West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1907-03-14
BIG FIRE At TUNNElTON.
BOnafeld Block and Contents Com.
plstely Destroyed.
SECOND BLAZE WITHIN A WEEK
TunneltOn Bank, West Virginia North
eTn Railroad, DIR. Bone, and
Others the Losers.

Our sister town of Tunnelton has
been having a hard time of it the
past week. Last Saturday night a
FIRE broke out in the shops and
office building of the Merchants
Coal Co. and devoured the main
Office and threatened the buildings
where the powder and oil was
stored. BY hard work this was
saved, but the records of the com
pany were seriously damaged and
the loss to several thou
sand dollars.
The company moved their Office
papers into the Bonaheld Bank
Building, the finest structure in the
county, a four-story stone building
considered fire proof and the pride
of the town. 1t was erected a few
years ago at a cost of $4,000 and
was owned by Arnold J. Bonafeld,
the leading citizen Of the "Coal
Center"
Wednesday morning during the
severe electrical storm, the lightning
struck a telephone pole near the
building and followed the wire into
the third floor and set fire to the
wood work IN the inside and being
about 2 O'Clock in the morning and
everybody asleep and no one in the
building, the fire attained such
headway that nothing could be done
when it was discovered and the
structure was completely Quilted and
the splendid building an almost
total loss. The intense heat made
1t hard to save nearby property and
the b. & o. freight building across
the tracks from the bank was on fire
several times, but was saved and
the same with the Bishop hotel and
Merchants Supply Co. store.
The building was occupied by
The Tunnelton Bank and was called
the Bank Building. Their furniture
and fixtures we're lost, and the safe
with the money in it went down to
the basement and is covered up in
the ruins, but it is thought the con
tents are safe. The vault seems TO
be all right in which the books and
records are kept. Bonafeld had a
clothing store on the first floor and
but little of this was saved. The
Merchants Coal Company lost all
their books and records, just moved
in from the other FIRE. The Wesl
Virginia Northern Railroad oc
cupied three rooms for Offices and
lost all their books, records and sup.
plies. Also the Atlantic and Irona
Coal companies had Offices in build
ing and lost everything. DR.. b. +.
Bone had an Office and drug store
In the basement and saved abou,
half his goods. Attorney f. E.
ParrIck had his Office In the build
ing and lost everything in it. Mrs.
George Cummings had her house
hold goods stored in the building
and they were burned. The public
school had a room in the basement
and the furniture and fixtures were
destroy ed.
Frank Peterson, chief clerk for
the railroad, made a desperate effort
to save the books and records, hut
could not get upstairs at all, as the
whole inside was a roaring furnace
of flames, and while the walls kept
the fire from spreading, it made a
very intense heat on the inside and
1t is feared the contents Of the bank
safe are injured. An effort will be
made today 10 get a railroad wreck
ing car and crane and lift the safe
from the debris.
GMr. Bonaheld had $4,000 insur-
ance in five different companies,
represented by Albright & Gibson
of this place. He got a very low
rate as the building was considered
fire proof. ID. J. Gibson, Of the
firm, went up yesterday evening to
adjust and report on the loss.