Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1904-12-16

NARROWLY ESCAPED
BEING CREMATED

The loud mewing, unusual noise and
commotion made by a family cat at
the home of Frank Arms, 30 West
Front street, early Saturday morning,
dou btless saved the house from being
destroyed by fire. aud the family, con-
sisting of the father and seven chill
dren, from being cremated in their
beds.
The smoke from the kitchen range
makes its escape through large old
fashioned stone chimney Of wide di-
mensions A few inches below where the
stove pipe connects with the chimney,
the upper portion of the latter is sepa-
rated from the lower by a number of
boards, leaving under themla vault
like space several feet square and
about six feet high. This aperture
during the early history of the house
was no doubt us,d as a fire place, and
the opening into it is closed by a wood
en- structure composed OF light, thin
boards that would ignite quickly from
spark.
About 8 O'Clock on Friday night.
Mrs. Arms imagined that she scented
the odor of burning wood or SCOT. She
commenced an investigation in order
to learn if her suspicious that some
thing about the building was on fire,
but finding nothing in any of the
| , rk,,,o ta ,ha ko;l 70 lpob OF
the top of the chimney to ascertain
whether or not it was burning. Dis
| covering no flames issuing from the
chimney and no more smoke than
would ascend from the fire in the kitoh-
en- range, she re-entered the house and
shortly afterward retired.
Between / and 2 o'clock the follow
ing morning Mrs. Arms was suddenly
awakened by all unus usl noise of some
kind. At fl irst she was unable to either
| locate the point from where the sound
came or what was causing it. Then she
heard the cat mewing in a peculiar
manner. The animal had frequently
mewed at nights when wanting out of
the house, but the placid, unruffled
tones of her calls on those occasions
we're vastly different from what she
was giving vent to then. The cries, if
such they can be called. were loud,
piercing aud sgonizing. The cat ap-
peared in great distress, and to be ap-
pealing for a. assistance with all the
force and power at its command.
Mrs. Arms interpreting the yells and
news to b. cries of distress hurriedly
responded to them, little expecting,
| however, the startling scene that was
so soon to greet her vision. When, she
reached the hea of the stairs she heard
another sound, onn that deadensd
the still frenzied howls of the cat. 1t
sounded like the roar Of an Niagara,
fairly causing the house to tremble.
! Not knowing the cause of the terrific.
thunderous ikesvibrations beneath her
feet, and imagining any and everything,
Mrs. Arms. after listening for mo-
mont, hesitated whether to proceed or
return to her room aud awaken her
| husband. But she decided on the FORM
er, and courageously continued on
down stairs. Throwing open the door
at the bottom OF the stairs che discov-
cred the kitchen filled with smoke, and
the board covering of the old fire place
behind the range burning fiercely. The
flames were leaping up the wide Chin
ney, and ascending high above its top
OH the outside. 1t was the roar of
these which Mrs Arms had heard dur
| ing the short time she had stood at the
| top of the stairs.
A thrill cry from her after single
glance had taken il the situation, re-
suited III bringing ier husband quick
| ly to her side. He rushed to the front
door and called to the night employees
of theIWater Works. which is nearly
on the opposite side of the street.
They promptly responded and in
short time had the blaze under control
and few minutes later extinguished.
When assistance arrived the wooden
| COftIluR III tIoub VI tuo was
partly consumed and the flames max
ing rapid advancement toward the in
terror of the kitchen. Had Mrs. Arms
not discovered them when she did,
they would soon have reached the
stairway leading to the second story.
That would have cut of the only ave-
nue. through which the imprisoned
family could have escaped, except to
have jumped out of the windows, thin
ly clad into the chilly winds of Dec
ember night-provided they had been
awakened in time to have taken the
opportunity thus given them to save
themselves from being cremated
The only thing burned besides the
chimney covering and portion of the
floor under the range and near the
stairway, was a small hole in the roof
and few articles of clothing which
Mrs. Arms had suspended to the shelf
of the range before going to bed. Con-
sequentIy the damages are slight COM
pared to what they might have been,
had not the cat sounded an alarm.
Sparks falling from the stove pipe
and igniting the boards separating the
chimney. and these burning through
and dropping down and setting fire
to the SCOT in the old fire place is sup
posed to have been the origin of the
blaze.