filled with seasoned lumber caused it to
burn fiercely. All hope of saving the
mill being past, attention was turned
to saving the enormous stock of lumber
piled in the yard, which was accom-
plished after hard fight by the hose
and bucket brigades.
Across the street lea ding to the mill
was situated row of tenement houses
owned by the company, and to these
the fire spread totally destroying three
of them. These houses were occupied
by the following mill employees: Ell
den Corwin, Fred Wood and John
Bliss, all of whom succeeded in saving
nearly all of their household goods.
The house occupied by John Laudeby,
ated in the same row of buildings had
narrow escape from destruction and
would have burned only for the heroic
work of the bucket brigade, as at that
time the mill had burned down and
the pumps had stopped working.
Besides the mill and houses, several
thousand feet of dry lumber was de-
stroyed, together with one of the COM
pany's Lima switch engines and two
cars loaded with lumber and ties which
were standing on switch near the mill.
Another engine belonging to the COM
pany happened to be fired up and was
run out of danger. The engine and
boiler house of the mill is enclosed in a
brick building, and to what extent the
contents were injured was not learned
but it is presumed that the engines and
boilers are not seriously damaged.
1t was fortunate that no wind was
blowing, else the contents ofthe lumber
yard would have been lost and undoubt-
edly the little village of Forest House
would have been wiped from the face
of the earth. AS it is, the loss to the
company is tremendous, as the mill
was one of the largest and finest in the
State. But to the village the loss is
comparatively great er, as the mill was
nearly its entire sustaining industry
"hN Wy ioo iOoo OhO lhholOo anu
menare thrown out of employment,
many of whom have families.
How the fire started nobody seemed
able to explain, but the opinion among
the employees seems to be that it must
have originated from the heating of a
boxing on the "hog" elevator which
was situated near where the fire was
discovered. What the company's loss
will amount to we are as yet unable to
learn, as also, whether or not the mill
will be rebuilt, but the opinion seems
to prevail that it will not be again built
at Forest House, as that place is so far
away from the timber of the company.
The Emporium Lumber Company, of
Forest House and Galeton, was incor-
porated in 1892, and its officers are as
follows: w. L. Sykes, president; w. T.
Turner, secretary and treasurer; VIM.
Catfish, superintendent.
Arrangements are now being made,
to saw up the stock of hardwood TIM
ber owned by the company at the Ly-
man mill at this place. and if these
plans carry as expected, it will make
considerable moro work for our hard
wood mill.