The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-09
A $4,000 FIRE
IN OLYPHANT
LEADING INDUSTRY TOTALLY
DESTROYED.
olyphant Shoe Company's Factory
and P. T. Dougher's Furniture
Store Attacked by the Flames--The
Former Is a Total Loss and the
Furniture Store Is Badly Damaged.
Eleven Girls Employed in the
Shoe Factory Escaped by Way of
an Adjoining Roof.

Olyphant was, yesterday, visited by
one of the most disastrous confagra-
tions In the history of the town. The
shoe factory, one of it's principal in
dustries, and the furniture store of p.
i. Dougher, one of the largest of the
business places, were attacked by
flames during the early afternoon. and
before the flremen had them in check
damage to the extent of nearly $4,000
resulted.
The buildings adjoin on the plot
bounded on three sides by the river,
Lackawanna street and River street,
the Dougher building facing Lacka-
wanna street, and the factory building
being in the rear. Both buildings
were of frame construction. the Dough-
er building being two stories in height
and the factory building three stories.
The shoe factory was totally de-
stroyed, nothing remaining but four
charred walls enclosing a mass of de-
bris and broken machinery. The furni-
ture store thanks to the energetic
work OF the volunteer tlremen, escaped
with comoaratively small damages
The rear and part of the roof of the
building were eaten away and the
whole interior was water soaked.
STOCK CARRIED OUT.
The stock on the main floor was car
ried out by the citizens, but that in
the cellar could not be gotten out in
time to save it from the flood of water
that was necessary to pour into the
upper part of the building to arrest the
progress of the flames.
w. A. Roberts and Albert Zearfass
who with their families occupied the
second floor of the Dougher building
succeeded in saving nearly all their
furniture.
The fire started at 1.3O p. M, in the
packing room on the front of the sec
ond floor Of the three-story frame
building occupied by the shoe factory.
It's cause is unknown. Manager AL
merin Stone and Bookkeeper Thomas
F. McHale had just returned from
dinner. and NIr. McHale was ascend
ing to the office when he encountered
flames emitting from the packing room.
He gave the alarm and called to Man.
ager Stone who, after seeing that the
blaze was one that would likely spread
quickly to the stairways, rushed to the
third floor to alarm the eleven girls at
work there. BY the time they reached
the stairway the smoke was coming up
in volumes, and not wishing to have
them take any risk, Manager Stone
had them make their exit by going
out the windows on to the roof of the
Dougher building and thence through
the scuttle to the stairways inside.
Manager Stone, himself, went down by
way of the factory stairs that he might
assist Bookkeeper McHale in getting
out the more valuable books and
papers not kept in the safe
HOSE COMPANIES ASSISTED.
Olyphant Hose companies Nos. l and
?, the Dickson Hose company of Price
burg and the Wilson Hose company
Of Peckvllle, responded to the gong
and telephone alarms. and under the
direction of Chief John O'Malley, bat
tied bravely and vigorously for more
than two hours. The factory building
was beyond saving before the liremen
could begin their fight. That they pre-
vented the destruction of the Dougher
building was most cOmmendable
While the firemen We're battling with
the flames the citizens We're engaged
in removing the furniture from the
Dougher building and storing it in
nearby houses. The smoke and flames
bursting in through the rear prevented
an entrance being made to the cellar
or much of the stock there would also
have been saved from the food OF
water.
The loss to the factory is 5000, in
cluding building. machinery and stock
on hand. Insurance TO the amount of
$4,000 was carried with comDanies rep
resented by O'Malley & O'Malley and
c. NJ. Hathaway.
Mr. Dougher's loss to building and
stock will not be far short of $1,000
He carried $4,000 insurance, $1,000 on
the building and $4,000 on the stock.
The factory is owned by the Oily
phant Shoe company. r. f. Jordan is
president: A. NJ. Atherton, secretary;
B. j. Lynch, treasurer, and DR.. +. L.
Van Sickle, NJ. j. LAWN, James O'Brien
and u. S. Jones, directors. 1t is capi-
talized at $4,000 and has been in exist
ence since two years ago last July
The factory employed forty hands and
had an output of twenty dozen of shoes
Il day.
1t has not been decided as yet wheth-
er or not the factory will be rebuilt.