Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-12-15
ESCAPED
BEING CREMATED

DLlI ~ VI OH IL III II LII
/ The loud new ing, unusual noise and
commotion made by a family cat at
the home of Frank Arms, % West
/ Front street, early Saturday morning,
/ doubtless saved the house from bein
/ destroyed by fire, aud the family, con-
| sisting of the father and seven chill
dron, 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-
boards leaving under them vault
like space several feet square and
about six feet high. This aperture
during the early history of the house
was no doubt used as fire place, and
the opening into it is closed by wood
en- structure composed OF light, thin
boards that would ignite quickly from
a spark.
About 9 o'clock on Friday night,
Mrs. Arms imagined that she secuted
the odOr of burning wood or soot 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
apartments, she went out side TO look at
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 kitch-
en- range, she re-entered the house and
shortly afterward retired.
Between / aud 2 o clock the follow
ing morning Mrs. Arms was suddenly
awakened by an unus ual noise of some
kind. At first 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
The animal had frequently
moved at nights when wanting out of
the house, but the placid, unruffled |
tones of her calls on those occasions |
were vastly different from what she |
was giving vent to then. The cries. if |
such they can be called. were loud, !
piercing and agonizing. The cat ap-
peared i'll great distress, and to be ap- |
pealing for assistance with all the |
force and power at its command
Mrs. Arms interpreting the yells and /
news to b, cries of distress hurriedIy |
to them, little expecting,
however, the startling scene that was
% soon to greet her vision. When she
cached the heal of the stairs she heard
mother sound, ona that deadened
he StlIl fIon.iSd - r. -
sounded like the roar of an Niagara,
'airly causing the house to tremble.
Not knowing tho cause of the terrific,
like"vibrations b. meath her |
eet , and imagining any and everything, !
Mrs. Arms, after listening for mo-
neut. hesitated whether to proceed or
'eturn 10 her room and awaken her |
~ sband But she decided on the form
4r, and Courageously continued on |
lown stairs. Throwing open the door
at the bottom OF the stairs she 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
ley, and ascending high above its top |
)n 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.
4 thrill cry from her after single |
glance had taken in the situation, re-
suited in bringing her husband quick
ly to her side. He rushed TO the front |
door and called to the night employees |
Of the Water Works. which is nearly !
on the opposite side of the street.
They promptly responded and in a |
short time had the blaze under control |
and a few minutes later extinguished. |
When assistance arrived the wooden
covering in front of the chimney 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 off 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-proyided thew 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 il the roof
and few articles of clothing which
Mrs Arms had suspended to the shelf
of t range before going to bed. CON
seuuently the damages are slight com
pared TO what they might have been,
Id L.