The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1903-12-18


The people of wilsouhurg have cassse
for gratitude and thanksgiving 9nd they
certainly show tl,at they daikste that
fact. The town narrowly escaped . con-
iiagraticn Thursday morning afEl only
tho hcroism and hard work o. IL citi.
zefs, one hundred strong ~ Hr2 lighters.
saved Il from kmouIdcrinE IN asfSs. They
count themselves fortu1Atb that the do.
structive flames no more than 3l,ey did.
Aboub 8 O'Clock Wednesday nizist
Thomas GERHARD, proprietor Of stte hotc,
at that place. Smoked sometime burn.
ing and upon Investigation, DO H6ndlulicd
that the hotel was aiire be6weal, ne neil.
Ing Of the second story and. tfla zs,of Ha
rushed out and gave the alarm, and per-
sons went to work to Iocnte 10 ire.
They pried up the floor near the hfe.
place, where The ere WAS believed Is ia
and found one Of the joists am. The
'biaza Gad not gotten under haaslNsy. ana
4 was extinguished, apparently, but NJ.
GERHARD WAS uneasy and ~ rexnainea
awake and Eatghed the tiote1 Until hbdut
9 O'Clock, when he became sleeby and
went TO bed At 4cscaock tie siastlinx
discovery was made that de isotsI buiid.
ing was enveioped n flames. The dsst
fire seems TO have crept outsiae u che
hotel building proper and started afresh
IN the barber shop adjsfnlnkl The
Methodist church bell rsss RING 70 arouse
the people, and 1t was only . short time
until one hundred excited. people men.
women and children were on the scene.
A bucket brigade was husriediy formed
and al Joined In combat u9nirfst the
flames II was useless 70 sattenpt 70
save the hotel building a. 81 ,s,.s prsies
tically destroyed bssofe Dr. blaze was
discovered, but their efforts were devoted
to saving other property and, insfsSt ti,e
whole town, and well they did It. Hisrs
dreds Of barrels OF water were gotten
from tho creek end we1ls md dashed On
the adjacent property.
| The Methodist parsonage Stood only Is
feet from the hotel building ana lIic heat
was 20 intense that It was feared fif M
would spread 20 It. and IN order 10 nrs.
vent that the parsonage hIAd alniost i
continual stream Of water oh Il from Tie
hundred buckets IN USE Besind thls M.
Francis merchandise store Only Is feet
away, ard thi., too. wns TIE s,.bie6k 81
a virtual submersion Of MatSr kron time
to time during the period tlhe flames licis.
ed up the hotel.
while many were sbawerine s6ese
buildings with Wehers Others dlliecn-ly
carried ont the eoniehes q t1e build.
ihse, bot not before many fhinrs sefe
badly damaged by the water.
Besides the hotel buiidihe. The bafber
shop, small cottage aajoinfng The rest
side of the hotel and = physlcisnis of-
dee were entiEely destroyed. niss prop.
|erties belonged % a. j. Freneis NE
barber shop was occnpicd ~ Erne,s
Meyers and The cottage and decsoris Of
fce by Gerard, tire hotel iseeper.
OR. FfancfS loss On ti,e buildings
amounts % at least 5000. vsth 81 .ooo
insusance. aleyers 1p@k every thing =
the shop, except 4, tSbiS q %. His ~
Is probably <lo0 G<fnsfsIs ~ 4 per-
kaps 500 O. sl5fhts .hcss, ~ fazp ~:
lpes Of the Hotel 4e1o1ei5k q + z1<1s.
m additsca % slsesc lpsse-, Fs,zneis i>s<s
about 1000 On DE etock Of ncrcAardl-.
'frofn u4ter and 4ks'l &. ne Ben t<.le
GSSnc zrires Were ba,-.ntd ma Ia con.
pAhk euiisps siacr4ble loss.
NE f1e rzeed iercsiy from unf>
$50 oseloek. when Il died down and ~
Ssanser WAS over Darfng N that tine
tee vcann<ess lrenen 03fked like Ic<lz
md no wSss eorzi e<eas ,.zze...t>-i