Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-25
STUBBORN FIRE
SATURDAY NIGHT

4 stubborn hre OF unknown origin
for nearly an hour, Saturday evening,
imperilled the fine residence of l. X.
Grier, ESQ on Bloom street. That the
building was saved was due to timely
discovery and heroic work accomplish
ed by firemen and Others As it was the
loss sustained is considerable.
Mr.. .Grier is at Peoria, Ill. Mrs.
Polk along with her children and the
usual household assistants were at
home. About I 30 o'clock one Of the
children detected the odor of smoke,
which seemed TO come down from the
third story. Ascending the upper
stairs to investigate the cracking
sound of flames was heard in the dir
ection of the children's play room,
which is situated at the rear of the
building on the third floor. A moment
more revealed that the rafters and 9th
er woodwork between the slate roof
and plastered ceiling over a large area
were on fire and burning rapidly. The
play room was filled with dense vol
ume Of smoke.
The alarm of fire quickly went
abroad. While few of those who
happened to be passing rushed into the
house to render immediate assistance
John Sherwood ran out TO the Contin-
entail hose house and turned in the
alarm. The fremen made a quick re-
sponse, but pending their arrival a
bucket brigade was formed and every
effort was made to check the flames.
Owing to the location of the fire. how
ever, but little or nothing was accom-
plished by such means, and, working
along between the slate and the cell
ing, the flames ate their way south
ward to the highest part of the build
ing containing the gable facing the
west, where the attic is upholstered.
Bv the time the firemen arrived the
rafters and woodwork were enveloped
in flames and the high attic was filed
with a dense volume of smoke, which
together With the heat drove back ev-
cry person that attempted to enter 1T
The Continental and Goodwill hose
companies were soon on the ground
and each had stream of water on the
building. 1t was next to impossible,
however, to get at the fire. 1t was
necessary to cut hole in the ceiling
in the childrens play room and an
other i'll the roof from the outside in
the valley between the front or high
portion and the roof over that part
where the fire originated. This gave
the firemen a fair advantage. Willie
some played on the fire through these
apertures others dragged the hose up
the ladder into the attic, where, as
above explained the flames had spread
out in sheet and were rapidly con-
suming the rafters and other wood
work
No one could work in this part Of
the building who was not protected by
a wet sponge Some very brave and
efficient work was done here, not only
by the firemen, but by those not con-
nected with the department.
About forty five minutes after the
fire was discovered, as the combined
result of we'll directed efforts, the
flames we're gotten under control.
Each of the fire companies responded
to the call, but the Continental and
Goodwill companies were the only
ones whose hose were needed. Many
of the neighbors were on the scene
early and rendered valuable assistance
both in fighting the fire and in remov-
ing carpets aud furniture to prevent
damage by water.
Although every effort was made TO
prevent damage by the excessive uso
of water as well as by the cutting of
the roof and breaking of windows in
getting at the fire, yet the total loss
sustained is considerable, although
difficult to estimate. A new roof will
probably be required over portion of
the building while the walls on the
second story were dreuched with wat
er. The effects of the water On the first,
floor were also in evidence, especially
in the library where bookcase filled
with books narrowly escaped drench
ing The loss is fully covered by
insurance.
The origin of the fire is a mystery,
although it can clearly be traced to
closet in the play room on the third
floor, where a number of pasteboard
boxes and other things that the chill
dren used as playthings were stored.
From the closet the flames communic-
ated with the roof, running up the
rafters and finally spreading out as
above described. There are only the
! barest theories to explain how the fire
started. There were no electric light
! wires about the closet Neither were
there any matches kept there so far as
! known.
Showing the tenacity with which
the fire clung to the hidden and pro-
! tected crevices under the roof as late
as 8 o'clock Sunday morning the
flames broke out anew. The fire was
very insignificant, it is true, but it
| sufficed to cause an alarm. The Con
tinental company responded connect
! ing hose with the plug at the corner
! of Bloom and Mill streets TIE fire,
| however, was extinguished with few
! buckets of water.
Bloomsbury Woman III.
Mrs. Euphemia Hollingshead of