The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-11-14
PROPERTY WORTH MANY THOUSANDS
Destroyed BY An Awful Confagration at
Thomas Tuesday.

DtslAogCu ny An COufldSFdIlOn at
Thomas Tuesday.
The east side of Thomas, w. Va,
was completely wiped out by fire
W hich started at two o'clock Monday
morning in the restaurant under the
Geisberger Hotel. Thomas is a min
ing town, promoted mostly by the
Davis Coal & Coke Company, and is
situated on the West Virginia Cen
trail and Pittsburg Railway. The
buildings are largely of frame and
were rapidly eaten up by the flames
which were famed by violent wind.
The town was almost entirely with
out fire protection, the water in the
reservoir on account of the drouth
being very low and besides the fire
department is poorly equipped.
Three Principal business blocks
were entirely wiped out, also sixty
two dwelling houses, including eight
belonging to the Davis Coal & Coke
Company.
The Geisberger and Reynolds no.
tells, the opera house, the large Cath
Ole church, the town lookup and the
water station were all destroyed. The
line residence of f. J. Noon, assistant
train master of the West Virginia
Central and Pittsburg Railway, was
included in the portion burned.
Following Geisberger's hotel was
Mock's restaurant, 'McIntire's broker
office, Scholarships saloon, Joseph
SchilanskY's store with $4,000 in
goods, James Tesla store, boarding
house, Charles Patsey's fruit stand,
Cottrelfs saloon, George Schartz's
furniture store, Rights barber shop,
Mclntire's<big opera house, in which
building were also W. A. Jones store
and the postoffice, J. W. Duncap's
residence and undertaking rooms, TO-
gether with a restaurant, the council
chamber and lookup, town pump sta
ton and water tanks, McGouglin
Sapp's pool room, Rubenstein's sa-
loon, Record Office, Thomas & Ferris
store, DIR. w. Werner's office and resi-
dence and number of smaller con-
Germs, all of them burned.
A rain commenced falling after the
lire and the Methodist church..was
opened for the shelter of women and
children.
Scores of people were driven from
their homes in their. night clothes.
Women with infants in their arms
were obliged to stand along the rail
road track in scant attire while the
flames devoured their homes Many
travelling men lost their sample cases,
watches and money. The fire was
either started by a rat gnawing
matches or the explosion of lamp.
The only houses left standing are
several in the vicinity of the new rail
road station. The windstorm that
prevailed during the fire was one of
the heaviest ever known in that sec
ton. EThe homeless families number
nearly $50. The people of Davis, six
miles away, are providing shelter for
many of the people.
The fourteen-year-ol son of a drug
gist named Schilansky, whose store
was burned, was missing for time,
but.he was later accounted for. A
number of box cars of the West Vir-
ginia Central and Pittsburg Railway.
some of which were used by Italians
as sleeping quarters, were burned.
The Italians made narrow escapes
with their lives. Most narrowing
scenes are reported and despite great
est efforts the work of relieving of the
pltiful condition of the people is slow.
The weather suddenly becoming cold
has added to the general misery.
Plans are already afoot to rebuild
the town.
According to latest estimates the
loss will be about three hundred thou-
sand dollars with sixty thousand dol
lars insurance. The postoffice valu-
abies were saved. Thieves are on
the ground and one opened the post
Office safe in the ashes on the pre-
tense of being postoffice inspector.
The sixty-two dwelling houses back
OF the Geisberger hotel, some occu-
pied by two and three families, burn
ed first, followed by the business Sec
ton.