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

DLlNU UNLM "A lLD
/ The loud new ing, unusual noise anC
commotion made by family cat al
/ the home OF Frank Arms, % West
! Front street, early Saturday morning,
doubtless saved the house from bein G
! 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-
rated from the lower by a number of
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 a 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 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
apartments, she went out side to look at
the top of the chimney to ascertain
whether or not ii 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 l 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 peculiar
manner. The animal had frequently
moved at nights when wanting out of
the house, but the placid, unruffled
tones of her calls OH 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 in great distress, and to be ap-
pesling for assistance with all the
force and power at its command.
Mrs. Arms interpreting the yells and
news to be 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 heal of the stairs she heard
another sound, ono that deadened
the still fTon.i-l 49,
sounded like the roar of an Niagara,
fairly causing the house to tremble.
Not knowing the cause of the terrific,
thunderous likeIvibrations beneath her
feet, and imagining any and everything,
Mrs. Arms, after listening for mo-
meut, hesitated whether to proceed or
return TO her room and 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 she dlscoV-
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
on 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 in the situation, re-
suited in bringing her husband quick
Iy 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 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 of the only ave
nue. through which the imprisoned
family could have escaped, except Il
have jumped out Of the windows, thin
ly clad into the chilly winds of Dec
ember night-provide thev had beei
awakened in time to have taken th
opportunity thus given them to sav
themselves from being cremated.
The only thing burned besides tn
chimney covering and portion OF tn
floor under the range and near tn
stairway, was a small hole il the roo
and few articles of clothing whic
Mrs Arms had suspended TO the shei
of { e range before going to bed. Con